DAY 5 OF THE IRAN WAR • DAY 620 OF THE WAR: Fighting in Gaza Claims Another Soldier; Iranian Missile Fire Less Deadly, but More Frequent; Significant Damage at Weizmann Institute

Tel Aviv Diary, June 17, 2025

The war in Gaza continues. According to reports—though admittedly, there aren’t many, as the war in Gaza is being overshadowed by the war with Iran—Hamas has begun to fight back again. The renewed resistance may be due to our forces advancing deeper into their territory, the recent withdrawal of some Israeli troops from Gaza, or a perceived reduction in air support as the Air Force shifts its focus to Iran. I don’t know the exact reason—perhaps intelligence officials do—but whatever the cause, Hamas is stepping up its attacks.

One such incident occurred today in Khan Younis, where a group of Hamas operatives placed an improvised explosive device (IED) next to an Israeli armored personnel carrier (APC). The blast killed Staff Sergeant Naveh Leshem (20), of Nokdim, and wounded eight additional soldiers

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Meanwhile, the situation surrounding food deliveries in Gaza remains problematic, though it receives little attention. Foreign media outlets report that significant numbers of Gazans are being killed daily. The Israeli press, however, has offered virtually no coverage—a silence which is notable in and of itself

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53 HOSTAGES

Prime Minister Netanyahu stated last night that significant progress has been made in negotiations with Hamas. Netanyahu claimed to have given negotiators increased flexibility to reach an agreement. There is genuine reason for optimism: if Israel succeeds in Iran, it may become politically easier for Netanyahu to make concessions. He may even choose to agree to call elections—in which case he would have a stronger incentive to reach a deal to end the war. The fact that the return of 53 Israeli hostages—20 of whom are still alive—has become a political decision remains deeply troubling.

MORE IRANIAN ATTACKS…

As I’ve written before, no two days in this war are alike— and the past 24 hours were no exception. Yesterday evening at around 7:30 p.m., Iran launched a series of missiles toward northern Israel. Just the night before, their strike on the Haifa area had proven alarmingly effective. This time, however, the outcome was markedly different: only one of the three missiles even entered Israeli airspace, and that final one was successfully intercepted before reaching its target.

A little after midnight, just as I was getting ready for bed, another warning came in signaling an impending strike. Once again, we rushed down to the shelter. Thankfully, we didn’t hear the sound of any missiles landing—and indeed, none struck the Tel Aviv metro area. It turned out to be another small barrage: three missiles in total.

The same pattern repeated a little after 3 a.m., just to make sure we didn’t get any sleep. We went back to bed, but residents in the north—particularly around the Haifa area—were hit by a few missiles around 4:30 a.m. After that, we thought the missile salvos were finally done for the night—and technically, they were.

I followed my usual morning routine, even stepping outside for coffee while the rest of the house was still asleep. But then, much to our surprise—and to the shock of many Israelis—the air raid sirens went off again at 8:30 a.m., and we hurried back to the shelter.

This strike caught many off guard. Some were already on their way to work, despite instructions that only essential workers should report in. That said, some small business owners are still doing what they can to keep their doors open. This morning’s barrage, which appears to have involved roughly 20 missiles, did reach the Tel Aviv metro area. Two missiles caused only minor damage, but a third struck a more sensitive site. While the impact resulted in damage, there were no serious injuries—five people sustained light wounds, but none required hospitalization.

Later in the day, the Home Front Command announced it would no longer provide the expected 30-minute warning of an Iranian missile launch. This change may have been prompted by the failure to issue such a warning the previous night, which led to widespread confusion. From now on, alerts will be sent just 9—10 minutes before impact, with the final air raid siren sounding only 90 seconds prior.

Combined with the fact that this morning’s strike occurred in broad daylight—at 8:30 a.m.—the shift in Home Front Command alerts added yet another layer of tension to the day. Decisions about leaving the house became more complicated. To be honest, our family prefers to be home during a missile strike. Our building has an excellent bomb shelter—it’s a safe place to be. In other buildings, shelter quality varies significantly, so we try to calculate how far we can go and still make it back quickly if needed.

