IRGC head, nuclear scientists killed in initial campaign
Israeli Air Force on X
Israeli Air Force jets take off during Operation Rising Lion on June 13, 2025.
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on Israel’s preemptive attack on Iranian nuclear targets and Tehran’s retaliatory drone attack, and look at how Jewish communities and world leaders are responding. We also look at why Rep. Josh Gottheimer struggled to turn out Jewish voters in the New Jersey gubernatorial primary, and talk to Aaron Magid, the author of a new book about King Abdullah II of Jordan. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Dave McCormick, Daniel Hernandez and David Zaslav.
What We’re Watching
- Our team, reporting from Israel, New York, Washington and Paris, is working around-the-clock to provide updates following Israel’s preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear facilities and Iran’s retaliatory drone strikes. More below.
- Across Israel, events and gatherings — including Tel Aviv’s Pride parade — were canceled. Israel’s chief rabbis instructed against congregating at synagogues for Shabbat prayers. The country remains on high alert, with Home Front Command having issued guidelines canceling school and non-essential work across the country. A directive to stay near protected areas ended at 10:45 a.m. local time.
- Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is still planning to travel to Oman this weekend for nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran that are slated to take place on Sunday.
- In Washington, the Nova music festival exhibition is slated to open this weekend. At a special opening event this evening, Steve Witkoff, former hostages Noa Argamani and Omer Shem-Tov, and Nova survivor Ofir Amir are slated to speak. Organizers have not yet said how or if the opening events will be affected by the Israeli strike and Iranian retaliation.
- On Saturday, President Donald Trump’s military parade is scheduled to take place in Washington. Anti-Trump protesters have also announced a series of demonstrations across the country on Saturday.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH MELISSA WEISS
Friday the 13th has long been an auspicious day.
But Friday the 13th will now be known as something different in Israel — the day the country mounted a massive campaign against Iranian military leadership and nuclear facilities.
It’s too soon to know the extent of the damage from the ongoing strikes, the first wave of which was carried out by approximately 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft and targeted more than 100 sites around the Islamic Republic — including senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials. Israel’s attack against Iran last year knocked out hundreds of military installations and destroyed much of Tehran’s air-defense systems; last night’s attack may have dealt it a death knell.
Reports out of Tehran are inconsistent and difficult to confirm — owing in part to Iran’s desire to minimize embarrassment following the first strikes of Operation Rising Lion — but the IDF and Iran both confirmed that the Natanz enrichment facility was targeted and damaged in the operation. Elsewhere, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, Iranian military chief Mohammad Bagheri and other senior officials, as well as nuclear scientists, were killed.
President Donald Trump said early this morning that he “gave Iran chance after chance” to reach a nuclear agreement. He warned of “already planned attacks” that will be “even more brutal” and called on Tehran to make a deal “before there is nothing left.”
Today’s Daily Kickoff looks at how Israel, Washington and the American Jewish community are responding to the major Israeli offensive, and we will continue to report throughout the weekend on developments across the region. Sign up for Jewish Insider’s email and WhatsApp news alerts for around-the-clock reporting in the coming days. And read on for our coverage of the overnight operation, Iran’s retaliatory drone attack and how the situation is being viewed around the world.
ISRAEL ATTACKS IRAN
Israel carries out preemptive strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, without U.S. involvement
Israeli leaders said they carried out a series of preemptive strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and key personnel overnight, declaring a national state of emergency as it prepares for anticipated Iranian retaliation. U.S. officials took steps to distance themselves from the Israeli strikes, emphasizing that Washington was not involved, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
First stage: The Israeli Embassy in Washington issued a statement that Israel had launched a “preemptive, precise, combined offensive to strike Iran’s nuclear program,” and that Israeli jets had been involved in the “first stage” targeting “dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran.” The statement continued, “Today, Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the state of Israel and to the wider world. The State of Israel has no choice but to fulfill the obligation to act in defense of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so, as we have done in the past.”
Trump’s take: President Donald Trump told Fox News anchor Bret Baier on Thursday evening that the United States would defend Israel if Iran retaliated following Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets. Earlier today, he posted on TruthSocial that the U.S. “makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the world BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it.”
