Israel & the United States at War with Iran
Special Update from Israel

March 30, 2026

Prepared by and sent from Jewish Federations of North America's Israel Office 

• Day 31 of the US/ Israel War with Iran
• Twenty-eight people have been killed in Israel during Operation Roaring Lion, including six IDF soldiers who fell in Lebanon.
• The Houthis have joined the war, launching missiles at Israel

The War with Hezbollah

• An IDF soldier was killed during fighting with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon over the weekend. The military identified him as Sgt. Moshe Yitzchak HaCohen Katz, 22, an American-Israeli member of the Golani Brigade's reconnaissance unit from Petah Tikva. He was killed during a firefight with Hezbollah operatives.
• Katz, who was buried last night, was an oleh chadash (new immigrant) from the Chabad community in New Haven, Connecticut. According to the IDF, troops engaged a group of gunmen, killing several of them in the exchange. Greenberg’s father, Yaron, said his son “always pushed himself forward with determination, with love, with a good heart,” while his sister, Noa, said the family’s world was “destroyed” when they were informed of his death. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Moshe, of blessed memory, immigrated to Israel from the US, enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought bravely in defense of the homeland. On behalf of all citizens of Israel, we embrace Moshe’s family in their difficult hour and wish a swift and full recovery to our fighters who were wounded in the same incident. May his memory be a blessing.”
• Additionally, a few hours ago, it was announced that 19-year-old Liran Ben Tzion from Holon fell in battle in Lebanon. According to the IDF, an anti-tank missile struck a tank of the 9th Battalion, killing Ben Zion and seriously injuring another soldier. Ben Zion is the sixth soldier to be killed following the IDF’s renewed offensive against Hezbollah.
• Last Thursday, IDF Sergeant Aviad Elchanan Volansky, 21, from Jerusalem, was killed when an anti-tank missile struck a tank belonging to the Golani Brigade’s combat team. Four additional IDF soldiers were lightly injured in the attack. Aviad was the cousin of Elhanan Klein, who was murdered by terrorists shortly after October 7, 2023. He was named after his uncle, who was killed in a 2002 terrorist attack in the West Bank.
• Three IDF soldiers were seriously wounded and several others moderately injured in Hezbollah attacks and related incidents in southern Lebanon in recent days. The IDF said two soldiers were hit by an anti‑tank guided missile, while another was seriously wounded in a drone strike near Israeli forces. One additional soldier was moderately injured in what the military described as an operational accident. All injured troops were evacuated to hospitals and their families were notified.
• In recent days, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified in southern Lebanon, with the IDF expanding ground operations and carrying out sustained air and artillery strikes. Israel announced last night that troops had arrived at the Litani River and are now operating ten kilometers inside Lebanon.
• The military said it struck and destroyed dozens of Hezbollah weapons depots, launch sites, and command positions, and reported killing numerous operatives, including members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force. Israeli troops operated in multiple villages near the border, conducting successful searches for weapons and dismantling infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Hezbollah continued to fire rockets, drones, and anti‑tank missiles toward northern Israel, triggering repeated sirens in communities including Haifa and the Galilee, while Israel intercepted several aerial threats.
• Israeli airstrikes were also reported in Beirut’s southern suburbs after evacuation warnings were issued, with footage showing smoke rising from Hezbollah‑controlled areas. Lebanese authorities reported significant casualties and displacement in southern Lebanon as fighting continued, while UNIFIL confirmed that a projectile strike killed one peacekeeper and wounded others near one of its positions. The IDF said its operations were aimed at degrading Hezbollah’s ability to launch attacks and at pushing hostile forces away from the border area.

Missile and Rocket Fire

• Over the past several days, Iranian missile fire caused one civilian fatality in central Israel and left multiple others injured, alongside significant property damage.

