Iran ceasefire teeters as IDF continues to pound Hezbollah in Lebanon
(JTA) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance headed to Pakistan on Apr 10 for in-person talks to reach a permanent end to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — with Israel’s continued campaign against the Iranian proxy Hezbollah a certain topic of discussion.
Israel and the United States have maintained that the deal struck between Iran and the United States to halt hostilities in Iran does not apply in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Hezbollah. But Iran says the deal requires an end to fighting there and that Israel’s continued campaign, which included intense bombing in the capital of Beirut on Apr 8, represents a violation of the truce.
Another sticking point with the potential to derail the ceasefire is Iran’s handling of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil shipping corridor. President Donald Trump made reopening the strait, which Iran closed in response to the start of the war, a key demand to avoid punishing strikes. But while Iran said it was acceding to the demand, it is seeking to levy a steep toll on all ships passing through — which if applied would aid in rebuilding its weakened military infrastructure — and so far has not let many ships through.
Leaders from across Europe say they believe Lebanon should be included in the ceasefire. Many also say they oppose tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
IDF updates nationwide defensive guidelines
(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces on Apr 8 announced updated defensive guidelines following an ongoing situational assessment by the military’s Home Front Command.
The current guidelines remained unchanged until 6 a.m., April 9. From 6 a.m. until 8 p.m., new directives were to take effect based on security developments.
In frontline areas — including the northern Golan, Upper Galilee, the Haifa Bay Area and the communities of Katzrin and Kidmat Tzvi — activity will remain limited. Schools may operate only in protected spaces, public gatherings are restricted to 50 people outdoors and 200 indoors, and workplaces and essential services must be in reach of protected spaces. Beaches in those regions will remain closed.
The rest of the country will resume full activity, except for the Lower and Central Galilee, the Valleys, Carmel, Wadi Ara, Menashe, Samaria, Sharon, Dan, Yarkon and Judean Lowlands regions, where gatherings will be capped at 1,000 people.
The IDF said it continues to monitor developments and will update guidelines as necessary.
Netanyahu: Iran truce a ‘way station’ to achieving war objectives
(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Apr 8 that the ceasefire agreed to by the United States and Iran the previous day was coordinated with Jerusalem, describing it as a “way station” and warning that “Operation Roaring Lion” could resume “at any necessary moment.”
“The State of Israel has achieved immense accomplishments, achievements that until recently seemed completely imaginary,” the premier said in a prime time address to the nation following the conclusion of the Passover holiday in Israel. “Iran is weaker than ever, and Israel is stronger than ever. This is the bottom line of this campaign, up to this moment.”
The prime minister denied reports that Washington blindsided the Jewish state with the truce, saying the announcement was made “in full coordination with Israel.”
“Six weeks ago, for the first time in history, we went to war shoulder-to-shoulder with my friend, President Trump and our great ally, the United States,” he said, adding: “A partnership like this between Israel and the U.S. against our greatest enemy has also never existed in Israel’s history.”
Netanyahu emphasized that the Islamic Republic was entering negotiations with the United States “battered and weaker than ever” after it waived all of its preconditions for the talks, including the cancellation of sanctions, receiving war reparations, a final end to hostilities and a parallel ceasefire with its Hezbollah terrorist proxy in Lebanon.
IDF soldier KIA in Southern Lebanon, bringing total war toll to 937
(JNS) — Israel Defense Forces Staff-Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, 20, from the northern city of Beit She’an, was killed fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Apr 8.
Lifshiz served in the 13th Battalion of the IDF’s Golani Brigade, the statement said. Five other soldiers sustained injuries of varying degrees and were evacuated to a hospital in Israel, it added.
The total death toll among Israeli troops since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre now stands at 937. Twelve IDF soldiers have been killed since the expansion of ground operations in Southern Lebanon in early March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the announcement that “our hearts are with the family of the heroic Golani soldier, Staff-Sgt. Touvel Yosef Lifshiz, of blessed memory, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon.”
“We pray for the swift and full recovery of our soldiers who were wounded in the same incident, after fighting bravely against Hezbollah terrorists,” he stated. “We will continue to act with full force to remove the threat to the residents of the north. May the memory of Touvel, of blessed memory, be a blessing and be preserved forever.”
Attacker killed in gunfight outside closed Israeli consulate in Istanbul
(JTA) — One attacker was killed and two others injured in a gunfight with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on Apr 7.
The consulate has been largely closed since 2023, when the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza escalated diplomatic tensions between Turkey and Israel.
Turkish authorities said they had identified the three attackers in the incident, in which two police officers were also lightly injured. The man who was killed, whom they identified as Yunus ES, had “connections with a terrorist organization that exploits religion,” the Ministry of the Interior announced. It did not identify the organization.
Turkish authorities also did not immediately tie the incident to the consulate, noting that a major bank and other businesses were located closer to the firefight. They said the attackers had driven to Istanbul from Izmit, about an hour and a half away, and had brought both long-barreled guns and pistols.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey issued a security alert for the area and Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, saying that it targeted the Israeli Consulate.
“We appreciate the Turkish security forces’ swift action in thwarting this attack,” the ministry said on social media. “Israeli missions around the world have been subjected to countless threats and terrorist attacks. Terror will not deter us.”
