Israel marks 1st anniversary of Oct 7 massacre under heavy rocket fire | Missile fired from Yemen sets off sirens across central Israel

19:38 - US President Biden calls President Herzog to express solidarity and condolences on anniversary of Oct 7 massacre

Israel's President Isaac Herzog spoke with US President Joe Biden, who called to offer his condolences to the citizens of Israel on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre.

The US President said his thoughts were always with the families of the hostages, the murdered, and the injured from the Hamas attack on that dark day. He also praised President Herzog for visiting various communities in the western Negev to personally comfort the residents, and asked him to extend his own words of comfort as well.

Biden further noted that the atrocities committed by Hamas served as a reminder of the significant threat posed by Iran and its proxies in the region, and emphasized his deep love for Israel and his own support for Zionism.

Herzog thanked Biden for his call and for his steadfast support of Israel from the outbreak of the war, and stressed that this would never be forgotten.

17:53 - Sirens across central Israel, surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen is intercepted by IDF

A surface-to-surface ballistic missile fired from Yemen was successfully intercepted by the Israeli Air Force, the IDF stated Monday afternoon.

The large number of alarm sirens that were activated across all of central Israel was caused by fear of falling shrapnel after the missile was intercepted at a great height, according to Israeli media.

Rocket alarms blared from Ra'anana in the north to Beit Shemesh in the south, and from Tel Aviv on the coast all the way to the outskirts of Ariel in Samaria.

At Ben Gurion Airport, departures and landings were temporarily halted during the attack.

17:10 - Prime Minister Netanyahu meets bipartisan delegation of US Senators led by Lindsey Graham

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a bipartisan delegation of US Senators led by Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Netanyahu: "I deeply appreciate the visit by Senators Graham and Blumenthal on this day of commemoration, October 7th. It was the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, but unlike the Holocaust, we fight back."

Sen. Blumenthal: "We’re honored to be with you and we appreciate your giving us this opportunity to speak with you on this really agonizingly difficult day for your country and the people of Israel and all of us in the United States who feel so deeply that it was an absolutely abhorrent inhumane attack on the Jewish people. We’re here to say we have Israel’s back and Israel has the right to defend itself."

Sen. Graham: "The reason people were killed on October 7th was they were Jewish. We’ve seen this movie before. We don’t want to see any more of those movies."

"To my friends in France, you’ve got this a*s backwards. You should be doubling down on helping Israel, because the people that want to destroy Israel also want to destroy the French people... The Twin Towers fell not because of a hurricane, because radical Islamist terrorists killed 3,000 of us on a single day. And they would kill all of us if they could. If Iran ever got a nuclear weapon, they would use it."

14:35 - IDF strikes Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon

"Air Force fighter jets are conducting extensive strikes against Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon," according to an IDF statement.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a limited consultation with cabinet ministers.

13:25 - IDF orders Gazan residents to evacuate to humanitarian areas

Due to the latest rocket barrage from Gaza to central Israel, the IDF ordered the residents of the area from which the barrage was launched to "evacuate to the humanitarian zone".

12:58 - Hamas fires 5 rockets at Sderot area, all intercepted by IDF

The IDF said it intercepted five rockets that were fired from northern Gaza at the city of Sderot and surrounding towns, including Mefalsim and Nir Oz. No injuries or damage were reported.

Hamas has now fired 14 rockets at Israel on the anniversary of its October 7 invasion and massacre in Israel.

11:00 - Hamas fires 5 rockets at Tel Aviv area, 2 lightly wounded by shrapnel

Hamas took responsibility for the launch of five M90 rockets at central Israel, which the IDF said were launched from Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Two people were lightly wounded by shrapnel and taken to hospital for treatment, according to Magen David Adom rescue services.

Alarm sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Bat Yam, and several other nearby towns. Impacts were reported in an open area near Holon and in the area of Kfar Habad.