•  A 52‑year‑old man from Ashdod was killed in Tel Aviv on Saturday, after being struck by shrapnel from a submunition during a ballistic missile barrage from Iran. The victim, identified as Vyacheslav Vidmant, had been working as a municipal security guard at evacuated buildings damaged in earlier strikes and was not inside a protected space when the sirens sounded. Emergency services said several additional submunitions landed across the area, damaging buildings and vehicles.
• In the same wave of attacks, multiple civilians were wounded in central Israel and the Jerusalem corridor. A ballistic missile penetrated Israel’s air defenses and struck near the community of Eshtaol, just outside Bet Shemesh, injuring at least 13 people. Most of the injured were reported to be in light condition, with some treated for shock. Homes and vehicles in the area sustained extensive damage, and rescue teams carried out searches to ensure no one was trapped.
• Today, debris from an intercepted missile struck an industrial building and a fuel tanker at the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service said. No casualties were reported, and Energy Minister Eli Cohen said production facilities were not damaged and fuel supply was unaffected. Firefighters identified a direct hit on a tanker parked on the periphery of the site, causing heavy smoke from a nearby structure, and worked to prevent the fire from spreading while searching for trapped individuals. A senior firefighter said the tanker contained benzene that was not considered dangerous and that it was expected to take several hours to put out the blaze.

• Elsewhere, additional civilians were injured by shrapnel and debris from missile interceptions in southern Israel, including in the Bedouin town of Kuseife. Emergency services reported treating several people for light injuries caused by falling fragments following interceptions.

• Last Thursday, Uri Peretz, 43, a father of four from Nahariya, was killed before he was able to take shelter. A man in his 50s was seriously wounded, and 13 others were lightly injured by shrapnel in the incident.

• Yemen’s Iran‑backed Houthi movement joined the war in recent days, launching ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones toward Israel from Yemeni territory. No major damage or injuries were reported. Houthi officials said the strikes were carried out in support of Iran and Hezbollah and warned that operations could expand to maritime routes, including the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping chokepoint.

• Civilian fatalities from missile hits remained thankfully relatively limited. Still, the number of injuries continues to grow, with many caused by shrapnel, debris, or while attempting to reach shelter during repeated sirens. Authorities reiterated that missile barrages during this period included cluster munitions, which scatter submunitions over wide areas and complicate rescue and clearance efforts.

• Multiple ballistic missile launches from Iran toward southern Israel were detected throughout the morning, including four in one hour, triggering repeated sirens in Beer Sheva, the Negev and the southern West Bank. The IDF said the missiles were intercepted and no injuries were reported in those incidents. Sirens also sounded in Haifa following a rocket salvo fired from Lebanon and in Eilat due to suspected hostile drones. The military later said it intercepted two drones launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi group.

• Siren activity has continued to intensify in northern Israel, with the number of alerts there now surpassing those in central Israel. Warning times were extended in dozens of northern communities, including an increase in the city of Nahariya.

The War with Iran

• In recent days, Israeli and US forces carried out repeated large‑scale strikes on Iranian military and regime infrastructure, with a focus on Tehran and key weapons facilities. The IDF said it struck ballistic missile production and storage sites, air defense systems, and multiple temporary command centers in the Iranian capital, describing the operation as a wide‑scale wave of attacks
• Iranian and international media reported explosions and fires at military, energy, and industrial sites in cities including Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Karaj, with power outages reported in parts of the capital following damage to electricity infrastructure. US officials said American forces continued joint operations targeting missile capabilities and regime assets.
• US President Donald Trump claimed that many targets in Iran had been destroyed over the past day and said the US had struck thousands of sites since the war began.
• Trump also said he was weighing the risks to US troops in considering a special ground operation to seize approximately 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium from Iran. He also said a deal to end the war could come soon, while threatening severe consequences if Iran rejected US demands.The USS Tripoli and its Marine Expeditionary Unit have arrived in the Middle East from Japan, including the forces on the USS Boxer and reinforcements from the 82nd Airborne. This marks the largest US military deployment to the region in over 20 years.

• Iran executed two men convicted of ties to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, accusing them of planning armed attacks in Tehran using improvised launchers. Iran’s judiciary did not provide details on when the men were arrested.

Israel's Home Front

• Israel’s Health Ministry reported that 232 people were hospitalized over the previous 24 hours due to injuries related to the war with Iran, bringing the total number of hospital admissions since February 28 to 6,008. Among those treated in the past day, two were listed in serious condition, eight in moderate condition, and 215 in good condition, with seven treated for anxiety. The ministry said 121 people remained hospitalized nationwide. The figures included both civilians and soldiers.

• The IDF Home Front Command again extended wartime restrictions until at least Saturday night. Gatherings are capped at 100 people indoors and 50 outdoors in those areas. In the rest of the country, educational activities remained suspended, and gatherings were limited to 50 people. A further assessment was scheduled for Saturday evening. Roughly 86% of Israel’s population remain under restricted activity conditions.

