D003-ISRAEL PROTESTAS CONTRA LA GUERRA

Hundreds of anti-government Israeli protesters rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday (April 4), in Habima Square, against the war in Iran despite the Israeli army limiting gatherings in public areas to 150 people, after Israel's High Court of Justice said the state must allow demonstrations in which at least 600 people participate.

There were minor scuffles and several arrests as Israeli police, some on horseback, tried to disperse the crowds.

The Israeli-U.S. war on Iran entered its 6th week and has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.

Attacks by both sides show no signs of easing, with fears of a wider regional conflict growing.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel on Saturday stepped up pressure on Iran to release its chokehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway or face attacks on its energy infrastructure.

"Time is running out — 48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down on them. Glory be to GOD!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

In an apparent move to heap further pressure on Tehran following Trump's latest ultimatum, a senior Israeli defence official said Israel was preparing to attack Iranian energy facilities, and was awaiting the green light from the U.S.

Iran has rained drones and missiles down on Israel, and also taken aim at Gulf countries allied to the U.S., which have so far held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation.

Israel has been waging a parallel campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon after the militant group fired at Israel in support of Iran.

Early on Saturday, Israel's military said it was striking the militants' infrastructure sites in Beirut. It later said an Israeli soldier had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon.