Israel at war: What happened on day 518?

Syrian security forces and affiliated gunmen killed more than 340 civilians, the vast majority of them from the Alawite minority, over the last two days, Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters on Saturday.

Other Syrian sources have reported casualties somewhere between 180-200/

Syrian state media on Thursday cited an interior ministry source as saying "individual violations" had occurred during a government operation to crack down on terrorists linked to the ousted Assad regime and said it was working to address the incidents.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Israel has drafted a step-by-step plan to escalate pressure on Hamas—including cutting off essential supplies, launching airstrikes, forcing Gazans who returned to the north to evacuate again, and ultimately reentering the Gaza Strip—if the terror group does not release the remaining hostages, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, have also warned of a return to war should Hamas refuse to comply.

With negotiations at an impasse, Israel has already begun implementing its first measure: blocking the entry of goods and supplies into Gaza. The next phase, according to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, would involve shutting off electricity and water—a move discussed in a recent cabinet meeting.

 A new survey reveals that nearly half of the public (47%) reported a decline in their trust in the IDF due to the findings of the investigations into the October 7 massacre, while only 12% said their trust had increased. Meanwhile, 28% of respondents stated that the investigations had no impact on their confidence in the military.

The survey highlights political divisions in how the findings were received. The most significant decline in trust was recorded among voters of the Arab parties, with 73% reporting a negative impact, followed by coalition voters, 54% of whom also noted a decrease in trust.

Among opposition party voters, opinions were more divided: 37% said the investigations harmed their trust in the IDF, while 31% said they had no effect.

Former Israeli Navy commander Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eliezer ‘Cheney’ Marom criticized the IDF's internal probes on the security failures of October 7 in a Friday interview on 103FM radio, stating that "there was heavy documentation of what happened, but the 'why' was missing."

Marom, who most recently served as coordinator for the North under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, told 103FM that he "sat 12 hours last week to hear all of the findings from the probes. There were about 20 people in a small room. There was heavy documentation of what transpired, of 'what happened,' but the 'why' was missing."

Fifty-six former hostages either released or rescued from Gaza sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, calling on him to carry out the Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal and ensure the release of all remaining hostages at once. 

"We were taken during the massacre on October 7. We've suffered the agony that our loved ones are currently suffering. We have seen the darkness, heard the horrors, breathed the fear," the letter read.

The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Friday the group would resume its naval operations against Israel if Israel did not lift a blockage of aid into Gaza within four days.

The Iran-aligned movement staged more than 100 attacks on shipping from November 2023, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza - and the assaults tailed off in January after a ceasefire there.

Israel's political echelon, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the IDF to prepare for an "immediate" return to fighting in Gaza, KAN News reported on Friday evening.

The Jerusalem Post reported earlier this week that Israeli officials estimated that if no agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas, Israel would return to fighting in Gaza in about a week and a half.

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out strikes across southern Lebanon on Friday evening, targeting military outposts belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the IDF said.

The targeted outposts included warehouses storing weapons, as well as rocket launch sites. Hezbollah-affiliated outlet Al Mayadeen reported strikes were being carried out in the vicinity of Al-Aaishiyah.