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In-Depth Issues:
How Israel and the U.S. Coordinate Strikes on Iran - Elisha Ben Kimon ( Ynet News)
After Israel-U.S. operations in Iran in June 2025, both militaries reached a key understanding: from Iran's perspective, if either side attacked it, Iran would strike both.
That realization led to the conclusion that joint Israeli-American action - not only in defense but also offensively - would serve as a force multiplier.
Coordination cells now operate in Israel and the U.S., where intelligence and targets are synchronized. The teams sit together, analyze targets, and decide who will strike what based on relative advantages.
Regarding surface-to-surface missile threats, the IDF primarily strikes in western and central Iran, while the Americans are responsible for strikes in the south of the country.
The Americans have dozens of tanker aircraft at Ben-Gurion Airport which have been refueling Israeli fighter jets.
The IDF says the next two weeks are expected to involve systematic attrition of regime and military targets throughout Iran.
The IDF says there are no constraints on resources or time, and no U.S. restrictions of the kind that existed in the past.
The objective is clear and both sides want to achieve it together. "So far it's going very well," IDF officials said.
See also Israel Strikes Iranian Missiles after U.S. Identifies Targets - Elisha Ben Kimon ( Ynet News)
Brig.-Gen. D., commander of the Israel Air Force's Nevatim airbase, said Israeli aircraft are striking Iranian surface-to-surface missiles "with the help of our American partners."
"There is an operational headquarters that can provide very precise targets and constantly turn intelligence into action."
The IDF-U.S. Plan to Systematically Dismantle Iran - Lilach Shoval ( Israel Hayom)
In the coming weeks, the IDF and the U.S. military will strike thousands of targets in Iran in a broad, systematic campaign.
"The goal is to crush all regime targets," IDF sources said. Israel will focus on western Iran; the U.S. will handle the east.
Israel is fighting a war alongside the U.S. wing to wing. There are units within the IDF that now conduct half their communications in English.
More than a thousand Americans are in Israel to synchronize planning and real-time operations.
In a handful of instances, U.S. and Israeli fighter pilots have flown joint missions together.
American air defense systems are also present in Israel, including THAAD and Aegis-equipped warships.
Airstrikes Have Severely Disrupted Iran's Military Leadership - Amichai Stein ( Jerusalem Post)
The ability of Iran's leadership "to manage the war and issue instructions to forces on the ground has been severely damaged," U.S. and Israeli officials told the Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Due to the severe disruption, Iran's missile launches are mostly sporadic. "Whoever can fire, fires," one official said.
Iran's Leaders Have Severed Their Own Lifeline by Closing the Strait of Hormuz - David Blair ( Telegraph-UK)
The hard men running Iran have threatened to "set on fire" any tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Many countries depend on this narrow channel through which a fifth of the world's seaborne oil flows, but none more completely than Iran itself.
Last year, Iran defied sanctions by exporting 1.7 million barrels of oil every day. Its tankers steamed from the oil export terminal on Kharg Island through the Strait of Hormuz and onwards to their destinations. Now, they will be going nowhere.
By halting traffic in this waterway, Iran is severing its own windpipe and crippling its own economy.
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93 Percent of Jewish Israelis Support Operation in Iran - Tzvi Jasper ( Jerusalem Post)
93% of Jewish Israelis voiced their support for Israel's operation in Iran in a survey released by the Israel Democracy Institute on Wednesday.
74% of Jewish Israelis feel fairly or very protected from Iran's attacks.
Ground Crews Keep Israel Air Force Flying in Iran War - Elisha Ben Kimon ( Ynet News)
The Israel Air Force, flying repeated missions deep into enemy territory and striking hundreds of targets, relies on the technical teams who receive each aircraft for only a few hours before preparing it for the next sortie.
Maj. D, 34, commander of the technical branch in Squadron 106, oversees that complex logistical effort.
She said that in the days leading up to the current campaign, the unit knew it was coming and she couldn't tell her family what was about to happen.
