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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel, together with the United States, had dealt the “heaviest blow” Iran’s leadership had ever seen, as Israel began observing its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“We delivered the heaviest blow in that regime’s history. It stands weaker than ever before,” Netanyahu said in remarks at a state ceremony held in the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial centre in Jerusalem and broadcast on Monday.

Israel has been engaged in a multi-front conflict since October 7, 2023, when Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked the country, triggering a deadly war in Gaza that ultimately drew in other allies of Tehran.

“For two-and-a-half years, we have been systematically crushing the Iranian axis of evil” in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and the occupied West Bank, Netanyahu said.

“Had we not acted, names like Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Parchin might have become synonymous with horror — like Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek and Sobibor,” he added, comparing Iranian nuclear sites to Nazi-era extermination camps.

Israel will observe its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day from Monday evening until Tuesday evening, with memorials in honour of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.

The observance, held each year in April or May according to the Hebrew calendar, is separate from International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

This year’s commemoration comes in the midst of a two-week ceasefire with Iran in a regional war that began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Despite the ceasefire, Israel continues to engage in fighting with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon.

AFP

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The Yobe State Government has said that the Jilli community affected by the military air strikes is a Boko Haram stronghold in the Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Security Adviser to the governor, Brigadier General Dahiru Abdulsalam (retd.), disclosed this in a press statement to journalists, while clarifying whether the incident happened in Yobe or Borno.

“The attention of the Yobe State Government has been drawn to online reports suggesting an attack on the people of Geidam Local Government Area.

“It has become necessary to set the records straight. The Air Component of the Joint Task Force (Northeast) Operation HADIN KAI conducted an air strike mission on Jilli (a Boko Haram stronghold) of Gubio Local Government Area in Borno State, yesterday, Saturday, April 11, 2025,” the statement read in part.

He also disclosed that some of the injured came from Geidam but had been moved to a hospital.

“Some of the affected victims came from Geidam LGA bordering Gubio LGA in Borno state, who went to the Jilli weekly market. They have been evacuated to Geidam Specialist Hospital and are responding to receiving treatment,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, Dr. Shehu Mohammed, has confirmed the receipt of 21 injured people from the Jilli air strikes, who were receiving medical attention.

A victim of the reported airstrike receiving treatment at the hospital.

Mohammed revealed all the victims were in stable condition, but some needed blood transfusions before they could undergo surgeries.

He urged the residents to support the victims through blood donation.

Several people were feared killed, following the air strikes at the market located at a border community.

A source stated that a military fighter jet was tracking the movement of suspected Boko Haram insurgents in the area, who were reportedly said to have moved to the market to collect levies from residents before the incident occurred.

‘Borno Govt Closed Jilli Markets’

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, had on Sunday described Jilli market as a notorious hub allegedly used by insurgents and their logistics suppliers.

He also warned residents against aiding, harbouring, or providing logistical support to Boko Haram insurgents.

“I have been properly briefed on the air strike carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai on Jilli market, a border town between Borno and Yobe states. Let me state categorically that the Borno State Government closed Jilli and Gazabure markets five years ago.

“I am in close consultation with the Government of Yobe State and the military hierarchy on the matter,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Dauda Iliya.

Amnesty International Demands Probe

But while condemning the incident, Amnesty International alleged that the military action claimed the lives of over 100 people, while the emergency section of Geidam General Hospital had so far received 35 people with severe injuries.

However, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday said it had begun an investigation into claims of civilian casualties during the military operation around the market.

In a statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, NAF said it “treats all reports of possible civilian harm with the utmost seriousness and empathy”.

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Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has said Nigeria’s lingering insecurity could be decisively tackled within six months if the Federal Government demonstrates sufficient commitment.

Ndume stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, where he expressed concern over the recent escalation of violence, particularly in the North-East.

The lawmaker stressed that beyond complaints, what is required is decisive action and political will.

“It is not about complaining. It is not about asking somebody like me as a senator to say why these things. I always believe that if the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria are serious about this, we can end this thing (insecurity) in six months.

“All we need is to train our soldiers, equip them, arm them very well, and then motivate them,” Ndume said.

The senator lamented the continued loss of military personnel, including senior officers, noting that such incidents highlight deeper operational challenges.

“After killing their commanders, they now come back to kill our commanders and they are still taking about five, six, or even seven. Even today, around Northern Borno, we lost a colonel, I understand, with some soldiers. This should not continue. This is now the problem,” he said.

Ndume also attributed the worsening security situation to inconsistent and incomplete implementation of security strategies.

“The escalating security situation has really been enhanced by the challenge and the threat, and the actions that have been taken that have never been completely done. We have to be very serious about this matter; we have to walk the talk.”

Speaking on the issue of foreign support, the lawmaker emphasised the need for intelligence, technology, and specialised expertise rather than relying on external forces.

“What we need is intelligence. What we need is air support. We also need the expertise of those that are specialists. We even have some that were trained outside, special forces. We have capable hands already on the ground; all they need is equipment, ammunition, and motivation.

“We do not have enough drones. Look at what Burkina Faso is doing, it is technology. We can use technology to finish or minimise these things within the shortest possible time. If you deploy drones and have trained people to operate them, with proper command centres, we can achieve results,” he said.

The Borno South senator further noted that Borno State would have suffered greater devastation without the efforts of Governor Babagana Zulum and commended his interventions in stabilising parts of the state.

Ndume’s comments come amid renewed security concerns in the North-East and across Nigeria.

A recent airstrike at Jilli Market along the Yobe–Borno border on Saturday has come under scrutiny over reported civilian casualties.

The Nigerian Air Force said the strike targeted suspected Boko Haram insurgents and that it is investigating reported civilian casualties.

While casualty figures remain unclear, several deaths and injuries were reported, with victims receiving treatment in nearby facilities.

The incident also followed a deadly attack on Thursday on a military formation in Benisheikh, where troops repelled insurgents but suffered casualties.

Security challenges, including banditry, kidnappings, and communal clashes, persist nationwide.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu, during a recent visit to Bayelsa State, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.

In a related development, the United States Department of State has issued travel advisories and begun reducing its staff presence in Abuja. Federal Government, however, described it as a routine precaution and not a reflection the country’s security situation.