Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 26, 2026, 11 PM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 26, 2026, 11 PM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: We begin with significant diplomatic pressure from the United States
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: aimed at Iran's economy. According to a Wall Street Journal report,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: a top US Treasury Department official, Jonathan Burke, has been
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: touring over 50 countries across the Middle East and Europe.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: His message has been stark. countries continuing to trade with
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Iran risk being cut off entirely from trading with the
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: United States. Burke reportedly stated, You either trade with Washington
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: or with Iran. This initiative, part of what's called Operation
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Economic Outcast, has already seen regional partners like Iraq stop
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: Iranian flights. The US campaign is reportedly amplified by growing
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: distrust between Iran and Gulf Arab states. Middle Eastern officials
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: told the Journal that Burke's visits underscored the seriousness of
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: US sanctions enforcement and the potential economic consequences of non-cooperation. Meanwhile,
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Iranian President Massoud Peseshkian, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: acknowledged the impact of US sanctions but framed Iran as
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: a victim of US terrorism. In a later interview with
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: Al Jazeera, he declared, We will die but we will
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: not bow our heads, and asserted that Iran would overcome
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: problems with strength. The Wall Street Journal report also notes
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: that while flights to China and Russia remain open, Iran-affiliated
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: businesses in those countries still face US sanctions. These US
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: efforts come as Iran's actions, including attacks on energy infrastructure
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: and shipping, and its support for the Houthi militia, have
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: strained regional ties. Turning now to international bodies and controversies,
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: UN Special Rapporteur on Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, has made
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: remarks drawing significant criticism. In an interview published earlier this month,
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Albanese claimed that during the Holocaust, Jews being taken to
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: gas chambers were referred to as the Muslims. She also
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: posited that the term antisemitism originally encompassed discrimination against all
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: Semitic peoples, not just Jews. However, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial clarifies
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: that the term muselman was used for prisoners in extreme
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: exhaustion or starvation and was not a racial classification. Furthermore,
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, The term anti-Semitism
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: was coined specifically to refer to hostility toward Jews and
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: has historically meant just that. While Albanese has acknowledged that
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: hatred of Jews as Jews is serious, she has also
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: cautioned against confusing it with criticism of the state of Israel.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: She has faced scrutiny in the past over allegations of bias. Separately,
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: an opinion piece highlights what it describes as the United
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Nations' consistent condemnation of Israel, contrasting this with the reception
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: of Iran's president. The piece suggests the UN has become
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: the United Nations against Israel, noting how nations unite on
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: criticism of Israel while other global crises go unaddressed. It
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: draws a parallel between Iranian President Pesachian speaking at the
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: UN with security and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's brief
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: visit to New York for the UNGA under what the
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: piece characterises as intense hostility. On the security front, the
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: IDF's personal security branch is expanding its mandate. This specialised
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: unit will now be responsible for the security of all
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: IDF personnel, from active duty soldiers to high-profile officials, against
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: a broad spectrum of global threats. The branch head explained
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to Waller that this expansion is driven by escalating risks,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: including terrorist threats, Iranian actions described as settling scores abroad,
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: and a spike in anti-Semitic incidents. He cited past incidents,
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: such as the extraction of a soldier from Thailand and
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic events in places like Amsterdam. as factors influencing this decision.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: A specific turning point mentioned was a 2022 incident where
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: a lone soldier flying over Iran necessitated a high-stakes rescue operation,
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: highlighting the need for centralised multi-agency coordination. Meanwhile, an editorial
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: has offered a critique of Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent speech
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: at the UN General Assembly. The piece argues that Netanyahu's
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: focus on Israel's military prowess, adopting a Spartan image, overshadowed
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: diplomatic efforts and an Athenian approach. It suggests this strategy,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: while aimed at satisfying the Israeli public and directly confronting
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: critics like Qatar, French President Macron and Turkish President Erdogan,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: may be alienating international audiences and contributing to Israel's loss
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: of public support, particularly in the US. In other news,
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: reports indicate that the United Kingdom has granted asylum and
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: citizenship to an individual described as a Hamas bodyguard. who
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: is now reportedly facing terror charges. For continuing coverage of
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism Watch from Clockwork Media.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm Noah Levi, thank
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: you for listening to Israel Today Ongoing War Report. Stay
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: safe and informed. Follow Israel Today Ongoing War Report in
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view.