When the war began, Maj. D, who is married and a mother of two young children, said her family had to evacuate the base where they live.
"I don't see my kids, and that's very hard, but they send video clips and they are used to this situation. They know what their mom does. My eldest told me before they left, 'Mom, there's a war. We're going to fight the bad guys.'"
"The only concern is that there will be heavy fire [from Iran], more than last time, and that hasn't really happened," she said.
"I am constantly planning the next flights. Aircraft have just taken off and I have a little over three hours to prepare for the next sortie. I plan the next munitions that need to arrive."
"The pilots are flying many more sorties. There is no pause. They barely rest. They return from a mission, rest two or three hours, eat and go back up."
Maj. D said dozens of women are providing critical support to the mission. "I feel pride. What we are doing is for future generations."
Israel Intercepts Missiles during CNN
Interview with Jerusalem Center President - Paloma Chavez ( People)
CNN's Erin Burnett was interviewing Dr. Dan Diker from the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs on Tuesday when she noticed Israeli interceptors launching into the sky.
Sirens soon started to sound, prompting her to evacuate the rooftop area with her guest to take cover in a nearby concrete stairwell.
As she reached the stairwell, she said, "I think it's important for everyone to understand this is what's become the cadence of normal life [in Israel]."
See also Video of Interrupted
CNN
Interview ( CNN-YouTube)
U.S. Shi'ite Mosque Memorial for Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei ( MEMRI-TV)
The Hadi Institute in Dearborn, Michigan, held a March 1, 2026, memorial service for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
During the event, lawyer Hassan Salamey asserted that Americans live on "stolen land" controlled by "devil-worshiping Freemasons." Hassan Salamey is the son of Sam Salamey, Chief Judge of the 19th District Court in Dearborn.
Usama Abdulghani, spiritual leader of the Hadi Institute, offered his congratulations for the honor that Khamenei received after 86 years of jihad.
He acknowledged those who brought young children to the memorial so they grow up with "this culture" of remembering martyrs.
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News Resources - North America, Europe, and Asia:
- Secretary of War Hegseth on Israel: "Fighting Shoulder to Shoulder with Such a Capable Ally Is a True Force Multiplier and a Breath of Fresh Air"
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth discussed the U.S. operation in Iran on Wednesday:
"As President Trump has said, we will take all the time we need to make sure that we succeed....We are only four days into this, and the results have been incredible, historic really. Only the United States of America could lead this, only us. But when you add the Israel Defense Forces, a devastatingly capable force, the combination is sheer destruction for our radical Islamist Iranian adversaries."
"The mission is laser-focused: obliterate Iran's missiles and drones and facilities that produce them, annihilate its navy and critical security infrastructure, and sever their pathway to nuclear weapons. Iran will never possess a nuclear bomb, not on our watch, not ever."
"To our steadfast partner, Israel, your mission is being executed with unmatched skill and iron determination. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with such a capable ally is a true force multiplier and a breath of fresh air. We salute your courage and your contribution."
"When I said a breath of fresh air, I really meant it. Usually it's us with some ancillary benefits from allies who are maybe willing, but not as capable. When you have both the will and the capability of an ally that can really bring things to bear, we take certain targets, they take certain targets, and when you coordinate it, it has incredible effects."
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said:
"The operation was, again, launched with clear military objectives designed to dismantle Iran's ability to project power outside of its borders both today and in the future. First, we are targeting and eliminating Iran's ballistic missile systems to prevent them from threatening U.S. forces, partners and interests in the region....We're ensuring Iran cannot rapidly rebuild or reconstitute its combat capability or combat power."
"Over the initial days, the U.S. Joint Forces continued to attack and attrit ballistic missile capabilities as well as integrated air defense capabilities along the southern access. Along the northern access, Israel and the Israel Air Force has predominantly been working integrated air defense targets along the northern flank as well as medium-range ballistic missile capability."
"Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait are all defending their people with their own combat capability with precision and restraint. Jordanian air defense crews recently intercepted a cluster of Iranian one-way attack drones headed to Amman....Saudi Patriot batteries stopped a salvo of ballistic missiles aimed at energy facilities near Dhahran. The UAE neutralized multiple drones targeting Abu Dhabi's industrial zone." (U.S. Department of War)
- U.S. and Israel Target Iran's Underground "Missile Cities" -
David S. Cloud
Iran spent decades constructing underground bunkers to shield its vast missile arsenal from destruction. Less than a week into the war, the strategy is beginning to look like a blunder. U.S. and Israeli planes and armed drones are circling over the dozens of cavernous bases, striking missile-carrying launchers when they emerge to fire. Meanwhile, waves of heavy bombers have dropped munitions on the sites, entombing the Iranian weapons below ground in some locations.
Satellite imagery taken in recent days shows the smoldering remains of several Iranian missiles and launchers destroyed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes near entrances to the "missile cities." Analysts said it is likely that much of Tehran's remaining stockpile of missiles remains in underground bases whose locations are mostly known to the U.S. and Israel.
That underscores a fundamental flaw in the missile-city concept: "What was once mobile and difficult to find is no longer mobile, and easier to hit," said Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Almost all of the dozens of missile bases are underground but have aboveground buildings, roads and entrances that make it possible to identify them from satellite photos. The Pentagon and Israel's military have spent years locating the facilities. (Wall Street Journal)
- U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Warship in Indian Ocean - Jon Gambrell
A U.S. submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Submarine periscope footage released by the Department of War showed a Mk 48 torpedo striking the vessel. Sri Lanka's Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra said 80 Iranian sailors have died. This marks the first enemy warship sunk by the U.S. using a torpedo since World War II.
(Naval News-France)
- Iranian Drones Strike Airport in Azerbaijan - Orestes Georgiou Daniel
Three Iranian drones have targeted the passenger terminal of Razi Airport in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, local authorities told Euronews on Thursday. Videos from the scene show a drone flying towards the airport, damage to its main terminal, and emergency crews on site. (Euronews-Belgium)
See also Video: Iranian Drone Attack in Azerbaijan (Aze.Media)
- Iranian TV and Social Media Project Defiant and Distorted View of the War - Tiffany Hsu
On Iran's official television networks and affiliated or sympathetic social media accounts, the country is striving to present a resolute image. It is waging an information war blending fact and fiction, often using unproven claims and fake videos generated using artificial intelligence.
In Tehran's telling, Iranian missiles have ravaged Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities, its jets have decimated an American aircraft carrier, and hundreds of Americans have been killed at bases and embassies around the region. The messages present the country as not only fighting back but winning. One senior official said on state television that its "extensive and successful operation" against Israel and other countries had "left all military experts in awe."
Moustafa Ayad, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue in London, said Iran "is flooding the zone with content that projects strength in the wake of attacks on Iran - and it's similarly distorting the picture of what is actually happening inside the country." (New York Times)
- IDF Strikes Beirut after Hizbullah Attacks Israel
Israel said it carried out strikes on Beirut targeting Hizbullah on Thursday after Hizbullah began attacking Israel on Monday.
Israel has since struck targets across Lebanon and sent ground forces into border towns.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said a pre-dawn Israeli drone strike hit an apartment in Beddawi, near Tripoli, killing senior Hamas official Wassim Atallah al-Ali.
Meanwhile, in Israel's north near the border, repeated air raid alerts sent residents to shelters in several locations. Hizbullah leader Naim Qassem said Wednesday the group had targeted Israeli positions as far as Tel Aviv in at least 15 attacks. Lebanese authorities said 72 people had been killed, 437 wounded, and 83,000 displaced from their homes since Monday.
