Israeli Protests Against Iran War Prompt 18 Arrests

Hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv and Haifa on March 28, 2026, to protest the ongoing war against Iran, leading to clashes with police and the arrest of 18 demonstrators in unauthorized rallies that defied wartime gathering restrictions.

The demonstrations, part of a series of weekly protests that have grown from small groups to larger crowds, took place amid emergency regulations prohibiting assemblies of more than 50 people. In Tel Aviv's Habima Square, protesters chanted slogans such as "No more war" and "Stop the genocide," according to witnesses and video footage from the scene. Police moved in to disperse the crowd after a Home Front Command official cited the ban, resulting in 13 arrests for disorderly conduct and failure to comply with instructions. Officers pushed back demonstrators, with some reports describing forceful actions that knocked protesters to the ground and involved at least one instance of a chokehold.

In Haifa's Horev Junction, about 100 people assembled, blocking roads and prompting five more arrests for similar disturbances. Police described the actions as riots that disrupted public order. Organizers, including the Jewish-Arab group Standing...