Israel & the United States at War with Iran: Day 38

April 6, 2026

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

• Day 38 of the US/ Israel War with Iran
• Four civilians killed by rocket fire targeting Haifa
• One IDF soldier fell in Lebanon
• Iranian intelligence chief eliminated
• A total of 36 soldiers and civilians have been killed in Israel since the war began

Missile and Rocket Fire

• An Iranian ballistic missile struck a residential building in Haifa overnight, causing the partial collapse of several floors and triggering a prolonged search-and-rescue operation. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of four victims from the rubble, while searches continued for two additional people reported missing. The strike also seriously wounded an 82‑year‑old man and injured several others, including a 78‑year‑old woman, a 38‑year‑old woman, and a 10‑month‑old baby. Authorities said the missile’s warhead did not detonate on impact, with the damage instead caused by the force of the strike itself; had it exploded, the destruction would likely have been far more extensive. The Haifa area was targeted again in subsequent salvos later in the night, causing additional damage and lightly injuring four more people.
• Over the past week, Israel continued to be targeted by missile and rocket fire across multiple regions, with the heaviest activity in the north and central areas. Hezbollah launched repeated large rocket barrages from Lebanon toward the Upper Galilee, Western Galilee and Haifa area, including salvos of more than 100 rockets in a single day. 
• In parallel, Iran fired several waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, including its largest salvo in weeks, with around 10 missiles launched toward central Israel and Jerusalem on April 1; most were intercepted, but impacts and interception debris caused damage and injuries in Rosh HaAyin, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak and nearby communities, including children wounded by shattered glass from a cluster‑munition warhead.
• An elderly woman in Tel Aviv was seriously injured after falling while rushing to a shelter during a missile attack. Magen David Adom said the 90‑year‑old woman was unconscious and in serious condition. The injury was classified as indirect and not caused by a direct missile impact. Medical teams treated her at the scene before hospitalizing her.
• In central Israel overnight, at least two people were wounded, including a 34‑year‑old woman in Petah Tikva who was seriously injured by missile fragments, while a man in his 30s was lightly hurt by glass shards in Tel Aviv. Magen David Adom confirmed the missile carried a cluster bomb warhead, dispersing bomblets over a wide area. Rescue forces responded to multiple impact sites across the center of the country.
• The Health Ministry reported that 163 people were taken to hospitals over the previous 24 hours due to the fighting with Iran and Hezbollah. One person was listed in serious condition, four in moderate condition, and 153 in good condition, with five treated for anxiety. Since the start of the war on February 28, a total of 7,035 people have been hospitalized, including civilians and soldiers, with 130 still receiving inpatient treatment. Some injuries were caused by falls while rushing to shelters.

The War with Hezbollah

• Over the weekend, IDF Sgt. First Class Guy Ludar, 21, of the Commando Brigade’s Maglan Unit, was killed during an operation in the village of Shebaa when he was struck by friendly fire amid an arrest raid; another soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident. Several other soldiers were wounded in separate anti‑tank missile, drone, and small‑arms incidents during the week.
• The IDF said three Hezbollah operatives were killed in southern Lebanon in recent days during close‑quarters combat. The military said the operatives were responsible for the March 30 clash in the village of Beit Lif that killed four soldiers from the Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit. The slain soldiers are Capt. Noam Madmoni, Staff Sgt. Ben Cohen, Staff Sgt. Maxsim Entis, and Staff Sgt. Gilad Harel. The IDF said intelligence verification confirmed the identities of the Hezbollah gunmen after the engagement. 
• Fighting with Hezbollah, marked by ground clashes in southern Lebanon and expanded Israeli operations, has intensified over the last week. Hezbollah also launched drones and anti-tank fire at Israeli forces operating across the border, while Israeli ground troops engaged in firefights in southern Lebanon, killing a number of Hezbollah operatives. In response, Israel expanded air and artillery strikes across southern Lebanon and deeper targets, hitting rocket launchers, weapons depots, and command centers. The IDF also continued preparations to widen a security buffer zone along the border. 
• The IDF has now killed approximately 1,000 Hezbollah operatives, including the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, since the fighting began.