The Israeli military told people living south of Lebanon's Litani river to evacuate, warning that the army was "compelled to take military action" against Hizbullah there. (AFP-Al Arabiya)
See also Battered and Isolated, Hizbullah Drags Lebanon into Another War - Hugo Bachega (BBC)
News Resources - Israel and the Mideast:
- IDF Planning for 1-2 More Weeks of Iran Operations - Emanuel Fabian
The Israeli military is planning for at least one or two more weeks of operations against Iran, during which it aims to hit thousands more Iranian regime targets, the Times of Israel has learned.
Col. A, commander of the Ramat David Airbase, said, "In the past two days, we have killed thousands of Iranian forces." He said he had participated in a wave of strikes on a massive Iranian military compound in eastern Tehran. "Seconds before I dropped the bombs, I looked right and left, and saw dozens of fighter jets beside me. They're flying freely, dropping hundreds of tons of precise munitions and destroying the targets."
The IDF said it hit the headquarters of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC Quds Force, intelligence directorate, Basij paramilitary force, Iran's cyber unit, the special forces unit of Iran's internal security forces, and a "protest suppression" unit of the internal security forces. "The headquarters were struck while personnel of the Iranian terror regime responsible for managing the campaign, advancing terror plans against the State of Israel and countries in the region, and suppressing Iranian civilians were operating from them," the IDF said. (Times of Israel)
- Israel: Over 3,000 Iranian Soldiers and Operatives Killed since Start of War - Yossi Yehoshua
More than 3,000 Iranian soldiers and operatives linked to the regime have been killed since the start of the war in strikes by the Israel Air Force and U.S. forces, according to Israeli assessments presented to the political leadership. Israeli security officials say the toll reflects strikes on military headquarters, launch sites and other installations across Iran, with some casualties believed to remain buried under rubble.
The Israel Air Force has dropped 5,500 munitions across Iran, averaging about 1,000 per day. It has carried out 12 large-scale strike missions targeting Tehran, destroying dozens of military headquarters and government institutions where Iranian operatives were present.
Israeli officials say a decline in missile alerts has been noticeable on the home front. The situation inside Israel is beginning to resemble lower-intensity confrontations such as the conflict with the Houthis.
Israeli military officials say regime change may be necessary but could come only after the military campaign concludes. A senior IDF official said, "There is no intention of stopping until all the targets are struck. One way or another, this campaign will end with a very significant weakening of Iranian capabilities for many years." (Ynet News)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis:
The Iran War
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards Face Defeat - Oded Ailam
For years it seemed that the engine of the Iranian revolution - the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) - was only growing stronger. The revolution extended its arms across the world: South America, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, Sudan.
Now a series of colossal mistakes, a misreading of the American administration, an underestimation of the international community, dependence on treacherous patrons - Russia and China, has led the Iranian leadership to the edge of the abyss. What was built over decades as a palace of revolutionary self-confidence is now slowly sinking into the sand.
The conduct of Iran and its proxies, firing at neighboring states and widening the fronts of war, is not an expression of strength. It resembles a chess player who, in rage, knocks the pieces off the board as checkmate approaches.
The name that arises again and again to succeed the Supreme Leader is his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. Yet Mojtaba is not a leader who grew out of the religious tradition. He has no religious law backbone, no aura of a learned cleric, and no real military experience to his credit. If appointed, he will be a puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, not a leader who guides the system.
In practice, it has long been clear who runs the country. The Revolutionary Guards view the current campaign as a new chapter in the eternal drama of a faithful minority against a hostile world, and therefore every compromise feels like betrayal.
This logic also explains the pressure placed on Hizbullah. The Revolutionary Guards made it clear that if they do not join the war now, the relationship ends. Refusal would sever it from its patron in Tehran, from money, weapons, and ideology, and its fate as a revolutionary religious organization would be sealed.
The writer, former head of the Counterterrorism Division in the Mossad, is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center.
