KEY POINTS
- Netanyahu to take "immediate" action in shutting down Qatari Al Jazeera TV in Israel
- Iraqi militia claims launch of aerial attack toward Israeli port city
- US, Israel will discuss Rafah amid widening gap in fraught alliance
It's Day 178 of the raging war in Gaza – Israeli police said Monday they've arrested Sabah Abdel Salam Haniyeh, the sister of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as part of a probe in southern Israel that involved Israel's security agency, Shin Bet.
In Gaza, troops of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that raided Gaza's largest medical complex, Al-Shifa Hospital, have withdrawn from the compound, leaving the vicinity in a devastated state following a fierce two-week battle.
- Sirens sound in northern Israel: Local media
- Israeli airstrike near Iranian embassy in Syria kills at least 8: Syrian, Iranian reports
- Top IRGC commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi killed in Damascus strike: Reports
- Netanyahu hails passing of law that approves Al Jazeera shutdown
- Israel says 'humanitarian steps' taken in Shifa raid after troops' withdrawal
- Iranian consulate targeted in alleged Israeli strike 'flattened'
- Zahedi's deputy also killed in Damascus airstrike: Report
- Israeli police out footage of moment Haniyeh's sister was arrested
- Iran's FM calls for 'serious' global response after Syria consulate bombing: State news
Fire exchanges ensue in the tension-packed Israeli-Lebanese border as Iran-backed Hezbollah continues to fire rockets toward Israel's northern communities.
Back in Israel, Israelis have staged a mass protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying the leader "must go" amid increasing frustration over stalled ceasefire talks that the loved ones of some 130 hostages still in Hamas captivity hope could bring the abductees back home.
Netanyahu, who has been under immense pressure to agree to a truce with Hamas to facilitate more humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and allow for the release of more hostages, underwent a "successful" hernia surgery.
In the Houthi-disrupted Red Sea, forces of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) engaged and destroyed two drones in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel militia.
Tensions across the Middle East stem from decades of fighting in the Israel-Palestine conflict that has left thousands dead from both sides, a significant number among Palestinians.
The live update has ended.
Iranian FM calls for 'serious' international response to consulate attack: State news
Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday said the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria's capital is a "violation of all international obligations and conventions," as per the Iranian state news agency.
He reportedly "blamed the consequences of this action" on Israel, as per a Google translation of the report. He also reportedly called on the international community to deliver a "serious response" to the "criminal" action.
BREAKING: Iranian Guard Commander is among six dead after Damascus airstrike, according to Syrian state news agency.https://t.co/9LX3TQkhNo
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 1, 2024
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/85rX2SoQz8
Israeli police release footage of Hamas chief sister's arrest
Israeli police have released footage of the moment Ismail Haniyeh's sister, an Israeli citizen, was arrested in southern Israel, Monday. She is accused of terror incitement and has allegedly been in communication with Hamas.
יוצאים מרכב אזרחי ופורצים לבית: תיעוד ממצלמת הקסדה – מעצר אחותו של איסמעיל הנייהhttps://t.co/Yoi7u4wtKl
— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) April 1, 2024
צילום: דוברות המשטרה pic.twitter.com/obVH0hXbT6
IRGC commander's deputy also killed in Damascus strike: Report
Aside from Zahedi, who is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) commander in Syria and Lebanon, his deputy, Hossein Amir Allah, was also reportedly killed in the Israeli-attributed airstrike of the Iranian consulate in Damascus Monday.
דיווח: סגנו של מוחמד רזא זהדי חוסל גם הוא בתקיפה בדמשק | לכל הפרטים >>> https://t.co/MxsbmvdHRU@AmichaiStein1 https://t.co/EUrEU64fkz
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 1, 2024
Iranian consulate in Damascus 'flattened'
The Iranian embassy in Damascus was flattened following what multiple Syrian and Iranian media said was an Israeli airstrike. Some Iranian outlets said "Iranian diplomats" were killed in the attack.
As earlier reported, a Lebanese security source told Reuters that among at least eight dead was a top Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander.
There’s always a Soleimani photo. Note one near the destroyed building—IRGC commanders and now buildings often meet a similar fate to Soleimani when pictured next to him. The demise of Mohammad Reza Zahedi plus destruction of the Iranian consulate will force a response from… pic.twitter.com/SCsDD0nZIu
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) April 1, 2024
If confirmed, the attack is the most significant assassination of a major Iranian military official yet since the assassination of the Iranian Guards' Quds Force commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike early in 2020.
Israel says it took 'humanitarian steps' in Shifa raid
The Israeli government on Monday said it took "some humanitarian steps" in its military operation at the Al-Shifa Hospital, including the repair and refueling of the medical complex's generator.
It said aid was delivered and the Israeli army set up a designated area "to avoid harm to medical staff and patients." The hospital has been raided by Israeli forces twice since the war started.
The @IDF activity against Hamas and PIJ, who used the Shifa hospital as a terror base, is complete.
— COGAT (@cogatonline) April 1, 2024
Some humanitarian steps taken:
✔️Aid delivered to the hospital
✔️Hospital generator fixed and refueled
✔️The IDF set a designated area to avoid harm to medical staff and patients. pic.twitter.com/cQcIQMPB12
Law allowing Al Jazeera closure passes final Knesset readings
A law that will allow the shutdown of Qatari Al Jazeera TV in Israel has passed the final Knesset readings, and Netanyahu hailed the move, saying he will "act immediately" to block the channel's activity in the country.
"Al Jazeera harmed Israel's security, actively participated in the October 7th massacre, and incited against IDF soldiers. It is time to remove the shofar (a Biblical times wind instrument mainly used to communicate signals in battle) of Hamas from our country," he wrote on X Monday, as per a Google translation.