09:50 - Defense Minister Gallant says Israel has obligation to remember the fallen, bring the hostages home

In a post to 𝕏 marking the anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacres, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant wrote:

"Today, more than ever, we carry a deep commitment to continue to do everything necessary to defend the homeland, and to be worthy of the legacy of our loved ones, our fallen comrades – civilians and soldiers. As a nation and as a society, it is our duty to do everything possible to bring the hostages home, to support the wounded in body and soul, and to remember the fallen and the story of their lives and deaths, the story of our just war."

08:50 - The ground operation in southern Lebanon is expanding: 3 reserve brigades join the offensive against Hezbollah

The IDF stated that three reserve brigades of the 91st Division have joined the "localized and targeted operational activity in southern Lebanon."

"After almost a year of operational activity in the northern arena and in the Gaza Strip, over the past two weeks, reserve brigades have been called up to train and improve readiness."

"Since the beginning of the war, the 91st Division has conducted a significant amount of offensive and defensive operations in order to degrade and strike the Hezbollah terrorist organization and its infrastructure in southern Lebanon, using ground and aerial strikes. "

"Over the past several weeks, the division conducted hundreds of strikes and eliminated dozens of terrorists."

Click here to read more.

08:24 - Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a special ceremony on the Nova music festival site: "Praying for the immediate return home of the abductees"

“Together, on this day, we will join together and unite. And I pray that we know how to be discerning and wise in order to come out of this difficult year stronger and with greater hope in our hearts. We won't be able to do that if we don't bring the hostages home," President Herzog said at the memorial ceremony.

President Herzog is on a three-day memorial tour of southern Israel and will visit several memorials throughout the day.

Click here to read more.

07:25 - The IDF attacked launchers and terror targets of Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip to prevent an immediate threat

The IDF said it thwarted an immediate threat, following preliminary preparations and the identification of an intention by the terrorist organization Hamas to fire at the territory of the State of Israel on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks. Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets attacked launching positions and an underground route of the terrorist organization Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

During the night, the IAF also attacked targets in the central Gaza Strip that posed a threat to IDF forces operating in the area.

06:54 - The rocket attacks by Hezbollah continue on the Galilee settlements, including the city of Karmiel

Fifteen launches were detected towards the north as part of the latest barrage towards Karmiel and the Western Galilee. Most of them were intercepted, and the rest exploded in open areas.

6:31 - Sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip

Alarms warning of missile and rocket fire were activated in several settlements in the Gaza Envelope, including Sofa, Holit, and Peri Gan, exactly one year after the sirens of Oct. 7 were activated in the same area.

5:16 - Sirens sounded in central Israel in Rishon LeTsiyon and surrounding areas.

As a warning of the infiltration of hostile aircraft, Sirens were activated in Palmahim in Rishon Lezion, West and East.

The IDF released a statement: "Following the sirens that sounded regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration in the areas of Rishon LeTsiyon and Palmachim, the IAF intercepted two suspicious aerial targets launched from the east."

02:37 - 03:25 - Sirens across the Upper Galilee, Western Galilee and Lower Galilee

No injuries were reported.

01:02 -  IDF struck Hezbollah targets and weapons storage facilities in Beirut and other areas

IDF statement: "IAF fighter jets conducted intelligence-based strikes on terror targets belonging to Hezbollah's Intelligence Headquarters in Beirut, including intelligence-gathering means, command centers, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites. 

Additionally, over the past few hours, the IAF struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in the area of Beirut. Secondary explosions were identified following the strikes, indicating the presence of weaponry." 

"The Hezbollah terrorist organization has deliberately embedded its command centers and weaponry beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city of Beirut, endangering the population in the area."

"Additionally, IAF fighter jets struck Hezbollah terror targets in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area, including weapons storage facilities, terror infrastructure sites, a command center, and a launcher."

00:15 - Heavy rocket barrages on the North

One man was seriously injured by shrapnel in Tiberias, and there were also direct hits also in Haifa - a boy is moderately injured, and several others are in a minor condition.