War Day 619: Regime Broadcast Destroyed, Forces Deployed at Jordan

War Summary, Day 619: Haifa enrichment plant took a hit, IDF can now drop bombs at close range in Tehran, IDF destroys Iranian launchers moments before launch, Natanz nuclear facility may be entirely destroyed, Israel has plans for Fordow plant, Nuclear backup destroyed, Israel destroys regime broadcasting building, and IRGC intelligence heads eliminated.

By Mrs. Bruria Efune

53 held captive in Gaza.
31 hostages confirmed murdered held in Gaza.
148 living hostages rescued.
54 hostage bodies rescued.
1,880 Israelis killed.
431 fallen soldiers and police in the battle in Gaza.
88 fallen soldiers in Northern Israel.
18 fallen soldiers and police in Judea & Samaria.
31,135 estimated projectiles fired at Israel.
10,000 Israelis estimated remain displaced from their homes.
1 Jewish nation united in prayer, charity, and good deeds.

Top Headlines:

8 killed in early morning attack
Haifa enrichment plant took a hit
Total 546 hospitalized
IDF can now drop bombs at lose range in Tehran
IDF destroys Iranian launchers moment before launch
A third of Iran’s launchers are destroyed, half of drones
Natanz nuclear facility may be entirely destroyed
Israel has plans for Fordow plant
Speculation over U.S., prepared for option of joining
Nuclear backup destroyed
Netanyahu: Regime change a possibility
Evacuation warnings for district in Tehran
Israel destroys regime broadcasting building
IRGC intelligence heads eliminated
Fallen hero in Gaza
Launch from Houthis in Yemen

Note: Unless specified, everything I write comes from a verified and reliable source. When I don’t mention the source, it’s from the official updates of either the IDF, Defense Ministry, MDA, or Knesset.

Iran – Homefront:

Home Front Command instructions remain: No school, no non-essential workplaces (including beaches), no gatherings.

After three hours of delay, in which the Israeli Air Force struck many Iranian launchers, the regime finally launched a heavy barrage of missiles towards Israel at 4:00 am. Most were intercepted, but five impacts were made: two in the Tel Aviv area, one in Petach Tikva, one in Bnei Brak, and one in Haifa.

A total of 8 people were killed, in three locations.

— In Petach Tikva, a missile hit a high-rise apartment building, impacting directly into a small apartment bomb shelter (known as a “mamad,” or reinforced room). sadly, the two people inside the bomb shelter did not survive, and three others in the surrounding apartments and building who were not in shelters were also killed. Incredibly, those in the shelters directly above and directly below the one that was hit, did survive.

A brief explanation: In modern apartment buildings in Israel, every apartment has a reinforced room. These rooms are built with an extra thick layer of concrete. They are not designed to take a direct hit from such a massive ballistic missile, but they do hold up against indirect hits and large shrapnel, as well as the smaller missiles from Gaza.

The missile stopped at the reinforced room. If the missile had hit a different, non-fortified part of the building, the situation may have been much worse.

— An impact on small apartments in Bnei Brak left many injured, and killed one elderly man who did not make it to shelter. Many children, including small babies, were rescued from safe rooms which were buried in rubble.

— A missile hit the Oil Refinery in Haifa, causing a small infrastructure to collapse, and fire to erupt. The fire complicated rescue operations. Three workers were trapped and killed. (The power plant remains in operation.)

— An impact in Tel Aviv did not lead to any fatalities. Secondary damage was caused to the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv (good thing they have a new one in Jerusalem).

Later, at 7:45 pm, Iran launched another very small barrage at Northern Israel. Aside from one that landed in an open area, the others were intercepted. A large piece of flaming shrapnel landed in Tzfat.

Shortly after midnight, another launch of around 10 ballistic missiles targeted the Tel Aviv area and Be’er Sheva. Thank G-d, none impacted in populated areas.

Iran also continues to launch a steady stream of UAVs (aka attack drones) at Israel. Israel’s Navy intercepted 8 overnight. Sirens were activated for five drones today.

**

The names of four people who were killed in attacks since Shabbat were released for publication:

Belina Ashkenazi, 94, a resident of Bat Yam
Michael (Miki) Nachum, 61 years old, a resident of Bat Yam and father of four
Meir (Miro) Vaknin, 56 years old, a resident of Bat Yam
Avraham Cohen, 75, a resident of Bnei Brak

In total, there have been 616 casualties since the start of the war with Iran:
24 killed
10 hospitalized in serious condition
36 hospitalized in moderate condition
546 hospitalized (if briefly) in light condition

Tragically, most of the Israeli fatalities from missile attacks have been elderly citizens who have difficulty running to and from the bomb shelter, especially when it is down stairs.

Amongst the injured are also children and babies. The Schneider Children’s Center has 17 children hospitalized with moderate to mild injuries. Also injured: 3 American contractors from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) suffered concussions.

Due to a shortage, MDA is appealing to the public to donate blood, especially in Type O.

Iran has so far launched more than 370 ballistic missiles at Israel, hundreds of drones, and a little over 30 missiles impacted in Israel.

I don’t know the numbers, but at least a thousand Israelis are now homeless, and living in hotels, after their home or building was damaged beyond repair.

Bomb shelters continue to save lives. Below-ground shelters are the most effective, but above ground still reduces the likelihood of harm by over 20 times.

**

Immediately after Iran hit the Haifa plant, international media—notably Al Jazeera— began broadcasting it live. This is against the law and directly assists Iran. Israeli police moved in to detain them.

Iran – Rising Lion:

– Overview:

Israel is nearing 90 hours of a maintained presence in the skies of Iran, and with full freedom over Tehran. Israel is now able to drop guided bombs (2,000lb with JDAMs) from a close range right above Tehran, rather than using expensive guided missiles.

Prime Minister Netanyahu held a press conference today, in which he expressed high optimism for the success of the war. He outlined the three goals of the war against Iran:

1. Destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities
2. Destruction of Iran’s ballistic capabilities
3. The final destruction of Iran’s axis of terror

A summary of the major accomplishments, in Netanyahu’s words: “Israel controls the skies over Tehran. We killed ten top [nuclear] scientists, we hit Natanz [nuclear reactor] very hard, we hit and destroyed centrifuge manufacturing industries, and more is on the way. Second, we are hitting ballistic missile factories, we hit a huge number of launchers. We killed Iran’s security elite, we hit the head of their missile division—here too, the hand is still on the way.”

Iran is now begging for a ceasefire. Netanyahu says that won’t happen. The Iranian regime threatened Israel’s existence, and if Israel stops too early, Netanyahu says they will simply rebuild their capabilities in quiet.

Asked about the possibility of regime change in Iran, Netanyahu said, “It is impossible to predict the outcome, but it could certainly be a result of the action we are taking. We are changing the face of the Middle East.”

When asked in an interview on the ABC news network, Netanyahu said that he does not rule out eliminating Ayatollah Khameini. The Prime Minister said that the claim that this would lead to an escalation in the conflict is incorrect, and that in fact it would lead to a calming of the conflict—since it stems entirely from the Ayatollahs’ regime.

In his Israeli press conference, Netanyahu declined to give a timeline to the war—but pointed out that we’re only on the fourth day, and already have significant accomplishments, adding, “I’m confident we will achieve our goals.”

There are early signs of the regime collapsing. Iranians are openly calling for the death of Khameini, and gunshots are heard in Tehran. Videos are emerging of what appears to be dozens of escaped prisoners walking on a highway. These videos are very hard to verify, but in the coming days we will learn more.

Amit Segal of Chanel 12 quotes a senior Israeli official: “Khamenei is in a difficult mental state. Everyone who worked with him is dead and he is having a hard time with their replacements.”

**

– Escalation:

Following Israel’s warnings to Iran, attacks against regime infrastructure have escalated.

This morning, the IDF’s Persian Spokesperson issued an evacuation order for the entire District 3 of Tehran. This is a 30 square kilometer zone, which is home to the regime’s top leadership, intelligence offices, and government facilities.

Later, the Air Force used precision strikes to target the Iranian regime’s broadcasting center—specifically the wing belonging to the communications division of the regime’s intelligence branch, which was used by the Iranian armed forces for military activity.

The regime’s broadcasting company continuously broadcasts threats of destruction to Israel.

Iran in turn sent a series of threats to Israels Channel 12 and 14. The heads of each office told employees that in case of a siren, they must all evacuate to underground shelter.

The IDF also struck the headquarters of the IRGC’s Quds Force in Tehran, from where the Quds operatives planned attacks against Israel.

The Iranian opposition reported an explosion in a building near the dormitories of the University of Science and Technology in Tehran. According to the report, the building served as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards. (Israel Hayom)

**

– Iran’s Ballistic Capabilities:

Last night, in an unbelievable feat, 50 Israeli fighter jets operated in a simultaneous attack against 100 military targets in Isfahan and central Iran. Targets included:

• Missile storage sites
• Surface-to-surface missile launchers that were ready to be launched towards Israel
• Headquarters where launch squads were being prepared to fire towards Israel

During the attack, the Air Force destroyed more than 20 ballistic missiles which were about to be launched towards Israel—literally eliminating the launch squads seconds before they fired. This significantly decreased Iran’s deadly attack.

— IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin says that since Friday, the IDF destroyed more than 120 missile launchers—leaving about 240 remaining. Even if Iran has thousands of missiles, they can’t do anything without launchers. Destroying these will be the first key to stopping the attacks.

The IDF continued destroying launchers and missiles throughout the day today. The IDF published footage of fighter jets destroying launchers and missiles on the road between Tehran and Qom.

The IDF also destroyed two Iranian F-14 jets at an airport in Tehran, and eliminated a squad of IRGC terrorists preparing to launch drones towards Israel.

Maj. (res.) N., a combat pilot who took part in the very first strikes in Iran, told Israel Hayom that upon arrival into Iranian skies, he spotted enemy aircraft. But the Iranian fighter jet pilots folded within seconds, realizing that they had no chance.