The War with Iran

• An IDF airstrike in Tehran overnight killed Majid Khademi, the chief of intelligence of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iranian state media confirmed Khademi’s death, identifying him as head of both the IRGC Intelligence Organization and its Intelligence Protection Organization
• Supported by Israel, US forces carried out a high‑risk combat search‑and‑rescue operation in Iran over the past weekend, successfully recovering both crew members of an F‑15E Strike Eagle that was shot down by Iranian air defenses on April 3. The pilot was rescued within hours of ejecting, while the second crew member, who was the aircraft’s weapons systems officer, remained hidden for nearly two days in mountainous terrain before being extracted by US special operations forces in a complex nighttime mission involving dozens of aircraft and a CIA‑led deception effort.
• Today, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to thank him on behalf of the American people “for unprecedented assistance to US military and intel agencies who conducted a historic rescue mission of our air crew in Iran.” Huckabee said that the IDF and the Mossad were “helpful partners in the mission.”
• Over the weekend, the United States struck and collapsed the central span of a newly built suspension bridge, reportedly a 450-foot‑high structure valued at roughly $400 million, that links Tehran and Karaj. A US military source said the strike was intended to disrupt supply routes used to move drone components and missiles to Iranian units launching attacks on US and Israeli forces. President Trump said that “the biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again,” and warned that “much more” would follow if no settlement is reached.
• The United States also attacked the former US Embassy in Tehran, which had become a gathering point for Revolutionary Guards and Basij fighters. This is the same building in which 52 Americans were held by the regime for 444 days during the 1979 hostage crisis.
• President Trump also issued a renewed ultimatum to Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, repeating that failure to do so would trigger US strikes on Iranian civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges. Trump said that if Iran did not comply, “they won’t have any power plants and they won’t have any bridges standing,” framing the demand as a final deadline after several earlier extensions tied to purported negotiations. He set a deadline for Tuesday evening, April 7, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.The IDF, together with the US military, continued to launch waves of airstrikes against the Iranian regime’s infrastructure sites. Iranian media reported that
• The IDF, together with the US military, continued to launch waves of airstrikes against the Iranian regime’s infrastructure sites. Iranian media reported thatone airstrike overnight hit a residential building near Eslamshar, southwest of Tehran, killing at least 13 people. Iranian outlets also reported gas outages in parts of Tehran following a strike that affected infrastructure near Sharif University.
• Read The NYT: The War Is Going Better Than You Think.

Israel’s Home Front

• More than 200 residents have been newly evacuated from their homes in central and northern Israel, bringing the total number of displaced residents to approximately 6,700, with further increases expected following the strike in Haifa.
• The IDF Home Front Command has kept most nationwide wartime restrictions in place, with only limited, highly localized easing and frequent reassessments tied to ongoing Iranian missile fire. Roughly 86% of Israel’s population are now under restricted activity. On April 4, the Home Front Command extended the existing guidelines through at least Monday night, meaning schools remained closed in most of the country, with educational activity permitted only in select areas where an adequate shelter could be reached in time.
• Talk of broader school reopenings continued, but has not yet materialized nationwide. After the Pesach vacation, reopenings are expected to be partial, regional, and dependent on local authority decisions, protected spaces, staffing, and transportation. 
• There has been only a small increase in outbound air traffic passenger capacity at Ben Gurion Airport, raising the cap to 100 passengers per departing flight, while overall flight frequency and scheduling was also increased to two flights per hour. Incoming flights were permitted at higher capacity, but departures, routing, and airline schedules continued to be constrained by security directives.
• The Bank of Israel left interest rates unchanged at 4%, warned of inflationary pressures, lowered growth forecasts to 3.8% for 2026 under continued fighting, and projected a budget deficit of 5.3% of GDP.
• Maj. (Res.) Asaf Dagan, an Israeli Air Force reservist who died by suicide in October 2024, was officially recognized as a fallen IDF soldier. His family said the decision followed a long legal and public campaign and acknowledged that his death was linked to service‑related PTSD. The High Court had previously ruled that he should receive a military funeral but be buried in a civilian cemetery. The Defense Ministry said each such case was reviewed individually under the revised policy.

