Israel at War, Day 553 | Latest on US-Iran talks, Gaza war, Syria

The IDF's 74th Battalion of the 188th Brigade held a Passover Seder while operating in Syria on Saturday night, video documentation from Israel's public broadcaster KAN shows.

פסח מעבר לקו: גדוד 74 של חטיבה 188 עורך את ליל הסדר בסוריה@ItayBlumental
צילום: עמותת ברק 188 pic.twitter.com/jSerSMOOrc

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 12, 2025

Israeli forces engaged in clashes with Palestinians near the city of Kalkilya in the West Bank on Saturday night.

This is a developing story.

The IDF killed dozens of terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure in between Friday night and Saturday morning, the military said.

Operational activities in the area began in order to enhance the IDF's security control and expand its security zone, the military added.

The IDF also assisted Gazan civilians to evacuate via organized routes, the statement said.

The Israeli Air Force intercepted a rocket that was launched from the Gaza Strip on Saturday night, on Passover eve, the military announced.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

תיעוד השיגור@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/kJuk6XQePH

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 12, 2025

The Hamas terrorist organization published on Saturday propaganda footage showing a sign of life of hostage Edan Alexander, who is still held captive in the Gaza Strip.

The terror group published the video as part of its ongoing efforts to carry out psychological terror.

Earlier, a teaser of the video was released by the group with the captions "Soon" and "Time is running out."

Alexander's family has yet to approve the publishing of the video or its contents.

This is a developing story. 

Deadly clashes have broken out between the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and Syrian armed forces as the latter attempted to destroy smuggling routes used during the Assad regime, the Washington Post reported on Saturday after speaking with a number of soldiers involved in the operations.

The terror group has reportedly attempted to tighten its grip on previous routes as a way to rearm following its war with Israel, which saw much of Hezbollah’s arsenal and senior leadership destroyed in strikes and a limited land operation.

Syrian patrol cars have come under frequent fire, and the patrolmen shot, according to the report. Last month, three soldiers were reportedly killed in the conflict.

While Syrian forces are attempting to guard the 233-mile border with Lebanon, Iran has reportedly begun expanding its smuggling contacts in Syria - allegedly trying to destabilize the new HTS government, which replaced Bashar al-Assad’s regime. European officials reportedly denied knowledge that Iran was directly trying to destabilize the country’s new leadership, in contrast with statements given by Syrian authorities

The Israel Navy published documentation of its operational activities in the Gaza Strip on Saturday afternoon.

The footage included missile ship activity in the Gaza Strip and observation of Israeli forces maneuvering on the ground.

"We will continue to operate from the sea against the terrorist organizations operating in the Strip in order to return the hostages and eliminate Hamas terrorists," said IDF Navy Commander Vice-Admiral David Sa'ar Salama. "We maintain close cooperation with maneuvering Israeli ground forces and the Air Force.

"Our soldiers at sea continue to operate 24/7, in near and far arenas, in both many defensive and offensive missions," Salama added. 

The second round of talks between Iran and the US will "probably take place" on April 19, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told State TV, with the aim of discussing the broad framework of a potential agreement.

Iran and the US held talks in Oman on Saturday, a dialog meant to address Tehran's escalating nuclear program, with President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.

The foreign minister added the location of talks may not be in Oman, but will still take place under Omani intermediation. "None of the parties are looking for fruitless talks, for talks that are time-wasting," Araqchi said.

Omani foreign minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi wrote on X/Twitter that the talks "took place in a friendly atmosphere conducive to bridging viewpoints and ultimately achieving regional and global peace, security and stability.

"We will continue to work together and put further efforts to assist in arriving at this goal," Busaidi, who mediated in the talks, added.

Iran and the United States finished their first round of indirect, high-level talks in Oman on Saturday afternoon, according to Iranian state media, with the two sides agreeing to continue talks next week.

The talks were held in the capital, Muscat, aimed at jump-starting negotiations over Tehran's fast-advancing nuclear program, with US President Donald Trump threatening military action if there is no deal.

A member of Iran's delegation was quoted by Tasnim as saying the talks with the US were held in a "positive atmosphere."

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi led the Iranian delegation, while the talks were handled on the US side by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Iranian state media IRNA reported the two shared a direct, minutes-long conversation following the conclusion of Saturday's mediated talks.