TEHRAN RETALIATION
Iranian drone strikes intercepted before reaching Israel after strikes on nuclear, military targets
Over 100 drones launched by Iran and its proxies at Israel were intercepted on Friday morning, as Israelis continued bracing for further retaliation after the IDF launched Operation Rising Lion, reportedly destroying Iran’s main enrichment site in Natanz and killing Iran’s top three military officers. “Iran launched over 100 drones at Israel and we are working to intercept them,” the IDF spokesperson, Effie Defrin, said, hours after Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites and eliminated senior military figures, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Hossein Salami, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Successfully thwarted: Three hours later, Israeli media reported that all of the drones had been shot down and the IDF Home Front Command lifted its directive for Israelis to stay near their safe rooms and shelters. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned on X prior to the drone strike that Israel “should anticipate a severe punishment … With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared itself for a bitter painful fate, which it will definitely see.” Some of the projectiles were launched from Iraq, and the IDF prepared for possible launches from Lebanon and Yemen, where the Houthis have shot missiles provided by Iran at Israel every few days in recent months. Jordan reported intercepting some Iranian UAVs over its territory, saying that it will not allow Iran to violate its airspace.
ISRAEL’S HILL ALLIES
Senior Republican senators, pro-Israel Dems express support for Israel’s strike against Iran
Many of the highest-ranking Senate Republicans, along with leading pro-Israel Democrats, expressed support for Israel’s preemptive strikes on Iran, but a number of skeptical lawmakers — mostly Democrats — expressed concern that the strikes could set off a broader war in the region, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Strong support: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said, minutes after reports of the operation began, “Proud to stand with Israel.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) soon followed, saying, “Game on. Pray for Israel.” Cotton later added that “We back Israel to the hilt, all the way,” adding that if “the ayatollahs harm a single American, that will be the end of the ayatollahs.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), said “Israel IS right—and has a right—to defend itself!”
And criticism: A number of congressional Democrats — and one notable isolationist House Republican — are expressing concern that the strikes will spark a broader war in the region and several described the strikes as designed to sabotage U.S. nuclear negotiations with Tehran. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, condemned the strikes as a “reckless escalation that risks igniting regional violence” and called on the Trump administration to push for “diplomatic de-escalation before this crisis spirals further out of control.” Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), a Republican aligned with the isolationist wing of the party, also appeared to decry the strikes. “I’m sad to say but some members of Congress and US Senators seem giddy about the prospects of a bigger war,” Davidson said, appending an emoji of a bandaged, frowning face.
Read the full story here with additional comments from Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), John Fetterman (D-PA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Greg Landsman (D-OH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rick Crawford (R-AR) and Greg Casar (D-TX).
COMMUNAL REAX
Jewish groups warn of potential Iran-backed attacks on Diaspora Jewry, express solidarity after Israeli preemptive strike against Tehran
After Israel launched a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear program and military top brass last night, Jewish groups in the United States and around the world expressed solidarity with Israel and called for heightened awareness within Diaspora Jewish communities amid fears of Iran-backed attacks. With the community already on edge following recent attacks in Washington and Boulder, Colo., Jewish security groups are warning that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has a history of supporting and facilitating attacks on Diaspora Jewish communities, may again attempt such an assault, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports.
Safety concerns: The Community Security Service and Secure Community Network both called for Jewish communities to ramp up their security measures, even as they were not yet aware of specific threats. The New York Police Department also said that it was “deploying additional resources” to Jewish and Israeli sites throughout New York City. “Our safety can be impacted not only by domestic extremism like we saw in DC and Boulder, but by global events thousands of miles away,” Richard Priem, CEO of CSS, said in an email. “The situation is dynamic and can change at any time. Jews in America cannot afford to be complacent.”