Global and Diplomatic Developments

• US-Iran diplomacy over the past week moved in parallel with escalating threats as President Donald Trump sent sharply mixed signals about a possible off‑ramp. Trump repeatedly said talks were underway and claimed they were “going very well,” writing that Washington was “getting very close” to finishing the war, while also warning Tehran to “get serious soon, before it is too late.” At the same time, he issued public ultimatums tied to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to strike Iranian infrastructure and saying that if no deal were reached, “we’re blowing up the whole country,” including bridges and power plants.
• Behind the scenes, Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt all intensified mediation efforts, shuttling US proposals to Tehran and discussing a possible short‑term ceasefire framework. However, Iranian officials continued to deny direct negotiations publicly and insisted that any agreement must include guarantees against renewed attacks.
• Iran and the US received a proposal brokered by Pakistan outlining a two‑phase plan to end hostilities, according to a source familiar with the talks. The framework included an immediate ceasefire followed by negotiations on a broader settlement, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz as an initial step. Iranian officials said they were reviewing the proposal but rejected the idea of a temporary ceasefire under pressure.
• The United Arab Emirates said any US‑Iran agreement must guarantee access through the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE warned that a deal failing to address Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities would be destabilizing.
• Iran’s deputy foreign minister accused President Trump of threatening war crimes over statements about striking civilian infrastructure.
• Tensions between Washington and Europe sharpened over the past week as President Trump pressed NATO allies to take responsibility for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, arguing that European economies depend far more heavily on the waterway than the United States. Trump publicly criticized European governments for refusing to send naval forces to help secure shipping, telling allies they should “take the lead” in protecting oil flows and warning that the US was under no obligation to police the strait on their behalf.
• European leaders, including those in Germany, France, and the UK, pushed back, saying the Iran war was not of their making and declining to join military operations, even as Britain convened talks with dozens of countries—largely without US participation—to explore diplomatic and political steps to restore freedom of navigation. Meanwhile, Trump, angered by European comments and actions, questioned NATO’s usefulness and said he was considering withdrawing from the alliance.

The Region

• Iran has continued to carry out sustained missile and drone attacks on multiple regional countries in recent days. Gulf states, including Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, reported repeated interceptions of Iranian drones and ballistic or cruise missiles, with several strikes and debris impacts damaging energy infrastructure, airports, and industrial sites, and causing injuries. 
• Iranian attacks also targeted Iraq, including drone strikes near oil fields, Baghdad International Airport, and facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan, while US and coalition air defenses intercepted additional launches across the Gulf; shipping was also affected, with tankers struck or damaged in Qatari and Iraqi waters.
• The UAE said its air defense systems were actively intercepting missiles and drones targeting the country. Authorities reported that debris from an interception injured a Ghanaian national in the Musaffah industrial area of Abu Dhabi, with moderate injuries reported. In Fujairah, officials said a drone approaching from Iran toward a telecommunications building prompted an emergency response, though no injuries were reported. Kuwait’s army also said it was working to intercept missiles and drones fired toward its territory.

Jewish Federations and Partners

The Jewish Agency for Israel

• Jewish Agency subsidiary Amigour, working with the Israeli government, handled damage assessments for approximately 500 apartments nationwide and 99 public buildings, primarily in Beit Shemesh, Arad, and Dimona. Amigour has also renovated damaged apartments on behalf of the government.
• Under the Jewish Agency’s Roaring Lion Fund for victims of Iranian attacks, 1053 cases have been approved and 427 are still in process, with allocations now totaling approximately $1.3 million.
• Passover seders were held at two absorption centers: 180 participants attended the seder in Karmiel and 200 in Jerusalem at Ulpan Etzion. These were in addition to model seders and holiday activities held for children at all absorption centers in the period leading up to the holiday.

Hillel Israel

• Hillel Israel 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.
• Hillel Israel is part of the global Hillel network that supports Jewish students through community-building, education, and engagement on campuses across Israel, including many students recently serving or returning to reserve duty.
• In recent weeks, even with campuses closed and much activity shifting online, staff have remained deeply connected with students. They have moved several leadership programs to online platforms so students can continue to learn and benefit from community support.
• Hillel has hosted two Zoom mifgash sessions (including a partnership with the ANU Museum) and continued mifgash-style exchanges with international Hillels and the Matanel Global Leadership Fellowship. Together, these touchpoints aimed to provide students a consistent space to connect, share experiences, and feel the support of the wider Jewish community.

Kolenu

• Kolenu, also supported through iRep, is the newly unified Religious-Zionist, liberal-Orthodox movement formed through the merger of Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah and Kolech; it is grounded in Torah, ethics, gender equality, and social responsibility.
• In recent weeks, Kolenu has prepared the upcoming Shabbat of Resilience (to be held on April 18) by meeting with participating communities across the country to shape the Shabbaton’s content. This planning is meant to ensure the experience responds meaningfully to communities’ needs. The initiative is designed to create a restorative, unifying Shabbat that offers renewed spiritual resilience at a moment of heightened national strain.

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