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs)
- Iran's Attacks on Its Gulf Neighbors Were a Historic Strategic Mistake - Shimon Refaeli
When the regime in Tehran responded to the U.S.-Israeli strike, it didn't limit itself to Israel. Its ballistic missiles and drones were also directed at civilian facilities of Iran's Sunni Arab neighbors in the Gulf. Within hours, the discourse on the Arab street changed. Indifference or implied criticism toward Israel turned into condemnation of Iran.
Iran's attacks on its neighbors in the Gulf were a historic strategic mistake of the kind that shapes a regional order for years. The moment it directed its weapons toward its Sunni Arab neighbors, it squandered its political capital. In the eyes of the Gulf states, Iran became an imperial expansion project threatening their national security. Countries that were conflicted, divided or neutral suddenly found themselves on the same side as Israel.
The writer, a senior fellow at the David Institute for Security Policy, served as a policy assistant to Ron Dermer, a former Israeli strategic affairs minister, 2023-26. (Wall Street Journal)
- Why the U.S. Attacked Iran - Abe Greenwald
After 20-plus years of public speculation about how Israel, the U.S., or both would ultimately handle the threat emanating from the Iranian theocracy, many Americans are suddenly stumped as to why the U.S.-Israel coalition is trying to topple the regime. They just can't figure it out.
The Islamic Republic has been the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism for decades. Iran has routinely vowed "death to America," killed thousands of Israelis and Americans (and many more Iranians), expanded its reach through multiple terrorist proxies and statelets throughout the region, sought to assassinate American officials (including Donald Trump), and worked assiduously to build and hide a nuclear weapons program. And that's just a partial list.
Since Khomeinists took 66 Americans hostage in 1979, we've never lacked a justification for wanting to topple the terrorist regime. What we did lack until now was the will to act and sufficiently optimal circumstances for success. Having obtained both, our decision to go to war should be readily understood. The amnesiacs are forgetting the regime's crimes because it's traumatic for them to accept that Israel and the U.S. are doing the right, moral, and necessary thing - after so many administrations allowed the threat to grow.
To some, preemptive war is immediately suspect and specifically unacceptable absent an imminent threat. But it's better to strike one's enemies before they pose an imminent threat. (Commentary)
- Why China Won't Help Iran - Yun Sun
China is watching carefully as the U.S. and Israel bombard Iran. Beijing is, after all, Tehran's most important partner.
Both oppose a Western-dominated global order. More than 55% of China's total oil imports in 2025 came from the Middle East (13% from Iran itself), most of which must pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Because the recent bombing campaign potentially jeopardizes Beijing's ability to ship oil from the region, some analysts have speculated that Beijing will come to Tehran's aid.
But although China is concerned, it is not likely to get involved. After Israel's 12-day war against Iran in June 2025, China offered only boilerplate diplomatic rhetoric in support of the Islamic Republic. Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, Beijing has grown increasingly disillusioned with Tehran's capability and credibility as a regional power. Ultimately, Beijing doesn't see regime change in Iran as a worst-case scenario. China is willing to work with whatever leadership emerges after the strikes as long as it protects oil flows and prioritizes shared economic interests.
Pessimism about Iran's fate is now baked into Chinese assessments of the Middle East: in the current crisis, Chinese opinion leaders such as the prominent pundit Hu Xijin lament the quagmire Iran and its people now face and blame Tehran for leading the country into it. China has already lost faith in the leadership of the Islamic Republic. What matters now is figuring out how to work with the next power holders to keep oil flowing from the Middle East.
The writer is Director of the China Program at the Stimson Center.
(Foreign Affairs)
Israeli Security
- The New Israeli Rules of Engagement - Amit Segal
On Oct. 6, 2023, the Israeli defense establishment realized something was stirring in Gaza but failed to act. Officials were paralyzed by the fear of a miscalculation. Decades of containment, restraint and forbearance had made Israel slow to stir and vulnerable in appearance. Two and a half years later, Israel stands at the pinnacle of its power in the Middle East - a transformation that occurred only after it shed rules it had adopted in recent decades.
