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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 17, 2026, 06 AM Eastern · Israel Today: Ongoing War Report

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. I'm Noah Levi.
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  Speaker 1: We begin with a significant development in the region. Yemen's
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  Speaker 1: Houthi group has made a rapid advance, bringing the vital
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  Speaker 1: Bab el-Mandeb Strait under its control. According to AL Monitor,
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  Speaker 1: this transformation from what was once a small mountain militia
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  Speaker 1: into a big regional threat is fuelled by Iranian support,
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  Speaker 1: enabling them to disrupt vital shipping and strike critical oil
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  Speaker 1: and gas facilities. The group, which started as a Zaydi
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  Speaker 1: Shait revival movement in the late 1990s, developed a relationship
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  Speaker 1: with Iran and Hezbollah, eventually seizing Yemen's capital in 2014.
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  Speaker 1: During Israel's war in Gaza from 2023 to 2025, the
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  Speaker 1: Houthis fired missiles and drones at Israel and international shipping
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  Speaker 1: in the Red Sea, stating it was in solidarity with Palestinians.
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  Speaker 1: In recent weeks, following the collapse of a ceasefire, the
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  Speaker 1: Houthis have resumed fighting and rapidly advanced along the Red
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  Speaker 1: Sea coast, securing the entire shore of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
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  Speaker 1: This strategic gain makes it easier to block shipping and
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  Speaker 1: creates a potential launchpad for further advances. AL Monitor reports
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  Speaker 1: that Houthi ballistic missiles have reached as far as Israel,
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  Speaker 1: with one striking near the country's main airport in 2025.
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  Speaker 1: Their drones are also increasingly deployed on the battlefield. Turning
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  Speaker 1: to US policy concerning Israel, US Representative Gregory Meeks, the
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  Speaker 1: top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has placed
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  Speaker 1: a hold on a $ 2. 8 billion bomb sale to Israel.
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  Speaker 1: Meeks cited concerns that the £ 2, 000 munitions would not be
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  Speaker 1: used in accordance with US and international law, particularly in
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  Speaker 1: densely populated areas of Gaza and Lebanon. He emphasised his
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  Speaker 1: continued commitment to Israel's security. In other US political news,
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Democratic elder statesman Sander Levin, a former congressman, has
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  Speaker 1: endorsed Abdul El-Sayed for the Michigan Senate race, despite El-Sayed's
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  Speaker 1: stance on the two-state solution causing concern among some local
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  Speaker 1: Jewish voters. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump stated that the US is,
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  Speaker 1: hopefully toward the end of the Iran war, adding that
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  Speaker 1: Iran wants to make a deal and confirming communication with them. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Pentagon assessments warn that Saudi Arabia's military ties with Beijing
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  Speaker 1: and its use of Chinese telecom equipment, could expose sensitive
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  Speaker 1: F-35 jet systems, a development that has raised concerns for
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  Speaker 1: Israel regarding its regional military edge. In the disputed territories,
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  Speaker 1: a source close to the Board of Peace has criticised
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  Speaker 1: Israel's current policy in the Gaza Strip. The source argued
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  Speaker 1: to the Jerusalem Post that while targeted killings of Hamas
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  Speaker 1: operatives might be justified, the strategy will not ultimately dismantle
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  Speaker 1: the organisation or its rule. stating that Israel is eliminating
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  Speaker 1: individual Hamas members, but not Hamas itself. This comes amid
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  Speaker 1: a dispute over a July 30 agreement between Hamas and
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  Speaker 1: the Board of Peace for phased disarmament, a framework that
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  Speaker 1: Israel has rejected, maintaining that the IDF will not withdraw
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  Speaker 1: until Hamas is genuinely disarmed. This criticism emerges as Israel
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  Speaker 1: has resumed targeting Hamas operatives. with officials arguing the group
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  Speaker 1: used a previous lull to rebuild its military capabilities. Elsewhere,
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  Speaker 1: World Israel News reports on a disturbing incident where a
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  Speaker 1: Palestinian man was seen dumping the contents of a sewage
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  Speaker 1: truck directly into a flowing river in Judea, an act
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  Speaker 1: described as environmentally destructive and a routine occurrence. In news
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  Speaker 1: concerning antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate, Israel's Ministry for Diaspora Affairs
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  Speaker 1: and Combating Antisemitism has launched a new international campaign, and
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  Speaker 1: website aimed at exposing what it calls the United Nations'
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  Speaker 1: mechanism of bias against Israel. The initiative targets journalists and
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  Speaker 1: decision-makers ahead of the UN General Assembly. The ministry alleges
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  Speaker 1: the UN amplifies claims without sufficient context, presenting what it
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  Speaker 1: describes as a system of falsehoods. Separately, the New York
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  Speaker 1: Times issued an editor's note and removed a sentence from
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  Speaker 1: an article concerning the documentary NAZA. The paper stated the sentence,
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  Speaker 1: but Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of OCT.
