Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 06 PM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 06 PM 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: We begin with concerns over potential Iranian cyber aggression. The
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: United States is investigating whether Iran was behind cyber attacks
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  Speaker 1: on two energy tankers bound for American ports. These incidents,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: which occurred in early August while the ships were transiting
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  Speaker 1: the Strait of Gibraltar, have raised alarms that Tehran might
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: be expanding its attacks on global energy shipping. The ships,
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  Speaker 1: an oil tanker and a liquefied petroleum gas carrier, were
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: reportedly targeted in their information technology and operational systems, raising
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  Speaker 1: fears of compromised vessel control. While no organisation has claimed
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  Speaker 1: responsibility and US authorities have not publicly attributed the attacks
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  Speaker 1: to Iran, investigators examined the ship's systems upon arrival in
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: the Gulf of Mexico. Ria Adam, Amy Grable of the
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  Speaker 1: Coast Guard Cyber Command noted that breaches could potentially lead
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: to loss of control. mishaps or collisions. In the West Bank,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: the human rights NGO Beetzelum has released a report titled
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  Speaker 1: The Elimination Project. Beetzelum claims Israel is systematically dismantling Palestinian
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  Speaker 1: collective life through a comprehensive mechanism of elimination, designed to
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  Speaker 1: hinder Palestinian existence while deepening Jewish control. The report draws
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  Speaker 1: on over 2,000 testimonies gathered since October 2023, combined with
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  Speaker 1: Beetzelum's materials from the past three decades. It frames elimination,
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  Speaker 1: broadly to include not only physical harm, but also the
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  Speaker 1: erosion of Palestinian land, institutions, language, culture and social ties.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: Bitzellem asserts that Israel's actions meet legal thresholds for genocide,
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  Speaker 1: ethnic cleansing, settler colonialism and apartheid. Both the Israeli government
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  Speaker 1: and the IDF have vehemently rejected these accusations, calling them
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  Speaker 1: false and baseless, and reaffirming the IDF's mission to thwart
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  Speaker 1: terrorism and protect all residents. On the diplomatic front, the
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: US State Department confirmed that a core delegation of Iranian
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  Speaker 1: officials will be allowed to attend the United Nations General
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  Speaker 1: Assembly in New York this month, though they will face
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: travel restrictions and a ban on luxury goods. This comes
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  Speaker 1: as the US extended its visa ban on Palestinian Authority
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  Speaker 1: and Palestine Liberation Organization officials, including President Mahmoud Abbas, citing
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  Speaker 1: their ongoing activities that undermine the prospects for peace and
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  Speaker 1: glorification of terrorism. Abbas, who was denied a visa for
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  Speaker 1: in-person attendance, was granted permission to address the UNGA via
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  Speaker 1: video by an overwhelming vote. Meanwhile, the US State Department
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  Speaker 1: has also approved the potential sale of approximately $ 24 billion
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  Speaker 1: worth of F-35 fighter jets and related equipment to Saudi Arabia.
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  Speaker 1: This significant deal, previously announced by President Trump, could alter
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  Speaker 1: Israel's regional air superiority. though the State Department maintains the
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  Speaker 1: sale will not disrupt the regional military balance or US
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: defence readiness. Separately, President Donald Trump told Axios that he
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  Speaker 1: faces a big decision regarding escalating military action against Iran,
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  Speaker 1: weighing options including potential annihilation. Trump also commented on the
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  Speaker 1: effectiveness of the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz,
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  Speaker 1: stating not one ship has reached Iran since its inception.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Turning to Israeli domestic politics, Former Brigadier General Ofer Winter
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  Speaker 1: is launching a new political party, Amtsha Yisrael, or People
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: of Israel. Winter's platform centres on political renewal following the
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: October 7 massacre, aiming to recruit new parliamentary figures and
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: potentially shift the Israeli right. He has expressed aspirations for
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: the Defence Ministry and stated his independence from Prime Minister Netanyahu,
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  Speaker 1: emphasising his goal is to effect policy change from within
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  Speaker 1: the government. Winter described his core support base as younger
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: voters and reservists, and stressed his party's distinct candidate list
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: compared to existing right-wing factions. For continuing coverage of antisemitism
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: around the world, listen to Antisemitism, Watch from Clockwork Media.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm Noah Levi, thank
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: you for listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. Stay
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: safe and informed. Follow Israel Today. ongoing war report in
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  Speaker 1: your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: so consult multiple sources for a