There are new rules of the game. For years, Israel shied away from targeted killings, granting terror leaders and Iranian officials the time and peace of mind to plot against the Jewish state. The IDF's new mindset is the exact opposite: If terrorists are running for their lives, they can't make plans to take ours.
Another rule is: when enemies announce their intention to destroy you, believe them. "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" aren't lip service or empty words. They are mission statements.
Ignoring small security problems invites larger ones. Israel fled Gaza to avoid improvised explosive devices and shooting attacks, only to be attacked by two commando divisions with the world's largest tunnel network at their disposal. It withdrew from Lebanon because it couldn't stomach 20 fallen soldiers a year; in exchange, Hizbullah entrenched itself on the border with a missile arsenal rivaled by few global powers.
For years, the enemy fired rockets and Israel replied with "proportional" force. This normalized the firing on civilians, kidnapping and invasion. But this changed after Oct. 7. Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah thought he was still playing by the old rules, launching a few rockets daily. It ended with his elimination, the decapitation of his organization, and the destruction of 80% of their missile stockpile.
The new rules are in effect in the operation launched on Saturday. The Jewish state can't accept the existence in Iran of production facilities and thousands of ballistic missiles, with every launch sending half of Israel into shelters and threatening mass casualties. It can't tolerate a regime that continues to fund its greatest enemies with more than a billion dollars annually.
President Trump understood that Iran is a danger to regional and world peace. Iran's attacks on peaceful Gulf states and Cyprus show what they would have done had they been allowed to develop nuclear weapons. This war will save us from the necessity of many others.
The writer is chief political commentator on Israel's Channel 12 News.
(Wall Street Journal)
Observations:
- In 2023, from a tunnel beneath Gaza, Yahya Sinwar gave an order that sent thousands of Hamas fighters through the fence separating the territory from Israel. That green light has reordered the Middle East on a scale comparable to the Arab Spring or the carving up of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century - but not remotely in the ways Sinwar had in mind.
- 29 months later, the Middle East is almost unrecognizable. Israel stands indisputably as the military hegemon, its enemies demolished or decapitated. Sinwar is dead and the network he hoped would ride to his rescue is in ruins.
- Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was blown up in a joint U.S.-Israeli airstrike on Saturday. The regime that bankrolled and armed the "axis of resistance" for four decades is on the edge of collapse - perhaps taking with it Hamas, Hizbullah and the Houthis. Tehran is making enemies of the entire region - firing drones and missiles haphazardly, and often including civilian targets.
- On Oct. 6, 2023, it was all different. Iran's proxy network was at the peak of its power. Hamas governed Gaza. Hizbullah held Lebanon hostage with 100,000 rockets. Assad sat in Damascus, reintegrating into the Arab League after years of isolation. The Houthis controlled the Yemeni coast and menaced shipping lanes with near-impunity.
- Behind them all stood Iran, with a nuclear program viewed as an imminent threat in Jerusalem and the West, backed by a missile arsenal regarded as a strong deterrent against direct Israeli or American attack. Gulf nations were quietly reestablishing ties with the Islamic republic. "Two years later, none of those pillars are standing, and the Islamic republic is never going to be the same," said Ali Vaez, director of the Iran Project at the International Crisis Group.
- What Sinwar set off was an unraveling of everything he and his sponsors yearned for - a defeated Israel, Palestinian hopes for statehood, a Middle East rid of Western influence. "Talk about a colossal miscalculation leading to catastrophic consequences," said Bilal Saab, a Chatham House fellow and former Pentagon official. "That cataclysmic event single-handedly changed the face of the Middle East."
- Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has neutralized every major threat on its borders. A former senior Israel Defense Forces official said, "There is still war, but I can tell you that no one but the biggest dreamers ever thought we would be in the position we are in now. Israel is not untouchable, but we have made it very expensive to touch us."
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