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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-16 at 16:12
Published 1 month, 1 week ago
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HEADLINES
Ex-SEAL convicted for protest explosives plot
Israel strikes Gaza after ceasefire violation
Buffer zones around synagogues proposed by Hochul
The time is now 11:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the hourly news update. Here are the top developments shaping the regional and global landscape, with careful attention to Israeli and Jewish perspectives for an international audience, and with an aim to reflect relevant US policy stances as they relate to events on the ground.
In the United States, a man described as a former Navy SEAL was convicted on charges connected to plans to use explosives against law enforcement during protests in San Diego earlier this month. Gregory Vandenberg, who had purchased fireworks in New Mexico and wore a shirt reading Amalek, was found guilty of transporting explosives with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate, and attempting to transport prohibited fireworks into California. Prosecutors said he discussed taping fireworks together to amplify their impact and urged others to join him at the demonstrations. Law enforcement officials recovered explosives and extremist materials in his vehicle, including an antisemitic and anti-Israel collection, and messages suggesting anger with the Trump administration over what he believed to be Israeli influence in US governance. The case is being handled as a federal matter, with potential penalties up to ten years in prison. Acting US Attorney Ryan Ellison stressed that while people may hold beliefs, violence has no place in public discourse and will be met with federal consequences.
Internationally, analysis and commentary on Iran continues to circulate, reflecting intense scrutiny of how domestic unrest in Tehran and across the country intersects with regional and international dynamics. A piece circulating under the banner Rising Lion argues that protests in Iran are not solely a domestic crisis but may bear the imprint of a broader regional contest, with claims that digital interference and sabotage attributed to long-standing regional rivalries have played a part in the current landscape. Officials have denied that any direct regime-change operation is underway, and the truth of foreign involvement remains contested. The broader message emphasized in many quarters is that the Iranian public, once again, faces extraordinary risk as they voice grievances against continuing economic and political constraints. While outside powers weigh their options, the core determination remains with the Iranian people to define their own future, even as external actors seek to shape the conditions in which that future might unfold.
In domestic politics in the United States, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a proposal to establish buffer zones around houses of worship, in response to protests that targeted a synagogue in Queens. The plan would create a 25-foot exclusion area around religious properties, aiming to protect worshippers from intimidation while allowing peaceful expression nearby. Hochul described incidents outside synagogues as harassment and antisemitic intimidation, and allied groups such as the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and UJA-Federation of New York welcomed the move as urgent to safeguard religious spaces. Critics, including Palestinian rights and civil rights organizations, argue that such measures risk curtailing political speech and protest, particularly when protests focus on issues of land, displacement, or international policy. The policy debate in New York reflects a broader national conversation about balancing public safety with civil liberties as antisemitic incidents remain a concern for many communities.
Across the region, there are reports that the Syrian government is preparing to move against Kurdish forces in areas of the north and east of Syria. Reuters covera
Ex-SEAL convicted for protest explosives plot
Israel strikes Gaza after ceasefire violation
Buffer zones around synagogues proposed by Hochul
The time is now 11:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
This is the hourly news update. Here are the top developments shaping the regional and global landscape, with careful attention to Israeli and Jewish perspectives for an international audience, and with an aim to reflect relevant US policy stances as they relate to events on the ground.
In the United States, a man described as a former Navy SEAL was convicted on charges connected to plans to use explosives against law enforcement during protests in San Diego earlier this month. Gregory Vandenberg, who had purchased fireworks in New Mexico and wore a shirt reading Amalek, was found guilty of transporting explosives with intent to kill, injure, or intimidate, and attempting to transport prohibited fireworks into California. Prosecutors said he discussed taping fireworks together to amplify their impact and urged others to join him at the demonstrations. Law enforcement officials recovered explosives and extremist materials in his vehicle, including an antisemitic and anti-Israel collection, and messages suggesting anger with the Trump administration over what he believed to be Israeli influence in US governance. The case is being handled as a federal matter, with potential penalties up to ten years in prison. Acting US Attorney Ryan Ellison stressed that while people may hold beliefs, violence has no place in public discourse and will be met with federal consequences.
Internationally, analysis and commentary on Iran continues to circulate, reflecting intense scrutiny of how domestic unrest in Tehran and across the country intersects with regional and international dynamics. A piece circulating under the banner Rising Lion argues that protests in Iran are not solely a domestic crisis but may bear the imprint of a broader regional contest, with claims that digital interference and sabotage attributed to long-standing regional rivalries have played a part in the current landscape. Officials have denied that any direct regime-change operation is underway, and the truth of foreign involvement remains contested. The broader message emphasized in many quarters is that the Iranian public, once again, faces extraordinary risk as they voice grievances against continuing economic and political constraints. While outside powers weigh their options, the core determination remains with the Iranian people to define their own future, even as external actors seek to shape the conditions in which that future might unfold.
In domestic politics in the United States, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced a proposal to establish buffer zones around houses of worship, in response to protests that targeted a synagogue in Queens. The plan would create a 25-foot exclusion area around religious properties, aiming to protect worshippers from intimidation while allowing peaceful expression nearby. Hochul described incidents outside synagogues as harassment and antisemitic intimidation, and allied groups such as the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and UJA-Federation of New York welcomed the move as urgent to safeguard religious spaces. Critics, including Palestinian rights and civil rights organizations, argue that such measures risk curtailing political speech and protest, particularly when protests focus on issues of land, displacement, or international policy. The policy debate in New York reflects a broader national conversation about balancing public safety with civil liberties as antisemitic incidents remain a concern for many communities.
Across the region, there are reports that the Syrian government is preparing to move against Kurdish forces in areas of the north and east of Syria. Reuters covera