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Israel Intel: Iran's Chemical Weapons Missile Threat · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
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  Speaker 1: Israeli intelligence officials have shared concerns with their American counterparts
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  Speaker 1: regarding Iran's rapid advancement in technology that could allow it
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  Speaker 1: to mount chemical weapons on missiles. The New York Times
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  Speaker 1: reported this development, citing American and regional officials. While some
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  Speaker 1: senior US officials have reportedly received this intelligence with concern,
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  Speaker 1: others have expressed deep scepticism, viewing it possibly as a
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  Speaker 1: pressure campaign. There appears to be little disagreement within the
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  Speaker 1: American intelligence community that Iran is developing chemical weapons, though
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  Speaker 1: a central dispute remains over whether Iranian leaders would actually
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  Speaker 1: use them. Israel has also reportedly shared some of this
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  Speaker 1: intelligence with officials in Gulf states, who are said to
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  Speaker 1: have regarded the claims as lacking seriousness. In news concerning
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  Speaker 1: US policy, top Israeli defence and foreign ministry officials were
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  Speaker 1: reportedly shocked by President Donald Trump's announcement on live television
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  Speaker 1: to end decades of US military aid to Israel two
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  Speaker 1: years earlier than expected, in 2026 rather than 2028. This
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  Speaker 1: move could impact billions of dollars in planned defence purchases. Initially,
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  Speaker 1: Trump stated he had agreed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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  Speaker 1: to halt support. However, following the announcement, Officials from both
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  Speaker 1: Trump's and Netanyahu's staffs confirmed that the former president misspoke,
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  Speaker 1: though they indicated no immediate effort would be made to
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  Speaker 1: correct the statement, particularly near mid-term elections. Meanwhile, Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: Netanyahu has publicly advocated for Israel's financial independence from the
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  Speaker 1: United States for some time, expressing a desire to reduce
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  Speaker 1: reliance on American financial assistance, adding to the regional tensions
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  Speaker 1: that Three US aircraft carriers are currently in the Middle
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  Speaker 1: East amid ongoing talks with Tehran and potential US strikes
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  Speaker 1: against Iran. Shifting focus regionally, Syria's new government, established after
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  Speaker 1: the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, is
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  Speaker 1: increasingly targeting Hezbollah-linked networks. In a recent operation, Syrian security forces,
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  Speaker 1: coordinating with internal security, foiled a plot targeting the Homs
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  Speaker 1: refinery and arrested members of a Hezbollah-affiliated cell. This action
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  Speaker 1: is part of a broader campaign by Syrian security forces
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  Speaker 1: to dismantle Hezbollah's operations within the country, seize weapon shipments
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  Speaker 1: and prevent the group from re-establishing its presence there. Hezbollah,
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  Speaker 1: which had previously supported the Assad regime, is now viewed
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  Speaker 1: as a threat by the new Syrian government under President
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  Speaker 1: Ahmad al-Shara. Domestically, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid has issued
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  Speaker 1: a strong statement, calling recent events an attempt to crush
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  Speaker 1: democracy and steal the elections with the help of government
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  Speaker 1: stooges in the security system. Lapid urged all state institutions
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  Speaker 1: to stand firm against this perceived effort and called for
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  Speaker 1: his political allies to unite quickly to form a government.
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  Speaker 1: Other reports also detail heightened IDF readiness for upcoming events
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  Speaker 1: and security units taking over protective duties. In the United States,
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  Speaker 1: President Donald Trump urged Jewish voters in Monsey, New York,
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  Speaker 1: to support Republican Congressman Mike Lawler, framing the election around
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  Speaker 1: Lawler's fight against antisemitism. This comes as antisemitic hate crimes
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  Speaker 1: have seen an increase of 8.5% by August 2026. Recent
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  Speaker 1: incidents also include antisemitic and anti-Zionist graffiti found on Jewish
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  Speaker 1: school buses in Williamsburg, New York, which was condemned by
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  Speaker 1: New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani. On a more uplifting note,
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  Speaker 1: iconic singer Boy George attended a press conference at the
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  Speaker 1: site of the Nova Music Festival massacre. expressing solidarity with
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  Speaker 1: Israelis and Jews, stating, If you're ever confused I stand
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  Speaker 1: with the Jews. He is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism,
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: watch from Clockwork Media. Find it at clockworkmedia.org slash watch.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: ongoing war report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today,
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  Speaker 1: ongoing war report in your podcast app so you don't
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: miss the next update. Keep in mind that this AI-generated
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  Speaker 1: report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for
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  Speaker 1: a comprehensive view.