Some of the first repatriation flights carrying Israelis who had been stranded abroad were briefly held mid-flight on Thursday morning as Iranian missiles were fired at central Israel.

El Al, Arkia, Israir and Air Haifa repatriation flights began taking off for Israel on Wednesday evening from dozens of destinations in Europe, the U.S. and Thailand, and began landing Thursday morning. 

Several flights needed to briefly detour while en route to Ben Gurion Airport after Iran shot missiles toward central Israel. The flights are expected to continue through the weekend.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said that no casualties from the missile barrage had thus far been reported. Social media footage showed a crater in the ground, believed to be from falling missile fragments, in an open field near houses in central Israel. 

As Iran launched missiles at Israel on Thursday morning, it also attacked Azerbaijan for the first time, launching drones that injured two at Nakhchivan International Airport. 

Italy, Spain, France and the Netherlands said they would send naval vessels to Cyprus, after an Iranian UAV struck a British base on the island state. 

The IDF has been preparing for the possibility that the Houthis will begin striking Israel as they have done sporadically since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Israeli media reported. The Houthis have threatened to fire at Gulf States if they attack Iran, and Saudi Arabia increased security for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in case of a Houthi attack, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN. 

Overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, the IDF struck an underground site in Iran used to store missiles. Amid the strike, an IAF jet detected Iranians loading a missile into a launcher and struck it.

The IDF completed a wide-scale attack on an Iranian military compound that featured the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij paramilitary force, Quds Force, cyber warfare, and internal security, including the unit for suppressing protests, the military said on Wednesday.

According to the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv University, over 1,000 people have been killed in Iran. Israel has struck over 600 targets and the U.S. has struck over 2,000, in addition to over 300 air-defense systems and ballistic-missile assets. The U.S. additionally destroyed 20 Iranian vessels and submarines.

There have been over 120 waves of Iranian attacks on Israel, including 200 missiles and over 120 UAVs, with 10 significant impacts. There have been 941 UAV attacks, 189 ballistic missiles and eight cruise missiles targeting the UAE, 92 UAVs and 74 missiles aimed at Bahrain, 41 UAVs and 112 missiles targeting Qatar, among other attacks, according to the INSS. 

In addition, the INSS found that there have been 62 attacks launched from Lebanon toward Israel and six from Lebanon to Cyprus. Israel has struck over 250 targets in Lebanon since Hezbollah joined the war over the weekend.

Israel has eliminated more than 40 senior figures in Iran, 14 of whom the INSS characterizes as very senior, and 16 in Lebanon.

MDA reported 44 people injured as a result of missile strikes on Israel on Wednesday. Most were injured making their way to shelter. Since the start of Operation Lion’s Roar, MDA has treated 458 casualties; there have been 12 fatalities.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, thanking the U.S. for its support for Israel and saying the countries’ leaders are “changing regional and global history.” 

Hegseth praised the cooperation between the militariess and said “keep going to the end; we are with you,” according to Katz’s office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s diplomatic advisor, Ophir Falk, pushed back against the claim that the U.S. or Israel attacked a girls’ school in Iran on Saturday, killing at least 168, according to Iranian reports. Falk said the claim was being investigated, but that it appears that a misfired Iranian missile struck the school.

“From what I understand, that was clearly an Iranian strike; it’s a misfire from the Iranians,” Falk told CNN. “Those are Iranian missiles that misfired. Some 30% of their missiles are misfiring.”

Falk noted that similar incidents took place during the war in Gaza, adding: “For us, every civilian casualty is a tragedy. We do everything to prevent civilian casualties. … For [Iran], it’s a strategy. … I am 100% sure the American military did not intentionally kill civilians.”

The ongoing spread of the coronavirus across the United States, Israel and Europe is leading to self-quarantine, event cancellations and widespread fear among the Jewish community.  

Spreading quickly: A Jewish lawyer in Westchester unwittingly transmitted the disease to nine other friends and family members, bringing the total confirmed cases in New York State to 11. The man remains hospitalized, and his wife, two children and a neighbor have tested positive for coronavirus. A friend of the family has also tested positive, along with his wife and three children. 

Shutdowns: The confirmed cases across Westchester led to the self-quarantine of more than 1,000 people, the suspension of activities at the Young Israel of New Rochelle, and the cancellation of classes at SAR Academy through next week and at Yeshiva University temporarily. A Jewish school in Baltimore sent home three students who may have had “indirect contact” with one of the patients. Nefesh B’Nefesh canceled an aliya fair slated for March 15 in New Jersey amid concerns.

No stigmas: Councilmember Mark Levine (D-Manhattan), former chair of the New York City Council Jewish Caucus, tells JI, “Once again Jewish New Yorkers are at the center of a public health crisis. And once again ignorance and prejudice are leading to scapegoating of the community. We need to do everything possible to ensure that coronavirus does not further exacerbate already surging antisemitism and that no group in this city is targeted as a result of this crisis.” Members of the community expressed concerns about being stigmatized due to the outbreak to LoHud.

Holy land: The Israeli Health Ministry is cracking down in an attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus, sending more than 50,000 people into mandatory home quarantine. With at least 15 confirmed cases in Israel, the Health Ministry has ordered anyone returning from France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany and Austria confined to home quarantine for 14 days. This is in an expansion of the restrictions already imposed on those coming from China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Italy.

Big impact: El Al has laid off 1,000 employees and cut salaries of top management as it struggles with the fallout. Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau advised Jews yesterday to forego the traditional touching and kissing of the “mezuzah” on doorposts to help prevent the disease’s spread. All IDF soldiers and all health workers in Israel are prohibited from leaving the country at all.

Cancellations: The ministry’s orders also banned any gatherings of more than 5,000 people, and any international conferences, leading to widespread cancellations of concerts, Purim parties, sports games and conferences across Israel. The Jerusalem Marathon, scheduled for March 20, has been postponed, the mayor said Thursday. Most sports games in Israel are now playing to empty stadiums.

Eyeing the U.S.: While there are currently no specific restrictions on travelers from the United States, the ministry said that anyone who attends a conference overseas must also observe a 14-day quarantine. The policy applies to all those returning from March 4 and forward, which could potentially include those at the recent AIPAC policy conference in Washington. AIPAC sent a warning to those at its conference earlier this week that a group of attendees were “potentially in contact” with an individual with confirmed coronavirus, though no attendees have tested positive so far.

NY-Jerusalem: One of the people in Westchester who tested positive for coronavirus visited Israel between the dates February 22-28. The Israeli Health Ministry released a detailed list of the woman’s activities in Jerusalem, including visits to shops, restaurants and travel on public transportation. The ministry ordered that anyone who was on the same El Al flights or visited locations at the same time as the tourist must enter quarantine for 14 days. 

Across the pond: A Jewish dentist in London tested positive for the virus yesterday and has been in self-isolation since he returned from a trip to Switzerland via Milan last week.