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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 20, 2026, 10 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: Tensions remain high as Iran's Central Military Command issued a
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: stark warning, stating it has received intelligence that the United States,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: with the backing of some regional countries, is preparing to
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: resume actions against the Islamic Republic. Iran's military stated that
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  Speaker 1: any US attack would trigger sustained strikes on US bases
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  Speaker 1: and interests in the region. and cautioned that any regional
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  Speaker 1: countries supporting such an attack would be considered parties to
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: the conflict. This warning adds to existing regional anxiety, amplified
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  Speaker 1: by recent drone and missile strikes. Meanwhile, Iran reiterated its
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  Speaker 1: stance on the Strait of Hormuz, vowing it will remain
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  Speaker 1: closed and that the regime will not negotiate until President
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: Trump accepts conditions including ending the war and unfreezing Iranian funds.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: In parallel, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility Riyadh, and on
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  Speaker 1: a major oil facility near Yanbu. Turning to developments in
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Judea and Samaria, a deadly shooting near Niv-Tizaf, also known
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  Speaker 1: as Halamish, claimed the life of an Israeli man. The
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: attacker has been identified as Kadri Samara, a released terrorist
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: from Bidu. Israeli forces recovered the weapon used in the attack,
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  Speaker 1: a stolen Israeli firearm, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givia
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  Speaker 1: has called for the mandatory enforcement of the death penalty
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: law for terrorists. stating this is the first opportunity to
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: apply this law. The victim's grandfather was reportedly murdered approximately
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: 69 years ago in Algeria. At the site of the attack,
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  Speaker 1: the chief of staff confirmed reinforced troop deployments and immediate
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: standby readiness for Yom Kippur Eve and the holiday itself,
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: underscoring the IDF's heightened alert status and commitment to protecting
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Israeli citizens. A new report from the Pew Research Centre,
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  Speaker 1: published in late 2026, indicates a significant decline in optimism
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: for peaceful coexistence. The survey found that only 17% of
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  Speaker 1: Israelis and 21% of Palestinians surveyed in the West Bank
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: and East Jerusalem believe peaceful coexistence is possible. A majority
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: on both sides expressed the view that it is not.
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: Researchers cited land disputes, decades of violence and deep distrust
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  Speaker 1: as key reasons. Israelis pointed to security concerns, while Palestinians
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: highlighted Israeli control and settlements. The survey did not include
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Gaza due to security conditions. In international political reactions, Uruguay's
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: governing broad front has endorsed a pro-Palestinian march scheduled for
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: October 8 in Montevideo. The party urged President Yamandu Orsi's
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  Speaker 1: government to take further international action and accused Prime Minister
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: Benjamin Netanyahu's government of genocide in Gaza, a claim Israel rejects.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: On the cultural front, a documentary titled NAZA which examines
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: the Israeli military's use of artificial intelligence for assessing and
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  Speaker 1: minimizing collateral damage in military operations, premiered at the Venice
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  Speaker 1: Film Festival. While the film frames this practice as enabling
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: calculated mass killing of Palestinian civilians, the Israeli military maintains
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: its procedures are designed to reduce civilian harm. And in
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: a notable religious gathering, over 150,000 people reportedly attended the
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: recent Selechot ceremony at the Western Wall. In US policy circles,
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  Speaker 1: a secret gathering of senior military commanders from the United States,
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  Speaker 1: Israel and several Arab nations recently took place in Germany.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: Organised by US Central Command Chief Admiral Brad Cooper, the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: meeting aimed to discuss strengthening regional security cooperation and included
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  Speaker 1: leaders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan
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  Speaker 1: and Egypt, while highlighting security coordination. A Saudi analyst cautioned
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: that cooperation between Riyadh and Israel remains limited and pragmatic,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: due to political constraints. Meanwhile, US President Trump told Fox
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: News that he is in a decision-making phase regarding Iran,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: stating that, very big things are about to happen in
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: the not-too-distant future. He presented options ranging from wiping Iran out,
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: to allowing it to face economic decay, or reaching a deal,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: urging Iran to improve its behaviour. Domestically, Israel's Central Elections
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: Committee is reviewing multiple petitions seeking to disqualify Arab political entities,
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: including Ra'am, the Joint List and Balad, from the upcoming
• 4:32
  Speaker 1: 2026 Knesset elections. The challenges cite grounds such as rejecting
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. In security matters,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givia urged Israelis with firearm licences
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: to carry their weapons responsibly. including when attending synagogues and
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: prayers ahead of Yom Kippur. He noted that around 300,000
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  Speaker 1: new gun licences had been issued since October 7th as
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: part of his reforms, stressing the role of citizens in
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: emergency preparedness. Finally, on a personal note, Noam Mammon, a
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: 23-year-old from Rannana, tragically died in a drone accident in
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: Colombia on Thursday. He was a close friend of Sergeant
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Ron Sherman, who was kidnapped on October 7th and later
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: killed in captivity. Mammon had provided support to the Sherman family.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report in your podcast app so you don't
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies. so consult multiple sources for
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view.