Senior IRGC commander killed in Israeli strike: Report
Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a "senior commander" of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in the Monday attack targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus attributed to Israel, Reuters reported, citing a Lebanese security source.
As earlier reported, an Israeli strike was said to have targeted the vicinity of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria's capital city.
If confirmed, the strike is the second strike in about a month attributed to Israel that killed an IRGC official.
Six dead in strike near Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 1, 2024
Iranian media say senior IRGC official Mohammad Reza Zahedi was killed in the alleged Israeli strike.
The strike occurred during a meeting involving senior regional figures. pic.twitter.com/shQmusxK8z
Israeli airstrike kills at least 8 in Syria: Reports
An Israeli strike Monday afternoon targeting the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria's capital, killed at least eight people, multiple outlets reported.
The Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm the reports, but it has launched airstrikes in Syria since the war in Gaza started as it targeted Iranian-backed militias and Iranian Revolutionary Guards leaders.
דיווח: "דמות איראנית בכירה הותקפה בדמשק"@OmerShahar123 https://t.co/wpBYo8ovFU pic.twitter.com/LLT469cuBw
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 1, 2024
Sirens sound in northern Israel
Alert sirens sounded in Israel Monday afternoon, warning of "hostile aircraft incursions," local i24 News reported.
🚨Sirens sound in northern Israel warning of hostile aircraft incursions
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) April 1, 2024
Tensions have reached dangerous highs in the Israel-Lebanon border amid near-daily fire exchanges between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, another Iran-backed terror group that pledged solidarity with Gaza.
US, Israel to discuss Rafah: Report
The U.S. and Israel are expected to discuss Israel's impending military raid of Rafah in a virtual meeting Monday, Axios reported, citing four Israeli and U.S. officials.
This comes following Washington's first-time abstention in a United Nations Security Council resolution vote last week over a ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. has previously vetoed earlier resolutions.
The Biden government has alternative proposals for Israel, as per the report. U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed opposition to a military invasion of the overcrowded southern Gaza city due to the massive number of Palestinians sheltering in the area.
Iraqi militia claims attack on Israeli port city of Eilat
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia, claimed responsibility for an aerial attack Monday that targeted Eilat, a port city in southern Israel. There were no casualties in the attack that struck a building, the Israeli army said.
This is not the first time the port city was attacked by a drone as Houthis have fired missiles toward the area amid the Israel-Hamas war.
Netanyahu will 'take immediate action' to close Al Jazeera
The Israeli prime minister "will take immediate action" to shut down Qatari state television station Al Jazeera in Israel "in accordance with procedure set out in the law" after a parliament meeting Monday evening, as per Netanyahu's Likud party.
Al Jazeera has previously accused Israel of targeting its personnel and offices, while Israel said the Arab TV station was agitating against it among Arab audiences.
Thousands of Israelis stage protest against Netanyahu
Israelis marched in Jerusalem Sunday in a mass protest that called on Netanyahu to "go" amid increasing frustration over the plight of some 130 hostages still being held in Gaza a few days short of six months in the fighting.
Thousands waved Israeli flags and lighted fires as they rallied earlier in the day in front of the Israeli parliament. Police used water cannon as the demonstrators called on the prime minister to step down.
Read the full story here.
US destroys Houthi drones in Red Sea
U.S. forces "successfully engaged and destroyed" two drones in Houthi-held areas of Yemen "in self-defense" over the weekend that presented a threat to commercial shipping lanes and coalition warships in the area, CENTCOM said. One unmanned aerial system (UAS) was engaged over the Red Sea, while the other was "engaged on the ground prepared to launch," the U.S. military said.
March 30 RED SEA UPDATE
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 31, 2024
Yesterday at 8:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) March 30, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) forces successfully engaged and destroyed two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in self-defense. One was engaged over the Red Sea and the… pic.twitter.com/HfXt8AcccW
Iranian-backed Houthis have been on a rampage in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden since November. They pledged solidarity with Gaza and said they will continue to attack Israeli and American ships.
Netanyahu 'feeling very well' after hernia surgery
The Israeli prime minister is "feeling very well, and he continues to carry out his daily routine from the hospital" following a successful hernia procedure, Netanyahu's office said Monday.
Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center said earlier in the day that the Israeli leader was conscious and communicating with his family after the operation and was in recovery.
Netanyahu's hospitalization and surgery came amid mounting pressure on his government to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza and restraint in Rafah, the final Hamas stronghold that the Israeli army has yet to enter.
Israeli forces withdraw from Al-Shifa
The Israeli army's forces who raided Al-Shifa two weeks ago and engaged in fierce battles against Hamas operatives in the area have withdrawn, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said Monday.
The IDF has since confirmed the report, saying in a press release that its forces have completed the operation at Gaza's largest health and medical complex. Over 500 terrorists "identified as being associated with terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip" were either eliminated or arrested, it said. The detainees have since been handed over to the Shin Bet for further investigation, it added.
Israeli police arrest Haniyeh's sister
Israeli police said Monday that they arrested a "relative of a senior Hamas official" in Tel Sheva, as part of a joint investigation with the southern district authorities and Shin Bet.
Later in the day, police told AFP that the arrested individual was the sister of Hamas' political bureau chief. Sabah Abdel Salam Haniyeh, 57, is an Israeli citizen who is suspected of "having contact with Hamas operatives and identifying with the organization, while inciting and supporting acts of terrorism in Israel," as per a police spokesman.
Israeli police further revealed that they found "documents, media, telephones, other findings and evidence linking her to the commission of serious security offenses against the State of Israel."
