Israel under heavy missile fire from Iran just ahead of Shabbat | IDF strikes 2,000 Hezbollah targets, kills 570 militants | In first, IDF launches strikes east of Tehran
| Published: March 20, 2026
17:00 – WATCH: No reports of injuries after shrapnel impact in Jerusalem’s Old City
There were no reports of injuries after the impact of a missile piece in Jerusalem’s Old City earlier.
Footage on social media shows the moment when the fragment struck Jerusalem:
16:37 – Missile piece falls 350 meters from Temple Mount in Jerusalem
After an Iranian ballistic missile was intercepted in the latest missile attack, a piece fell in the Old City of Jerusalem, hitting around 350m (1,200 feet) from the Temple Mount.
The impact hit part of a parking lot and a street in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
16:22 – IDF kills key Iranian Intelligence Ministry commander
The Israeli Air Force killed Mehdi Rastami Shamastan, a key commander in the Iranian Intelligence Ministry in a strike on Wednesday based on joint IDF, Shin Bet, and Mossad intelligence, the Israeli military said.
“Shamastan was considered a key figure in promoting terrorist activities against Israeli and Jewish civilians around the world. In recent years, he was responsible for advancing and executing terror attacks against key Israeli targets,” the IDF added.
“The Ministry of Intelligence is the Iranian terror regime’s primary intelligence organization and serves as one of the regime’s central mechanisms of oppression and terror. The ministry possesses advanced intelligence capabilities and acts as the regime’s central arm for surveillance, espionage, and the execution of covert operations and terror activities.”
15:52 – Trump on NATO: ‘Cowards,’ without the US they’re a ‘paper tiger’
U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his withering criticism of NATO countries for not offering support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which the Iranian regime has kept closed throughout the war.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.”
“So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
15:17 – Top Basij intelligence official killed in IDF strike
The IDF announced on Friday that it eliminated Esmail Ahmadi, head of intelligence for the IRGC’s Basij Force, in a strike targeting the force’s senior leadership earlier this week.
The attack in the heart of Tehran also killed Basij commander Gholamreza Soleimani (announced earlier this week) along with several other senior commanders.
“Ahmadi played a central role in advancing and executing terror attacks carried out by Basij Forces,” the statement said, adding that “he was also responsible for enforcing public order and the regime’s values on behalf of the IRGC and leading major suppression operations during the recent internal protests in Iran.”
14:56 – Ukraine shares expertise, deploys interception units across 5 Middle East nations
Ukrainian interception units are being deployed to five Middle East countries, said Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
In a post on ?, Umerov cited meetings in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan focused on Ukrainian technology to counter aerial threats and leveraging Ukraine’s air defense experience.
According to Umerov, these efforts are part of a “long-term security cooperation” between the countries and Ukraine, addressing the need to “protect civilian and critical infrastructure” through assessments made by Ukrainian experts.
14:32 – No injuries reported after widespread Iranian, Hezbollah strikes on Israel
No injuries were reported in the latest missile barrage on Israel despite an Iranian missile breaking apart mid-air, triggering sirens nationwide as falling fragments were intercepted.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired about 20 rockets at northern Israel, most of which were intercepted or landed in open areas.
14:05 – Large parts of Israel come under missile fire from Iran, hours before Sabbath
Alarm sirens were triggered in unusually large swathes of Israel, including most of central Israel, the Tel Aviv area, Jerusalem, Samaria, the Jordan Valley, as well as the Jezreel Valley and the area north of the Sea of Galilee.
The exceptionally large-scale missile attack comes just hours before the start of the Jewish Sabbath.
After several days of relatively few attacks, the Iranian regime has notably increased the pace of launches since Thursday evening.
13:59 – Two lightly wounded as Iranian cluster missile damages home in Rehovot
A home in the central city of Rehovot was damaged by the impact of a submunition of the cluster warhead of an Iranian missile.
Two people were lightly wounded by the impact, according to Magen David Adom.
13:43 – IDF strikes 2,000 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, eliminates 570 militants
As part of its forward defensive effort, the IDF said it has struck over 2,000 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including about 120 command posts, more than 100 weapons storage facilities, and over 130 missile launchers.
The IDF statement said Israeli forces eliminated over 570 militants, including 220 Radwan Force operatives, to 150 surface-to-surface missile operatives, 14 high-level commanders, and 22 battalion-level commanders.
The statement added that the IDF “will continue to operate with force against Hezbollah” after the group joined the conflict in support of the Iranian terror regime. “The IDF will not allow Israeli civilians to be harmed,” it said.
13:26 – Syria’s Al-Sharaa claims distance from conflict as Israel signals red line on threats to Druze
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated on Friday his aim to maintain a “favorable situation” for Syria “in the midst of the region’s volatile situation.”
His claim to keep the country “as far as possible from any conflict,” comes as local media reported the mobilization of Druze National Guard groups amid rising tensions in Sweida on Thursday.
Following regime attacks on Druze civilians, the IDF announced Friday morning it struck command centers and weapons depots in southern Syria, warning it “will not tolerate harm towards the Druze population in Syria and will continue to operate to defend them.”
Defense Minister Israel Katz said the overnight strike sent a “sharp and clear” message: “Israel will not stand by and will not allow anyone to harm the Druze.”
Katz added that forces may strike with greater force “if necessary,” noting, “The Prime Minister and I made clear and warned: whoever harms the Druze in Syria, the brothers of our Druze brothers in Israel, will be harmed.”
12:51 – In first, IDF launches strikes on targets in the city of Nur, east of Tehran
The IDF said it has launched a first wave of airstrikes against Iranian regime sites in the city of Nur, located northeast of Tehran.
The military did not specify which are targets are being struck in Nur.
The IDF has so far mostly attacked targets in western and central Iran. On Thursday, the IDF revealed it had struck targets on the Caspian Sea, north of Iran, for the first time.
12:12 – Lebanese FM condemns Hezbollah ‘terrorist plot’ against UAE
Amid mounting pressure on Lebanon to combat Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Friday denounced the group and condemned its “terrorist plot” targeting the UAE.
He recalled Lebanon’s recent decision to “prohibit Hezbollah’s military and security activities,” expressing solidarity with the UAE and offering Lebanese cooperation in the investigation.
The statement followed the UAE State Security Apparatus’ announcement that it had dismantled a terrorist network linked to Hezbollah and Iran, arresting its members.
The network had operated “under a fictitious commercial cover,” aiming to “infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability,” the Emirates News Agency reported Thursday.
11:23 – IDF eliminates IRGC Spokesman in overnight strike
The Israeli Air Force acted on IDF intelligence overnight to strike and eliminate IRGC Spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini.
Describing him as the “lead propagandist” of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IDF announcement said Naini “disseminated the regime’s terrorist propaganda to its proxies across the Middle East in order to influence and advance terror attacks against the State of Israel from the different fronts.”
“The IDF will continue to operate with determination against the commanders and senior officials of the Iranian terror regime,” the statement affirmed.
11:07 – IDF lost over a dozen drones over Iran so far
More than a dozen Air Force drones have been downed over Iran during the ongoing war, Israeli military officials told the Times of Israel.
Total losses have remained under 20 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), whose losses the IDF described as acceptable, noting it deploys lower-cost drones for high-risk missions against ballistic missile threats.
Losing a drone during a mission meant to thwart ballistic missile fire toward Israel’s home front is an acceptable exchange, according to the IDF.
No fighter jets have been shot down despite repeated exposure to anti-aircraft fire and one close call.
10:14 – Six countries join in designating IRGC a terrorist organization
Six additional countries have officially designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
Iceland, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Liechtenstein made the move after a diplomatic campaign led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and adopting the European Union’s decision on the matter from last month.
These countries join others that have recently taken this step, such as Ukraine, Albania, and others.
09:43 – Israeli hospitals treat 150 injured in past 24 hours
The Ministry of Health updated that in the past 24 hours, Israeli hospitals treated 150 casualties, including two in serious condition, two in moderate condition, 136 lightly injured, and 10 treated for anxiety.
09:00 – Iran’s missile barrages hit Israel from dusk to dawn, no casualties reported
After a steady decline in missile launches, Iran launched several barrages across Israel throughout the night and into the morning on Friday, including with cluster warheads.
Despite impact sites, no casualties were reported on Friday by Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service.
In a press briefing on Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles,”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed on Friday that “even under wartime conditions” they “continue missile production,” spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini told the regime-affiliated Fars News Agency.
08:21 – IDF strikes Syrian regime targets in response to attacks on Druze
After Syrian regime attacks on Druze civilians, the IDF struck command centers and weapons depots of the regime in southern Syria.
In a statement issued on Friday, the IDF stated it “will not tolerate harm towards the Druze population in Syria and will continue to operate to defend them,” adding that Israeli forces will be monitoring developments.
Screengrab via X
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