This afternoon, I had planned to take the dog out around five, as I usually do. But I was caught up in a project and wanted to finish a section of it before heading out. In hindsight, that delay turned out to be fortunate—shortly after 5:00 p.m., another missile warning was issued. Once again, we all immediately headed to the bomb shelter. About 20 minutes later, we emerged. Thankfully, it appears none of the missiles broke through. It was a relatively small barrage.

A little after 7:00 p.m., another missile attack was launched—this time targeting southern Israel, including Be’er Sheva and Dimona. None of those missiles got through either. It appears that a U.S. Aegis-class cruiser, stationed off the coast and equipped with an advanced anti-missile system, is now assisting with interceptions. This is a welcome development. While Israel is not out of interceptors, the supply is not unlimited. Fortunately, we seem to be neutralizing their missiles faster than we’re depleting our own stock. Current estimates suggest that about 40% of their launchers have been destroyed by the IAF, which likely explains the smaller barrages we’re now seeing. Tonight at 9:45 a small number of missiles were fired at Northern Israel, all were intercepted.

RECHOVOT

Meanwhile, stories from Iran’s previous attacks are beginning to surface. One particularly devastating strike hit the Weizmann Institute, completely destroying one of its main buildings. That building housed numerous biology and other scientific laboratories. While much of the digital data was backed up, researchers still lost years of physical work. Many scientists are now searching for new facilities to continue their research, as additional buildings on the campus were also damaged.-

HAIFA BAY

Gasoline and chemical production in Haifa Bay has come to a halt. For more than 20 years, there have been ongoing discussions and plans to relocate the region’s petrochemical industries to the Negev. Despite government incentives, the companies involved have repeatedly postponed the move due to its high cost. This latest missile strike knocked out the plants electrical systems, effectively shutting them down. Fortunately, it did not trigger a larger explosion or fire. But the potential danger—the “what could have been”—is precisely what has fueled those relocation discussions for decades.

IAF CONTINUES STRIKES IN IRAN

The Air Force continues its methodical campaign against Iranian targets—focusing on ballistic missile systems, both production facilities and actual missiles—as well as components of the nuclear weapons program, and other strategic sites within Iran. Overnight, the IDF eliminated the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces. This follows the initial strike in the early hours of Thursday night into Friday morning, which eliminated his predecessor.

WILL THE US JOIN THE IRAN OFFENSIVE?

The most pressing question many Israelis are now asking is whether the United States will join the offensive. I’ve shared my own thoughts on this before, but the reality remains complex. On one hand, direct American involvement would likely shorten the war significantly, potentially leading to a swift and decisive victory. On the other hand, it would introduce a host of new complications—though perhaps ones worth enduring.

Over the past 48 hours, President Trump’s statements on Iran have drawn intense attention and stirred considerable debate. Trump’s rhetoric has ranged from a blunt dismissal of diplomacy—“I don’t feel like negotiating; I want the Iranians to surrender and agree to our terms”—to even more provocative assertions.

In one of his latest remarks, Trump claimed that the United States has “achieved air superiority over Iran”—an interesting declaration. The President also asserted that the U.S. knows the precise location of Supreme Leader Khamenei, adding that while there are no current plans to target him, “that doesn’t mean we won’t” in the future.

The White House has since released a compilation of President Trump’s past statements reaffirming his longstanding position that he would never allow Iran to possess nuclear weapons.

Speculation is mounting over whether the United States will intervene in the conflict. The deployment of substantial American forces to the region has made direct involvement entirely plausible. Still, any prediction at this stage would be premature—and likely wrong. We may have clarity by morning, or perhaps sometime tomorrow.

