Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 12 PM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 12 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: Regional tensions remain high as China has privately urged Iran
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: to help curb attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels. According to
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: sources familiar with the matter, Saudi Arabia appealed to Beijing
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: for assistance after Houthi advances threatened oil exports and shipping
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: lanes in the Red Sea. China, which relies heavily on
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: these energy routes, is reportedly pressing Tehran to use its influence,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: framing stability in the region as dependent on ending the
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: US-Israeli war on Iran. The Houthis, backed by Iran, form
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: part of Tehran's axis of resistance, and their actions threaten
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  Speaker 1: to worsen global energy crises and ignite wider regional conflict.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: In parallel, Iran's military is reportedly offering free civilian training
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: on shoulder-fired missiles for air defence, with earlier reports suggesting
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: a potential deal for Iran to acquire such missiles from China. Meanwhile,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: a US Navy carrier strike group, the USS George H.W. Bush,
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  Speaker 1: is enforcing a naval blockade of Iran, with US forces
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: restricting maritime traffic and redirecting over a hundred commercial vessels.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: On the diplomatic front, the US State Department confirmed it
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: has imposed sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: Liberation Organisation. This action, stemming from their failure to meet
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  Speaker 1: commitments including efforts to internationalise the conflict, through bodies like
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: the ICC and ICJ, will result in visa denials for
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: Palestinian officials and prevent Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas from
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  Speaker 1: attending the UN General Assembly in person for a second
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: consecutive year. Analysts suggest these sanctions may reinforce arguments that
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: the PA's diplomatic approach with Washington has not yielded sufficient
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: political results. Domestically, a significant political crisis has emerged in Israel,
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: following the release of the award-winning documentary, NAZA. The film
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: features anonymous Israeli military whistleblowers detailing civilian killings in Gaza.
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to introduce
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  Speaker 1: legislation aimed at revoking the citizenship of individuals who defame
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: IDF soldiers, stating, Their place is not among us. The
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: filmmakers and their families have faced threats and intimidation, including
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  Speaker 1: protests organised by allies of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Jiver.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: Opposition politicians have also condemned the documentary. In a separate
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: domestic matter, Knesset member Thomas Sleiman's request to travel to London,
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: funded by British organisations that call for boycotts of Israeli
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  Speaker 1: settlements and Israel, was blocked by the Knesset's Ethics Committee
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: and Legal Council. Turning to antisemitism, a man in Brisbane, Australia,
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  Speaker 1: was sentenced to six months in prison for ramming the
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  Speaker 1: gates of the city's great synagogue with his vehicle. The
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  Speaker 1: prosecution had initially charged him with willful damage aggravated by
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  Speaker 1: the circumstances of a hate crime, but later asked to
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  Speaker 1: remove that aggravating factor. He pleaded guilty to willful damage
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: and drug-related offences and was released on a good behaviour bond,
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: having already served 83 days. In the Israeli economy, the
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  Speaker 1: southern city of Beersheba is transforming into a major national hub.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: It is now a convergence point for significant projects, including
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  Speaker 1: new IDF and intelligence campuses, and a burgeoning high-tech sector
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  Speaker 1: attracting global companies like Nvidia, Microsoft and IBM, boosted by
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: graduates from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. However, in aviation news,
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: Scandinavian Airlines, or SAS, has cancelled its plans to resume
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: direct flights between Copenhagen and Tel Aviv, citing that current
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: operational and commercial factors mean conditions are not yet suitable
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: for launching the route. On a more positive note, an
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  Speaker 1: exceptional archaeological operation successfully lifted a 2,000-year-old, 25-ton Jewish ritual bath,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: or mikveh, intact from the ground in Kiryat Gat. Discovered
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: during an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation, this Second Temple period
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: find is part of the first known Jewish settlement in
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  Speaker 1: the area and is slated for future public display. Finally,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: in cultural news, Ireland has confirmed it will not participate
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: in the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, citing the appalling and
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  Speaker 1: ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there.
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: This marks the second consecutive year Ireland has opted out.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism,
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch.
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report. Stay informed and safe. Follow Israel Today,
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report in your podcast app so you don't
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view.