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  Speaker 1: Seven was an editing error that inadvertently suggested Israelis' experience
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  Speaker 1: as terror victims was a matter of perception, clarifying it
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  Speaker 1: was meant to reflect perceptions of the government's military response.
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  Speaker 1: On security, a former Shin Bet official, Arik Barbing, is
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  Speaker 1: urging licensed gun owners to carry their weapons when attending synagogues,
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  Speaker 1: particularly on Yom Kippur, calling them the first line of defence.
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  Speaker 1: He warned that providing airtight security for every synagogue is impossible. Lastly,
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  Speaker 1: World Israel News reports that Air Canada has removed an
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  Speaker 1: in-flight service director from duty following social media posts attributed
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  Speaker 1: to him that reportedly attacked Jews, promoted anti-Semitic conspiracy theories,
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  Speaker 1: compared Zionism to Nazism, and made false accusations about a
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust against Palestinians. Domestically, a new poll from Israel 2050
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  Speaker 1: reveals shifting priorities among young Israelis. According to the survey,
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  Speaker 1: housing prices are the most important issue for 38% of
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  Speaker 1: young respondents when considering how to vote, far outweighing security concerns,
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  Speaker 1: which were cited by only 4%. Young voters also gave
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  Speaker 1: the state a low rating of 2.5 out of 10
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  Speaker 1: for its performance on housing. In a separate development, KKL
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  Speaker 1: chairman Eyal Ostrovsky addressed controversy over Jewish shepherds grazing near
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  Speaker 1: Majd al-Krum. Ostrovsky stated the grazing is essential for fire prevention.
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  Speaker 1: and will continue, while also taking responsibility for errors in
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  Speaker 1: implementing the encampment's placement. He announced that the encampment will
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  Speaker 1: be re-established on KKL land after Yom Kippur, with modifications
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  Speaker 1: to its size and the number of people involved. In
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  Speaker 1: other news, a 24-year-old Palestinian man from Nablus has been
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  Speaker 1: arrested in Tel Aviv after allegedly stealing a car and
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  Speaker 1: fatally striking a cyclist. Police reported that the man had
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  Speaker 1: entered Israel illegally. and tools used for vehicle theft were
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  Speaker 1: found in the stolen car. This is reportedly the second
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  Speaker 1: such incident in September, involving a West Bank resident stealing
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  Speaker 1: a vehicle in Tel Aviv. And finally, a cyber alert
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  Speaker 1: has been issued warning of phishing messages impersonating Booking.com, which
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  Speaker 1: request confirmation of hotel bookings via a suspicious link. Users
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  Speaker 1: are advised to verify bookings only through official channels, and
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  Speaker 1: to contact their credit card companies if sensitive information was entered.
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: For continuing coverage of antisemitism around the world, listen to Antisemitism,
• 6:44
  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
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report. Stay safe and informed. Follow Israel Today
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: Ongoing War Report in your podcast app so you don't
• 6:59
  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. Thank you.