Podcast Episode Details

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-10-05 at 06:08

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HEADLINES
- Houthis Renew Missile Attacks on Israel
- Hamas Weapons Workshop Found in Gaza Tunnel
- Hostage Talks Hinge on Security and Disarmament

The time is now 2:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

This is the hourly update. Regional tensions remain high as a fragile, uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Iran continues to be tested by activity from Tehran’s network of proxies and by shifts in the Syrian and broader Middle East arena. In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis have renewed ballistic missile and drone activity toward Israel, drawing retaliatory strikes from the Israeli Air Force and a sustained wave of sirens across central Israel and border communities. The latest defense actions show Israel maintaining a high state of alert as it coordinates with partners in the region and the United States to deter broader escalation.

Overnight, an Iranian-aligned axis drew renewed attention when a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Israel was intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Sirens sounded in central Israel, some southern West Bank settlements, and near the Dead Sea, prompting a widespread scramble for shelter among civilians. The attack was quickly neutralized, and there were no reported injuries or damage. The Houthis have conducted dozens of missiles and drones against Israel since late 2023, with the campaign intensifying after March 2024 and again following a lull during the January 2025 ceasefire. Israel has responded with a series of targeted strikes against Houthi and related Iran-backed targets in Yemen, underscoring a pattern of extended deterrence and retaliatory action.

Background context matters here: Israel notes that the Houthis’ campaign is part of a broader Iran-directed strategy to pressure Israel in parallel with Gaza operations. Since March 2024, the IDF reports a cumulative wave of 91 ballistic missiles and at least 41 drones launched from Yemen toward Israel, with several missiles falling short of their targets. The Israeli Air Force has conducted 19 retaliatory strikes against Yemen-based targets in response, including recent large-scale operations following a Houthi drone attack on the southern resort city of Eilat, which injured civilians earlier this year. These dynamics illustrate a continuing dimension of the war: even as a Gaza-focused campaign remains central, Iranian-proxy networks abroad keep the threat level high and complicate any potential path to broader de-escalation.

In Gaza, hostilities and the hostage situation remain a central strategic hinge. An editorial line and ongoing discussions emphasize that any path forward must protect Israel’s core security requirements while seeking to recover hostages as quickly and safely as possible. Officials and analysts caution that Hamas’s insistence on retaining weapons and continuance of armed activity risk reigniting full-scale conflict if the situation on the ground deteriorates further. In parallel, there is continued scrutiny of proposals that would exchange prisoners only after every hostage is freed, a framework reflecting the priority Israel places on the security of its citizens held or missing in Gaza. At the same time, Israeli officials reiterate that no concession will undermine the government’s stated objective: the disarming of Hamas and the de-weaponization of the Gaza Strip prior to any broader settlement.

Meanwhile, the security situation around Gaza City yielded new intelligence findings: Israeli military and Shin Bet operations uncovered a Hamas weapons-production workshop situated in an underground tunnel near a Jordanian hospital in Gaza City. A second tunnel shaft led beneath Hamad Hospital, illustrating how Hamas has used civilian-adjacent facilities to enable weapons production and movement. The discovery underscores ongoing Israeli concerns about Hamas’s operational resilience and

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Published on 1 month ago