Latest / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report / Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 25, 2026, 01 AM Eastern

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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 25, 2026, 01 AM 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: A disturbing incident in Ontario, Canada, has been officially classified
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  Speaker 1: as a hate crime. Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd stated
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  Speaker 1: that the shooting at the Sons of Jacob synagogue on
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  Speaker 1: Sunday was a deliberate attack directed at the Jewish community
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  Speaker 1: during the holiest observance of Yom Kippur. According to Chief Rodd,
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  Speaker 1: the assailant, Sean Ward, was equipped with combustible materials and
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  Speaker 1: a significant amount of ammunition. Officers stationed outside the synagogue
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  Speaker 1: engaged in a shootout with Ward, preventing him from entering
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  Speaker 1: the building as worshippers were about to begin services. Ward,
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  Speaker 1: a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces, later died
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  Speaker 1: from his wounds. Chief Rod noted that the attacker shouted,
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  Speaker 1: You are going to die for the Jews, and emphasised
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  Speaker 1: the need for increased vigilance from law enforcement towards Jewish communities.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: Officer Jeff Smith, who was providing security, remains in critical
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  Speaker 1: but progressing condition. On a personal level, the ongoing conflict
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  Speaker 1: continues to impact families deeply. IDF reservist Niria Leiter was
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  Speaker 1: seriously wounded Wednesday when a Palestinian attacker rammed a vehicle
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  Speaker 1: into him at a checkpoint near Beit Horon. Doctors at
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  Speaker 1: Jerusalem's Shah Zedek Medical Center reported his condition stabilized after surgery,
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  Speaker 1: though his life remains in danger. Niria Leta is the
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  Speaker 1: son of Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yetchel Leta,
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  Speaker 1: and brother to Major, Reserve Moshe Yedidia Leta, who was
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  Speaker 1: killed fighting in Gaza in November 2023. Ambassador Leta has
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: flown home from New York to be with his son.
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  Speaker 1: The report highlights Niria's own reflections on the profound difficulty
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  Speaker 1: of returning to reserve duty as a bereaved brother, while
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  Speaker 1: also expressing his sense of duty, despite criticisms he holds
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  Speaker 1: regarding the war's conduct. The incident underscores the immense burdens
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  Speaker 1: carried by reservists and their families across Israel. In response
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  Speaker 1: to international discourse, a significant open letter has been released,
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  Speaker 1: signed by over 6,000 prominent academics, legal experts and historians.
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  Speaker 1: They are formally rejecting the accusation of genocide against Israel
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  Speaker 1: in Gaza, labelling it a blood libel that they argue
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  Speaker 1: has been weaponised against Jews worldwide. The signatories contend that
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  Speaker 1: the accusation is contradicted by Israel's conduct during the war,
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  Speaker 1: citing unprecedented combat conditions, Hamas's extensive use of tunnels and
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  Speaker 1: booby-trapped homes, and stating that the civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio is
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  Speaker 1: considered low for asymmetrical urban warfare. The letter, released in
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  Speaker 1: partnership with Creative Community for Peace, asserts that Israel faces
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  Speaker 1: a sustained war of attempted genocide from its inception in
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  Speaker 1: 1948 until today. Notable signatories include scholars like Steven Pinker,
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  Speaker 1: Deborah Lipstadt, and Niall Ferguson. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's arrival
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  Speaker 1: in New York for his address to the UN General
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  Speaker 1: Assembly also drew protests. Demonstrations organised by a spectrum of liberal,
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  Speaker 1: left-wing and anti-Zionist Jewish groups, alongside Israeli expatriates, took place
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  Speaker 1: in Manhattan. Speakers from groups including New York Jewish Agenda
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  Speaker 1: and TIRUA criticised the Prime Minister's policies. Counter-protesters responded with
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  Speaker 1: chants of Bibi and sang Hatikvah. In the context of
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  Speaker 1: the visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu referred to New York Mayor
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Zoran Mamdani as the anti-Semitic mayor of New York, while
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani has previously labelled Netanyahu a war criminal. Activists from
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  Speaker 1: the anti-Zionist group Jewish Voice for Peace were among those
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  Speaker 1: arrested for blocking traffic near the UN. For continuing coverage
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: of anti-Semitism around the world, listen to Anti-Semitism Watch from
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch. I'm Noah Levi,
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Israel Today ongoing war report.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today ongoing war report
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• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Keep in mind that this AI generated report may contain
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view.