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
EYE ON AMMAN
Why we should be paying more attention to Jordan, according to new King Abdullah biography
American fascination with the Middle East and its colorful leaders — dictators and military generals and royals and Israeli premiers — dates back decades, from Saddam Hussein to Iran’s ayatollahs to Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. One ruler has survived more or less unscathed over more than a quarter century, avoiding flashy headlines about power struggles or coups, all while keeping a tight grip on power and maintaining close, bipartisan ties with Washington. That’s Jordan’s King Abdullah II, who has ruled the country since 1999. In The Most American King, a new biography of King Abdullah, author Aaron Magid argues that the Jordanian king’s staying power is what makes him interesting — that the relative stability he has overseen demands attention in a region so often beset by chaos elsewhere, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Aid allocated: Jordan receives roughly $1.45 billion a year from the U.S., making it one of the largest beneficiaries of American foreign assistance dollars. That’s despite King Abdullah’s public criticism of Israel, America’s strongest ally in the Middle East — and even harsher language from his wife, Queen Rania, who is of Palestinian descent. “I think he does understand that having some sort of relationship with Israel is in his benefit and his national security interest,” Magid told JI in an interview this week.
FALLING SHORT
Gottheimer’s bet on Jewish vote didn’t pay off
With his path to victory narrowing in the closing stretch of New Jersey’s gubernatorial primary, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) had placed his hopes for a come-from-behind win on the state’s sizable Jewish community, a politically active voting bloc he saw as a crucial part of his coalition in a crowded race with overlapping constituencies and likely low turnout. The moderate Jewish Democrat worked to court Jewish voters by touting his pro-Israel record and commitment to fighting antisemitism. In the end, however, the veteran congressman came in fourth place in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, losing to a fellow House member, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), by 22 points, even as she had claimed only a third of the vote in the six-way race, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Matthew Kassel report.
A look at Lakewood: Gottheimer’s poor overall performance across the state came in spite of relatively strong turnout in Lakewood, where he won more than 5,000 votes from the Orthodox community, including several unaffiliated backers, according to Shlomo Schorr, director of legislative affairs for Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office. With nearly 3,000 registered Democrats in the Orthodox community in Lakewood, Gottheimer’s Vaad endorsement helped him secure those votes and to claim additional support from unaffiliated residents, though hardly as many as his allies had hoped to attract: Lakewood has more than 20,000 unaffiliated Orthodox voters — suggesting that only a small fraction of them had declared as Democrats in order to vote in the primary. Even if he had sought to mobilize those Orthodox voters earlier in the primary, Gottheimer still would have come up short. “None of that would have made a difference,” Schorr told JI, given the outcome on Tuesday. “We just don’t have the kind of numbers to flip such a lopsided race, obviously.”
Worthy Reads
Taking It to Tehran: In The Times of Israel, Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, who previously served as prime minister, explains the motives behind Israel’s decision to strike Iran. “What does victory look like? An Iran without a nuclear capability. An Iran deterred from further escalation. An Iran that understands it cannot spread terrorism in the region without paying a price. The opening hours of this operation have shown what Israel is capable of, the strength and sophistication of our armed forces and the depth of our intelligence. Those who stand behind Iran’s nuclear program and its terrorist infrastructure can’t run and they can’t hide.” [TOI]
Waking to a New Middle East: The Free Press’ Matti Friedman reflects on “turning point” in the Middle East following Israel’s preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear targets. “After waking up my children, hustling them blearily into the safe room, and checking my phone, I saw that the siren indicated not that we were being attacked — but that we were attacking. The army’s Home Front Command warned us to stay close to shelter. After a decade and a half of news reports that Israel was about to attack the Iranian nuclear program, after years of Iranian obfuscation, Israeli indecisiveness, and American fecklessness, the Israeli air force was actually striking in Natanz and Tehran. Among the pilots, I assume, are a few people I know.” [FreePress]
