Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 22, 2026, 10 AM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 22, 2026, 10 AM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Defense Minister Israel Katz has issued a stark warning. If
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Hamas abducts even one Israeli soldier or civilian, Gaza City
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: will be completely evacuated, with its one million residents moved south.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Katz directed this warning not only at Hamas, but also
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  Speaker 1: at its backers, Iran and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: citing intelligence and heightened alert over possible abduction attempts following
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: recent targeted killings. The defence minister added that Israel would
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: then deal with Gaza City, similarly to how it handled
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  Speaker 1: Rafah and other areas during past operations, emphasising the message
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  Speaker 1: of evacuating the population, destroying infrastructure and taking territory. Meanwhile,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned Hamas's October 7 massacre, but
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  Speaker 1: also denounced Israel's reaction, as unlike anything I have ever
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  Speaker 1: seen before. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Guterres highlighted
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: the devastating situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, noting the
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: scale of death and destruction in Gaza. He also pointed
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  Speaker 1: to ongoing violence, displacement and settlement expansion in the occupied
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: West Bank, warning that these actions are jeopardising the path
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: to peace and raising fears of ethnic cleansing. The Times
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  Speaker 1: of Israel reports that Israeli forces have indeed been striking
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  Speaker 1: Hamas sites. A UN independent international fact-finding mission has concluded
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  Speaker 1: that Iran committed gross human rights violations, including crimes against humanity,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: during its January crackdown on protests. The report noted a
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  Speaker 1: marked escalation in lethal force, with significantly more injuries and
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  Speaker 1: deaths compared to the repression of the 2022 protests. The
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: mission noted Iran's failure to cooperate fully, including denying access
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: and restricting internet connectivity. which hindered communication and access to
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: emergency assistance. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels are reportedly
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: fighting for Taiz and Marib, two government strongholds. According to UNIT,
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  Speaker 1: the fall of these cities could sever crucial supply routes
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  Speaker 1: and grant the Houthis access to Yemen's largest oil and
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  Speaker 1: gas fields, building on their previous seizure of the western
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  Speaker 1: coast and leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Prime Minister
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address the UN General Assembly
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: this week, where he plans to defend Israel's military actions
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  Speaker 1: and challenge what he calls a false narrative. He has
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  Speaker 1: also sharply criticised New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, accusing
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  Speaker 1: him of supporting Hamas and inciting anti-Jewish riots. Mamdani had
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: previously referred to Netanyahu as a war criminal. On the
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  Speaker 1: diplomatic front regarding Iran, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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  Speaker 1: reiterated that Iran must never be allowed to have a
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  Speaker 1: nuclear weapon, calling such a scenario a disaster for the world.
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  Speaker 1: Rubio affirmed that the US remains open to speaking with
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  Speaker 1: Iranians at the UN General Assembly, though no meetings are
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  Speaker 1: currently scheduled. He also noted the economic impact of US
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  Speaker 1: sanctions on Iran, but emphasised the continued openness to diplomacy.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: CNN reports that US President Donald Trump has expressed significant
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: interest in meeting with the visiting Iranian delegation at the
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: UN General Assembly. Top diplomats, including Rubio and Mike Waltz,
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: have confirmed the administration's openness to direct negotiations aimed at
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  Speaker 1: preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Separately, the Trump administration
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: has petitioned the US Supreme Court to challenge lower court
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  Speaker 1: decisions that ordered the release of foreign nationals engaged in
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  Speaker 1: pro-Palestinian activism, arguing such orders disrupt immigration enforcement. The petition
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  Speaker 1: concerns cases that arose in March and May of 2025.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Prime Minister Netanyahu's strong condemnation of Mayor Mamdani at the
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  Speaker 1: UNGA highlights a growing tension. Netanyahu stated, Shame on you
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  Speaker 1: for supporting the Hamas terrorist monsters who butchered our people.
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  Speaker 1: Shame on you for inciting riots against New York Jews.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Israeli Consul General in New York, Ofia Akounis, echoed these sentiments,
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  Speaker 1: calling Mamdani's remarks classic antisemitism. In Israeli domestic news, The
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: Tel Aviv District Court has sharply criticised the Israel Prison
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: Service over the treatment of Aditini, Agam Tzarafi. The court
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  Speaker 1: barred solitary confinement for Tzarafi, deeming it excessive and harmful
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  Speaker 1: to her dignity, and limited her separation arrangements. Separately, prosecutors
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: are seeking to detain a 19-year-old through trial, alleging he
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: shared numerous posts praising Hamas figures and the October 7 attackers,
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  Speaker 1: and engaged daily with terror content, leading to charges of
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: supporting a terror group. Amidst the UN General Assembly activities,
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: sources indicate concern in Israel over the possibility that Turkey
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: might nominate Foreign Minister Hakan Fidon for UN Secretary-General, potentially
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: during President Erdogan's visit. Turkish officials have denied such plans,
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: but the move would be significant in the unsettled race
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: to succeed Antonio Guterres, especially given Fidon's critical stance towards Israel.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, Listen to Antisemitism,
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today,
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report in your podcast app so you don't
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view. Thank you.