• Around 6,100 residents from 47 local authorities are currently displaced from their homes and staying in hotels or community‑based housing after damage from missile strikes.  More than 350 were evacuated in recent days, primarily from Eshtaol in the Jerusalem area.

• Flights to and from Israel remain heavily disrupted, with Ben Gurion Airport operating on a very limited basis of just one flight per hour, and Israeli airlines extending cancellations of regular flights into April. Since the outbreak of the war, approximately 188,000 Israelis have returned and about 150,000 have departed, while land crossings have seen increased traffic following tightened aviation restrictions. Changes in Egyptian and Jordanian policies in recent days have further complicated travel via land crossings, including higher costs at the Taba crossing to Egypt, and the suspension of Israeli flights via Aqaba in Jordan.
• The Knesset approved the 2026 state budget by a vote of 62–55, preventing the collapse of the government and early elections. This is the first time in nearly two decades as prime minister that Prime Minister Netanyahu succeeded in passing a state budget in an election year, effectively securing the government until at least September, making this Israel’s longest‑serving government since 1969.
• The approximately $271 billion budget is the largest in Israel’s history and includes a record defense allocation of more than $45 billion, alongside additional long‑term and income‑dependent expenditures. The final vote followed more than 14 hours of debate, repeated interruptions due to missile sirens, and last‑minute amendments that allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to priorities of Haredi parties.

• IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir called the alleged assault of a CNN crew by reservists in the West Bank a grave ethical incident and said it violated IDF norms. Following an investigation, the IDF removed the Netzah Israel Battalion from operational activity in the West Bank and placed it in reserve duty pending retraining. The military said the soldiers involved made inappropriate remarks and that Military Police were examining allegations of physical violence.

Global and Diplomatic Developments

• Spain closed its airspace to US aircraft involved in strikes on Iran, expanding earlier restrictions that barred American forces from using jointly operated military bases. The move requires US planes to bypass Spanish airspace when flying to Middle East targets, with limited emergency exceptions, as Spanish officials said the country would not participate in what they described as a unilaterally initiated war.
• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he wanted US President Donald Trump to clarify the objectives of the war with Iran and called for de‑escalation. Speaking in Australia, Albanese said greater certainty was needed regarding how the conflict was being prosecuted.
• Trump said Iran had agreed to allow 20 additional oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, describing the move as a gesture of willingness to negotiate. He said the vessels would begin transiting the strait in the coming days, though the figures had not been independently verified. Trump also said Iran had agreed to most of the US demands in a proposed deal, but Iran had not formally responded.

The Region

• Iranian missiles and drones struck Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, damaging refueling aircraft and wounding 10–12 U.S. personnel, some critically.
• In recent days, Iran has launched repeated missile and drone attacks against several Arab neighbors, targeting military facilities, energy infrastructure, and transport hubs in the Gulf. Projectiles and drones were fired toward Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait, with several strikes or falling debris damaging oil refineries, gas facilities, ports, and industrial zones, including sites in Bahrain and the UAE.
• Gulf states said the vast majority of the attacks were intercepted by air defense systems, though some facilities were temporarily shut and injuries were reported in isolated incidents. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar reported intercepting missiles and drones, activated civil defense alerts, and publicly condemned the attacks, while refraining from direct retaliation. Bahrain declared force majeure at one of its refineries following damage from an Iranian strike, and regional airspace and energy operations were disrupted as governments placed forces on high alert.
• Arab leaders publicly condemned Iranian missile and drone attacks while signaling a preference for restraint, alongside warnings that continued strikes could prompt a response. Saudi Arabia described the attacks on Gulf energy and civilian infrastructure as unacceptable and said its patience was limited, while emphasizing its right to defend its territory and interests. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain issued statements condemning the strikes and said their air defenses had intercepted most incoming threats, while stopping short of announcing direct military retaliation.
• Several Gulf governments said they were coordinating closely with allies on air defense and security measures, as officials across the region warned that further Iranian attacks on civilian or energy targets would not go unanswered.

Jewish Federations and Partners

The Jewish Agency for Israel

•  Amigour, a Jewish Agency subsidiary, continued renovation of damaged apartments on behalf of the government, with work underway or completed in 463 apartments, including 160 in Be’er Sheva and 79 in Beit Shemesh.

• Through the Jewish Agency’s Roaring Lion Fund, a total of 934 grants were approved and 413 remained in process, with total allocations reaching approximately $1.1 million.

• The Jewish Agency launched a new Matriculation and Resilience Program for students living 0–1.2 miles from Israel’s northern border in partnership with Habaita - another Federation grantee. The initiative targets approximately 1,500 11th–12th-grade students across nine municipalities, including Kiryat Shmona, Shlomi, and Metula, combining respite retreats, intensive preparation for the matriculation exams in math and English, and resilience-building activities. In addition, the program offered full scholarships to Jewish Agency pre‑army academies, enabling eligible students to participate in leadership and personal development programs without financial barriers.

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)

• JDC expanded its emergency response during the past week, as missile attacks continued across Israel. More than 5,300 residents from 44 municipalities were displaced, with Arad and Dimona (see video) added to the list of hard‑hit cities receiving targeted support. In these two cities, over 1,000 residents were evacuated to hotels, including large numbers of older adults and young children; JDC delivered approximately 1.2 tons of essential supplies, supported evacuees in hotels (including a nursing home that absorbed 50 elderly evacuees), replenished emergency and rescue equipment, provided flexible municipal funding, and deployed additional community caseworkers.

•  JDC also began intake under its All the Way Home (Ad HaBayit) initiative for displaced families from Beit Shemesh and Be’er Sheva, with up to 60 of the most vulnerable households in each city receiving individualized assistance with housing, benefits, and recovery. Watch here.

•  Nationwide, JDC distributed 10,000 activity kits for older adults across more than 30 municipalities, deployed large resilience kits in northern communities, and provided sensory kits for children with disabilities. More than 170 community caseworkers continued supporting vulnerable populations, while work advanced to connect up to 500 public shelters to Wi‑Fi. In parallel, JDC strengthened longer‑term services, including opening a new Alon Center for Men in southern Israel to expand access to mental health and crisis support.

Machon Shittim

• Machon Shittim is supported through iRep (Israel Religious Expression Platform), a coalition of Jewish Federations that works to advance religious pluralism in Israel by supporting civil society organizations, building public awareness, and strengthening dialogue between Israeli and North American Jewish leadership on issues of religion and state.  In recent weeks, the organization expanded its cultural and community-strengthening initiatives to support Israelis spending prolonged periods in shelters. It refreshed and reissued its “Shabbat in the Shelter” materials as part of this effort. The project provides accessible Shabbat content designed to bring calm, connection, and shared spirit to families and communities sheltering for long hours. The content has already reached thousands of people digitally, with highly appreciative feedback from individuals and community leaders.

Krembo's Wings

•  Krembo’s Wings, supported by Jewish Federations, is an Israeli youth movement that brings together children and teens with and without disabilities for weekly social and educational activities in an inclusive, accessible framework. Founded in 2002, it operates branches across Israel and is built on a model of shared leadership, where all participants take part as equal members of the movement, fostering friendship, belonging, and social inclusion.

• During Operation Roaring Lion, Krembo’s Wings leveraged prior grant investments to maintain—and quickly adapt—its nationwide infrastructure, ensuring continuity and stability for youth with and without disabilities amid acute disruption. Between February 28 and March 16, the movement coordinated with 75 local authorities, delivered 250+ online meetings, resumed in-person activities in 25+ branches, and conducted 100+ individualized home visits for youth with disabilities—demonstrating resilient operations at scale.

• Youth leaders continued to run inclusive, values-based programming, community volunteering, and peer-connection activities, strengthening belonging and emotional resilience under emergency conditions.

Panim

• Panim is a national umbrella organization supported by Jewish Federations’ iRep, representing more than 60 nonprofit organizations working to strengthen Jewish-Israeli identity, culture, and pluralism across the country.

• In recent weeks, Panim has supported affected communities through the Tzomechet Shuv framework by accompanying northern communities, delivering cultural and educational activities in bomb shelters, and maintaining online programming for those unable to gather in person. Staff have also supported evacuated families in hotels by organizing Kabbalat Shabbat gatherings and children’s programming to provide stability and emotional support during displacement. In parallel, Panim is developing a new south–north pairing initiative so volunteers can accompany evacuees in hotels and extend peer support rooted in shared experience.

Jewish Federations continue to monitor the situation on the ground very closely and will report as needed.

For more information, please contact: Jewish Federations of North America’s Dani Wassner [email protected]. Subscribe to this weekly update here.