Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 16, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 16, 2026, 05 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: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to propose new laws
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: aimed at protecting IDF soldiers from defamation. In a social
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: media post, Netanyahu stated his intention to introduce legislation that
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: would revoke the citizenship of individuals who smear the IDF, declaring,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: their place is not with us. a second proposed law
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: would significantly increase the financial penalties for slander against the
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: IDF by twentyfold. These measures appear to be a response
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: to recent criticisms, including the documentary, NAZA, directed by Israeli
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  Speaker 1: journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shaw, which alleges systematic mass
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: civilian casualties in Israeli military operations in Gaza. Culture Minister
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: Miki Zohar has expressed support for these initiatives, stating it
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  Speaker 1: is time to put an end to this disgrace. The
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  Speaker 1: Central District Court in Lod has sentenced Alexander Granovsky of
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  Speaker 1: Petah Tikva to 13 and a half years in prison
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  Speaker 1: for carrying out paid assignments for an Iranian agent. Prosecutors
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  Speaker 1: highlighted this as the harshest sentence, yet in a series
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: of cases involving individuals recruited by Iranian agents, often through
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  Speaker 1: social media. Granovsky pleaded guilty to charges including contact with
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  Speaker 1: a foreign agent, passing information to an enemy, multiple counts
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  Speaker 1: of arson and defacing property. According to the indictment, he
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  Speaker 1: communicated with an Iranian intelligence operative via telegram, carrying out
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  Speaker 1: acts such as spraying slogans, setting nine vehicles on fire
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  Speaker 1: and photographing sensitive locations like Benny Gantz's neighbourhood and Tel
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Aviv's reading power station. Israel is considering further diplomatic and
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: economic measures against the Netherlands in response to its decision
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  Speaker 1: to ban trade in products originating from the West Bank,
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  Speaker 1: East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights. The Dutch ban is
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: slated to take effect on September 22, 2026. A diplomatic
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: source stated that Israel has acted, is acting, and will
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  Speaker 1: continue to act against those who act against it. Previously,
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: following the Dutch decision, Israel removed Dutch representatives from an
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: international support centre for Gaza located in Kyrgyzstan. In the
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: United States, FBI Director Kash Patel has identified the ability
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  Speaker 1: for online radicalisation to translate into real-world violence. as the
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: most serious domestic threat facing the nation. Appearing before the
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: Senate Judiciary Committee, Patel emphasized this includes threats against houses
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  Speaker 1: of worship, such as synagogues and elected officials. He cited
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: an example of a foiled plot against a White House
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: event and a Hezbollah-inspired attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: where the perpetrator had consumed pro-Hezbollah and Iranian content online.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: The Israel Defense Forces has released new footage showcasing underground
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  Speaker 1: tunnel routes, belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation that have
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  Speaker 1: been dismantled under the Ali Al-Taha Ridge in southern Lebanon.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: In diplomatic news, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with Moroccan
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  Speaker 1: Foreign Minister Nasser Barita and US Ambassador to the UN
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  Speaker 1: Mike Waltz. The trilateral meeting resulted in an agreement to
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: upgrade relations between Israel and Morocco, including elevating diplomatic missions
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: to embassies and appointing ambassadors. This move is intended to
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: advance the Abraham Accords, With both nations committing to finalising
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: investment protection and double taxation agreements by the end of 2026,
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: an Israeli-Canadian man, Benjamin Hassan, has been released from prison
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: in Iraq following 11 years of detention. Hassan, who was
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: sentenced to death after shooting a taxi driver he claimed
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: threatened him in self-defence, was freed from Soleimaniya prison after
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: a coordinated international effort involving legal negotiations and fundraising. He
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  Speaker 1: is now on his way to Israel, and has been
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  Speaker 1: accepted into the Eish HaTorah Foundation Program in Jerusalem. President
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Isaac Herzog addressed the upcoming Israeli elections, urging calm and
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  Speaker 1: stating that the process is not a civil war, despite
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: harsh rhetoric and deep societal divisions. He stressed the importance
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: of accepting election results and maintaining democratic foundations. In other remarks,
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  Speaker 1: President Herzog disclosed details of his mediation proposal for Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial. aiming for a plea deal due
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  Speaker 1: to the case's perceived negative impact on the country. He
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  Speaker 1: also affirmed that Israeli military operations are subject to close
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: legal oversight. In Haifa, an evening was held commemorating Mohamed Bakri,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: director of the film Jenin, Jenin, which the reporting source
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: describes as having spread blood libels against IDF soldiers. The
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: event took place days after an Israeli documentary also drew
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: significant attention and criticism. For continuing coverage of antisemitism around
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: the world, listen to Antisemitism, watch from Clockwork Media. Find
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm Noah Levi, thank you
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: for listening to Israel Today Ongoing War Report. Stay safe
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: and informed. Follow Israel Today Ongoing War Report in your
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. Keep
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies,
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view.