On the morning of February 28, 2026, Israel, with US support, launched a large-scale military operation against Iran
under the code name “Magen Yehuda” – “Shield of Judah.” Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, announced the start of the attack. A state of emergency has been declared in the country, and air-raid sirens are sounding nationwide.
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Later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu renamed the operation “Roar of the Lion,” yet the original title, “Shield of Judah,” had already entered international media circulation.
Judah is the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob and the forefather of the tribe from which Israel’s kings descended, including David and Solomon. The word “magen” – “shield” – echoes the name of the best-known Jewish symbol, the Magen David (“Shield of David,” or the Star of David). In other words, the operation was framed from the outset not merely as a military campaign, but as one carrying historical and religious-national meaning: Israel presents its actions as the defense of the Jewish people in the spirit of biblical tradition.