Netanyahu says that Israel destroyed 50% of Irans UAVs, around a thousand, and hinted that many of the remaining drones are defected.

**

– Nuclear Facilities

Strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities in Isfahan (uranium conversion) and Natanz (uranium enrichment) continued today.

An Israeli source told the Wall Street Journal that there are signs that the underground part of the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz has collapsed. However, the source noted that further tests are needed to verify those signs.

IAEA chairman, Rafael Grossi, told the BBC that there’s a possibility that all 14,000 centrifuges in Natanz were destroyed with a sudden loss of electricity.

Notable: The IDF destroyed the backup of Iran’s nuclear files (Amit Segal) – the same ones which the Mossad stole in a fantastic operation seven years ago. So now the original file is gone, the backup is gone, and the scientists with all the knowledge are gone.

The big question about the Fordow enrichment plant ( 70–80 meters underground, underneath a mountain) remains. Asked about it, Netanyahu only hints that Israel has plans, saying things like “we are committed to removing the [Iranian nuclear] threat,” and “we will take care of it, we need to take care of it.”

National Security Adviser Hanegbi told media that Israel’s war plans are not dependent on receiving tactical support from the U.S., adding “we can deal with Fordow without the Americans.”

Still, the U.S. does have 13-ton GBU-57A bunker-buster bombs, and could shorten the war by using them.

According to Kan News, the U.S. administration is divided on the issue.

In the meantime, Fox News reports that the U.S. is moving a second aircraft carrier, the Nimitz, to the Middle East, where it will join the Carl Vinson. Two officials told Reuters that the US military is moving “a large number” of tanker aircraft to Europe, to provide President Trump with “options.”

In other words, the U.S. is undecided, but is preparing in case they do join Israel.

**

The IDF confirmed eliminating 4 senior Iranian intelligence officials, including the Head of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization in a guided strike yesterday.

The 4 officials are:
Mohammad Kazemi, Head of IRGC Intelligence Organization
Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq, his deputy
Mohsen Bakri, Head of Quds Force Intelligence
Abu al-Fadl Nikouei, his deputy

**

In a new development, the “David’s Sling” interceptor was successfully used to destroy a ballistic missile from Iran. The interceptor, installed on a Sa’ar 6 missile ship, is typically used for long-range missiles (such as cruise missiles) and UAVs—but never before for the massive ballistic missiles. This is significant, because the David’s Sling missiles cost about half that of the Arrow 3, which is typically used in these cases.

**

Israel is preparing an operation to bring home nearly 100,000 Israelis who were stranded abroad. Priority will be given to exceptional humanitarian cases and political and security needs. The mission will be carried out with caution as airports remain closed, since Iran specifically intends to target Ben Gurion Airport.

All of Israel’s airplanes were immediately moved to Cyprus and Greece at the start of the war on Friday, in a secret plan that was prepared in advance. Along with them, full air crews including pilots, flight engineers, and flight attendants.

Hostages:

Netanyahu says that the Steve Witkoff (America’s foreign negotiator) again presented a hostage-ceasefire proposal, which he is optimistic about in light of the pressure in Gaza. Israel is waiting to hear Hamas’s response.

Netanyahu thinks that the war in Iran will also make a difference here, if Hamas sees that their primary sponsor is defeated.

Gaza:

The IDF announced the name of a hero who fell in battle in Gaza:

Cpt. Tal Movshovitz, 28, from Re’ut

Tal was killed in Khan Younis, by an explosive device which was hidden inside a building.

The IDF is still moving forward in Gaza, but had to slightly slow operations due to the war in Iran.

The 98th Division was withdrawn from Khan Younis (where the 36th Division remains in place), in order to guard the Jordanian border. The IDF is concerned that terror groups in Jordan might be inspired by the war to attack Israel, and therefore chose the elite commando division to guard the long border.

Uprisings against Hamas are growing, and Abu Shabab is no longer the only Gazan clan leader openly fighting against the terror group.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation now operates four distribution sites—three in the south, and one in the center. Today they distributed 3.1 million meals to people in Gaza without enriching Hamas.

Yemen:

At 10:25 am, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile towards Israel, activating sirens in the Be’er Sheva region. The missile was intercepted before arriving in Israeli territory.

Encouragement From the Lubavitcher Rebbe:

On the eve of the Six-Day War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe emphasized that G-d protects the Land of Israel more than anywhere else—and so it’s guaranteed that Israel will emerge victorious.

The Rebbe quoted Deuteronomy 11:12, “A land which the L-rd your G-d cares for; the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”

We all must do our part—but with confidence and calm, knowing that G-d’s hand is guiding every detail, and bringing us towards days of peace.

This updates is sponsored by Lynn Green-Bennett—In honor of our great niece Yetta Waks, daughter of Didy & Devorah, on her recent Bat Mitzvah.

WATCH: The Iranian regime’s broadcasting building burns, after the IDF hit it with a bomb.