Israel News for 3-17-2025
News Update
IDF forces struck a Radwan Force command and control center and other buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon last night, after gun shots fired from Lebanon hit a car windshield in the northern Israeli community of Avivim, narrowly missing the driver. The IDF also struck targets in the village of Aainata. The shots are suspected to have been fired during a funeral for a slain Hezbollah terrorist. Early today, the IDF struck 2 Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. The IDF also struck several terrorists in Gaza.
Since the days following Oct. 7, the IDF has cleared over 120 kilometers of terrain in southern Lebanon, stretching along the border from Rosh Hanikra to Sde Dov, as part of an operation named “Silver Plow”. Engineering teams cleared forests and destroyed underground bunkers, tunnels, and command centers. A security zone of 200 meters to 1 km has been established, and 5 new strategic IDF outposts built. For more, click here.
An Israeli negotiating team is in Cairo for meetings with senior officials. U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said earlier on Sunday that Hamas has an opportunity to accept his proposal for a limited release of five hostages after it gave a response that, in his words, was “unacceptable.” Witkoff also warned Hamas to “get more sensible” and said the terror group should learn what could happen to it from the U.S. strikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saturday. Hamas had said last week that it would be willing to release Israeli-American Edan Alexander and four dead hostages with U.S. citizenship, but Witkoff said that Hamas made demands that could not be met without reaching a long-lasting ceasefire.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he wants to fire Shin Bet director Ronen Bar and that he’ll bring the matter to a cabinet vote this week. According to sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu tried to get Bar to resign, but when he refused he decided to fire him. Bar said he would remain at the head of Shin Bet until the return of all the hostages. Bar’s dismissal coincides with Shin Bet’s probes into suspicious activities involving Netanyahu’s aides. Opposition leader Yair Lapid condemned the timing and motives as irresponsible, accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing personal interests.
The Haifa District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against Odae Mobarsham, a resident of the Arab town of Jadeidi-Makr in Western Galilee, accusing him of planning the attack as an “expression of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.” Prosecutors say Mobarsham intended to carry out the attack at Damascus Gate using an illegally obtained firearm. A senior Shin Bet official described the arrest as a “significant counterterrorism success,” emphasizing that had the attack been carried out during Ramadan, it could have led to a “dangerous escalation” in Jerusalem at a time of heightened security tensions.
Yesterday, I went to see the newly released movie “October 8”, which documents the anti-semitic and anti-Israel hatred after the October 7 massacre. I highly recommend it. To watch the trailer, click here.