Breaking Rank: The Atlantic’s Annie Lowrey describes the shortcomings of the ranked-choice voting system in the “annoyingly chaotic” New York City mayoral primary. “Seeing a no-name upstart attempt to upset a brand-name heavyweight is thrilling. But the system has warped the political calculus of the mayoral campaign. Candidates who might have dropped out are staying in. Candidates who might be attacking one another on their platforms or records are instead considering cross-endorsing. Voters used to choosing one contender are plotting out how to rank their choices. Moreover, they are doing so in a closed primary held in the June of an odd year, meaning most city residents will not show up at the polls anyway. If this is democracy, it’s a funny form of it.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump will attend Sen. Dave McCormick’s (R-PA) Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, slated for July 15 at Carnegie Mellon University; White House AI czar David Sacks, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg are slated to attend…
Reps. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) introduced legislation banning any individuals living in the West Bank or holding a Palestinian Authority passport from receiving refugee status, and dictating that any such individuals currently holding refugee status should be deported…
Reps. August Pfluger (R-TX), Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Derek Schmidt (R-KS) introduced a bill that would ban anyone who “endorses or espouses terrorist activities” committed by terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah or Palestinian Islamic Jihad from entering the U.S.…
Arizona congressional candidate Daniel Hernandez said that a staffer’s car was hit by gunfire outside of his campaign headquarters, which is also Hernandez’s family residence…
New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, mounting a bid for mayor of New York City, said he “would not pursue” efforts to continue the U.S.-Israel Economic Council begun under New York City Mayor Eric Adams…
A Maryland man armed with a pocketknife was arrested outside the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, following a scuffle with the school’s security; the man, identified as Joseph Amr Khairy Abdalla, had been observed circling the school parking lot and refused to exit the car or identify himself to officials…
The Wall Street Journal looks at the decisions by Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav that led to the impending split of the company, staff dissatisfaction and debt incurred by the company…
The Hamas-run Gaza police force claimed to have killed 12 members of a local militia that Israel had recently acknowledged arming…
Sander Gerber‘s Hudson Bay Capital Management is set to open an Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, office by the end of the year; the company already has a 10-person office in Dubai…
Pic of the Day
Israeli Air Force jets take off on Friday during Operation Rising Lion.
Birthdays
Chief political correspondent for CNN, born Dana Ruth Schwartz, Dana Bash, left, and co-anchor of a CNN global news show, Bianna Golodryga, both celebrate birthdays on Sunday…
FRIDAY: Existential psychiatrist, he is a professor emeritus of psychiatry at Stanford University, Irvin David Yalom turns 94… Professor emeritus at UCLA, he played an influential role in the development of the ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet, Leonard Kleinrock turns 91… London-born, now living in Gstaad, Switzerland, founder of Graff Diamonds, Laurence Graff turns 87… Former official in the Johnson, Nixon, Clinton and Obama administrations, Morton Halperin turns 87… Chairman and CEO of Oppenheimer & Co., then Chancellor of Brown University and now CEO of Source of Hope Foundation, Stephen Robert turns 85… Member of Congress (D-NY) since 1992 and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerrold Lewis “Jerry” Nadler turns 78… Retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, he was previously attorney general of Israel, Elyakim Rubinstein turns 78… Assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of retina surgery at Franklin Square Hospital, Michael J. Elman, MD… National political correspondent for National Public Radio and a contributor at the Fox News Channel, Mara Liasson turns 70… Chief Jewish education officer of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Fla., Rabbi Arnie Samlan turns 70… Co-founder and general partner of Andreessen Horowitz, Benjamin Abraham “Ben” Horowitz turns 59… Founder and CEO of Overtime, Daniel Porter turns 59… Yoga instructor, Jenny Eisen Verdery… Founder and CEO of Peninsula Group, Micah Lakin Avni turns 56… Family court judge of the City of New York, serving in Brooklyn, Judge Erik S. Pitchal turns 53… White House and foreign affairs correspondent at Politico, Eli Stokols… Founder and CEO of NYC-based JDS Development Group, Michael Stern turns 46… Chief external affairs officer at BSE Global, Marissa Shorenstein… Actor, the son of Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving, Max Samuel Spielberg turns 40… Actress, known professionally as Kat Dennings, she starred in the CBS sitcom “Two Broke Girls,” Katherine Litwack turns 39… Fashion blogger and creator of Something Navy apparel stores, Arielle Noa Nachmani Charnas turns 38… Contributor at Real Clear Investigations, Benjamin H. Weingarten… Retired NFL football player after four seasons, he is the COO at Jones Soda, Gabe Carimi turns 37… Policy advocate at Protect Democracy, Ariela Rosenberg… Speed skater who represented the USA at the Winter Olympics in 2014, 2018 and 2022, Emery Lehman turns 29…
