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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 18, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi. Tonight,
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  Speaker 1: we're covering significant developments from Iran's nuclear program to shifting
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  Speaker 1: regional diplomacy and domestic political polls. New satellite imagery indicates
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  Speaker 1: Iran is rapidly rebuilding the Tailgun-2 facility in the Parchin
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  Speaker 1: military complex, southeast of Tehran. The facility, linked to nuclear
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  Speaker 1: bomb testing and Iran's AMAD programme, has been damaged by
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  Speaker 1: Israeli strikes in October 2024 and again in March 2026.
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  Speaker 1: Reconstruction efforts, which began in June 2026, involve a TARP
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  Speaker 1: to conceal activity from view and reinforced concrete structures. The
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  Speaker 1: Institute for Science and International Security calls this ongoing rebuilding
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  Speaker 1: a deeply concerning development, given the site's history. In regional
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  Speaker 1: security news... The United States has informed Israel of its
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  Speaker 1: intent to sell F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia in
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  Speaker 1: a deal reportedly worth $ 25 billion. This move prompts Israel
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  Speaker 1: to seek compensation from Washington in the form of weapons
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  Speaker 1: systems it has previously declined, aiming to maintain its military edge.
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  Speaker 1: Israel believes it still holds an operational advantage through its
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  Speaker 1: own F-35 integration and pilot experience. but is also exploring
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  Speaker 1: participation in the development of advanced systems like space-based weapons
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  Speaker 1: and Arrow 4-5 interceptors. Amidst escalating fighting in Yemen, Saudi
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  Speaker 1: Arabia has reportedly proposed a two-week ceasefire and direct negotiations
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  Speaker 1: with the Houthis, with Oman acting as an intermediary. The proposal,
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  Speaker 1: according to Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, aims to address humanitarian demands
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  Speaker 1: before seeking a comprehensive agreement. This diplomatic initiative follows consultations
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  Speaker 1: with the US, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman, and occurs alongside
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  Speaker 1: reported secret US Houthi talks in Muscat. Saudi Arabia has
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  Speaker 1: not officially confirmed the proposal, and the Houthis have yet
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  Speaker 1: to provide a final response. Israeli security assessments suggest Syrian
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  Speaker 1: President Ahmed al-Sharrar is diverting significant national resources toward building
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  Speaker 1: a large army and acquiring weapon systems. This military build-up
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  Speaker 1: is causing concern. with assessments suggesting it is preparation for
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  Speaker 1: potential strikes against Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, pending
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  Speaker 1: favourable conditions such as further force consolidation and reduced US
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  Speaker 1: regional presence. In separate security incidents, Israeli police have arrested
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  Speaker 1: two men on suspicion of making contact with foreign entities.
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  Speaker 1: Hamdan Hamdan from Majd Al-Krum is accused of connecting with
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  Speaker 1: a Lebanese foreign agent for potential missions within Israel. Sultan
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  Speaker 1: Abu al-Hajar from Tamra is alleged to have contacted Hamas
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  Speaker 1: and Iranian forces to offer his assistance. In a related case,
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  Speaker 1: an Arab man was arrested for allegedly operating under a
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  Speaker 1: foreign agent from Lebanon, reportedly a relative of an ambulance
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  Speaker 1: driver previously accused of spying for Iran. Finance Minister Beit
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  Speaker 1: Salel Smotrich commented on the arrests, linking the Galilee region
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  Speaker 1: to an atmosphere of October 6 and the presence of
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  Speaker 1: radical Islamic forces. Lebanese channels are reporting friction between the
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  Speaker 1: Lebanese army and the IDF, near the village of Deir Mimas.
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  Speaker 1: According to these reports, an IDF force allegedly took over
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  Speaker 1: a newly established Lebanese army outpost and used stun grenades
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  Speaker 1: to disperse Lebanese soldiers, prompting the Lebanese army to send
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  Speaker 1: reinforcements to the area. A film titled NAZA, which alleges
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  Speaker 1: Israel's calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, has
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  Speaker 1: been drawing scrutiny following its reception at the Venice Biennale.
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  Speaker 1: Directed by Israelis Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shaw, the film
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  Speaker 1: relies on investigations from outlets like The Guardian, Plus 972 magazine,
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  Speaker 1: and Local Call, as well as anonymous Israeli military and
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  Speaker 1: intelligence sources. The IDF has categorically rejected the film's allegations.
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  Speaker 1: The report highlights the funding connection of Local Call, a
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  Speaker 1: co-publisher with Plus 972 magazine, to the Open Society Foundations,
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  Speaker 1: founded by George Soros. Domestically, a recent poll by Mariv
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  Speaker 1: indicates a majority of Israelis, 54%, support assisting Saudi Arabia
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  Speaker 1: against the Houthis, with differing views on whether such aid
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  Speaker 1: should be conditioned on normalisation. The poll also shows Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Netanyahu's Likud party continuing a downward trend in anticipated
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  Speaker 1: election seats. Meanwhile, in the opposition bloc, Gadi Eisenkot of
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  Speaker 1: the Yashar party is reportedly working to solidify his position
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  Speaker 1: as the bloc's leader, challenging political rivals on the process
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  Speaker 1: for selecting a prime ministerial candidate, stating, there is no
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  Speaker 1: such thing as a prime minister with eight mandates. In
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  Speaker 1: the Samaria region, Arabs reportedly threw stones at a shepherd
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  Speaker 1: east of Maida Shalom, lightly injuring him. The shepherd returned
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  Speaker 1: independently and received on-site treatment. Separately, police internal affairs are
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  Speaker 1: questioning a border police officer involved in a car chase,
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  Speaker 1: that resulted in the officer shooting and killing an unarmed
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  Speaker 1: Arab man. The officer's lawyer maintains that the officer acted
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  Speaker 1: in self-defence. Finally, former US Senator John Kyle, recognised as
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  Speaker 1: a principal architect of the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act, has
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  Speaker 1: died at the age of 84. His legislative work was
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  Speaker 1: instrumental in enshrining the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: and the eventual relocation of the US Embassy. For continuing
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism, watch
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: Noah Levi, thank you for joining us on Israel Today
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today,
• 5:58
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report in your podcast app so you don't
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view.