BUSINESS

Tipalti

Strengthens Financial Automation Capabilities Through Strategic Acquisition

Israeli fintech unicorn Tipalti has signed an agreement to acquire Statement, a Tel Aviv and New York-based startup specializing in AI-powered cash flow management solutions. The acquisition, completed on Tuesday for an estimated $10-20 million, significantly enhances Tipalti's financial automation platform capabilities. Statement's innovative technology automates critical financial processes including cash position visibility, cash flow forecasting, and financial insights across multiple platforms such as banks, ERPs, billing systems, and databases. The acquisition comes as Tipalti continues to expand its comprehensive financial management ecosystem, providing businesses with enhanced real-time clarity and control over their financial operations.

Founded in 2022 by CEO Idan Vlodinger and CTO Shahar Lahav, Statement had previously raised $12 million in seed funding in October 2023, led by Glilot Capital Partners with participation from notable investors including Citi, Mensch Capital Partners, Titan Capital, and Operator Partners. Speaking about the acquisition, Tipalti CEO and co-founder Chen Amit emphasized the company's resilience during challenging times, stating that the announcement demonstrates the continued strength and consistency of Israeli high-tech in supporting the nation's economy. The integration of Statement's AI-driven cash flow management capabilities will enable Tipalti to offer its clients more comprehensive financial automation solutions, positioning the company for continued growth in the competitive fintech landscape.

Coralogix

Joins Israeli Unicorn Club with $115 Million Funding Round*

Israeli observability startup Coralogix announced today that it has successfully raised $115 million in funding, achieving a valuation between $1 billion and $1.5 billion and officially joining the coveted Israeli unicorn club. The round, which closed in April with funds transferred to the company's accounts two weeks ago, was co-led by U.S. fund NewView Capital, the Canadian government's pension fund (CPPIB), and O.G. Tech, owned by Eyal Ofer. Existing investors including StageOne, Red Dot, Greenfield, Maor, J-Ventures, Brighton Park, NextEquity, Revaia, and Advent also participated in the funding round, marking the company's first capital raise since mid-2022.

Founded in 2014 by four former Verint employees—CEO Ariel Assaraf, CTO Yoni Farin, Guy Kroupp, and Lior Redlus—Coralogix operates in the enterprise observability space, providing comprehensive monitoring solutions for system performance and cloud environments. The company's platform collects, sorts, and analyzes data from software and computer systems, expanding from its original log analysis capabilities to include metrics, traces, and security-related data. Recent innovations include the launch of an AI agent that enables natural language queries of log data, and the acquisition of Israeli startup Aporia at the end of 2024, which added AI model monitoring capabilities to their product suite.

The impressive funding round reflects Coralogix's exceptional growth trajectory, with CEO Assaraf reporting that revenue has increased sevenfold since mid-2022 while the company expanded from 180 to 550 employees. The current valuation represents nearly double that of their 2022 funding round, with 80% of their more than 2,000 customers—including Adobe, Palo Alto Networks, Puma, and DoorDash—now using multiple Coralogix products. Operating in a competitive landscape dominated by giants like Datadog (valued at $42 billion), Cisco's $28 billion Splunk acquisition, and New Relic, Coralogix differentiates itself by offering 50-60% cost savings compared to competitors and providing customers the flexibility to retain data on-premises while still enabling direct querying capabilities.

ISRAELTECH INTERVIEW

As part of our ongoing partnership with IsraelTech, we’re pleased to share their latest interview:“Cyber Protection for a Smart World,” featuring Esti Peshin from Israel Aerospace Industries.

What happens when AI gets hacked and it controls your car, your city, your reality? Esti Peshin, one of the top cyber minds in Israel and the General Manager of IAI’s Cyber Division, isn’t here to predict the future, she is here to build it and protect it. In this exclusive IsraelTech interview with Yoel Israel, Esti talks about the intersection of AI and cyber defense, the growing threats to connected infrastructure, the strategic role IAI plays in safeguarding nations, and why ChatGPT convinced her mother it’s always right.

In our conversation we cover:

• Why AI is one of the biggest tool and the biggest threat in cybersecurity?

• How Israel’s defense industry, academia, and private sector turned into a global cyber powerhouse?

• What she tells every candidate who wants to break into cyber?

You can watch a a preview below or view the complete video here.