SATURDAY: Retired Soviet nuclear scientist, now writing from Skokie, Ill., on Jewish intellectual spirituality, Vladimir Minkov, Ph.D. turns 92… Retired U.S. district judge for the District of Maryland, Marvin Joseph Garbis turns 89… Former vice chair of the board of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Dr. Beryl A. Geber… 45th and 47th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump turns 79… Former French diplomat and advisor to former French Presidents Chirac and Sarkozy, Jean-David Levitte turns 79… Television sportscaster and journalist, Len Berman turns 78… Writer, critic, philosopher and magazine editor, Leon Wieseltier turns 73… Chairman and chief investment officer of Duquesne Family Office, Stanley Druckenmiller turns 72… Businessman and philanthropist, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2017 for services to philanthropy, Sir Leonard “Len” Blavatnik turns 68… Political activist, Pamela Geller turns 67… Co-founder of Virunga Mountain Spirits, a distillery in Rwanda, William Benjamin (“Bill”) Wasserman… President of Blue Diamond HR LLC, Michelle “Shel” Grossman… President of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., Maud S. Mandel turns 58… Senior advisor to Tollbit, Campbell Brown… Singer-songwriter with ten studio albums, Joshua Radin turns 51… Co-founder of Kelp, now a part of Signal AI where he is an SVP, Daniel M. Gaynor… Australian fashion model, author, philanthropist and businesswoman, Kathryn Eisman turns 44… NYC-based businessman, Pavel Khodorkovsky turns 40… Deputy assistant secretary at HUD and then senior advisor at OMB in the Trump 45 administration, Paige Esterkin Bronitsky… Director of public affairs at San Francisco’s District Attorney’s office, Lilly Rapson… Actor, Daryl Sabara… and his fraternal twin brother, also an actor, Evan Sabara, both turn 33… Digital manager at the Republican National Committee, Julia Cohen… Associate attorney at Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester, Jacob Ellenhorn… Vienna-based European editor for Moment Magazine, Liam Hoare…
SUNDAY: Iranian-born British billionaire, he was knighted in 1989 and made a life peer in 2004, Baron David Alliance turns 93… Former president of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Phoenix, Stuart C. Turgel… Former president of the National Rifle Association, Sandra S. (Sandy) Froman turns 76… Ethicist and professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School, Laurie Zoloth turns 75… Internationally recognized authority on Yiddish folk and theater music, Zalmen Mlotek turns 74… Entrepreneur, currently living in Estonia, VP of the Eurasian Jewish Congress, he rebuilt a synagogue and a community center in Estonia, Alexander Bronstein turns 71… President and CEO of the PR firm Edelman, founded by his father Daniel Edelman in 1952, Richard Winston Edelman turns 71… Chicago-based political commentator, Art Friedson turns 71… Chief Rabbi of Poland, Rabbi Michael Schudrich turns 70… Israeli Druze politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Likud, Fateen Mulla turns 65… Novelist, screenwriter, teacher and freelance journalist, Jill Eisenstadt turns 62… First woman certified by the NFLPA as a player agent, she is now general counsel for USA Lacrosse, Ellen Marsha Zavian turns 62… Director at Citrin Cooperman Advisors, Reuben Rutman… Los Angeles-based attorney, Daniel Brett Lacesa… Regional director of the ADL based in Los Angeles, Jeffrey I. Abrams… Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter, now deputy managing editor at The New York Times, Clifford J. Levy turns 58… Retired news anchor for Israel Public Broadcasting, wife of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Geula Even-Saar turns 53… Former head speechwriter for Michelle Obama and author of a 2019 book Here All Along and an upcoming book As a Jew, Sarah Hurwitz… Ethiopian-born Israeli marathon runner, he represented Israel at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Zohar Zimro turns 48… Political staffer, Adam Jentleson turns 44… Co-founder of Evergreen Strategy Group and former director of speechwriting for Hillary Clinton, Daniel Baum Schwerin… Director of corporate communications and public affairs at Google, Rebecca Michelle Ginsberg Rutkoff… Chief advancement officer at Birthright Israel Foundation, Jaclyn “Jackie” Saxe Soleimani… Senior recruiter at The Carlyle Group, Victoria Edelman Klapper… Correspondent with the “PBS NewsHour” and “PBS News Weekend,” Ali S. Weinberg Rogin… Associate at Blackstone, Elli Sweet… Jimmy Ritter… Joel Winton… A former member of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration and Democratic nominee for Sheriff of Bucks County, Pa., Danny Ceisler turns 33…