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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-24 at 16:07
Published 1 month ago
Description
HEADLINES
- Iran Leader Hidden Underground US Readies Strike
- Gaza Israel War Shows Civilian Toll
- Israel Model Ally Drives New US Strategy
The time is now 11:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good morning. Tensions across the Middle East have intensified as reports indicate Iran’s supreme leader may be sheltering underground in Tehran, a move tied to warnings of an increased likelihood of a United States strike. Islamic Republic sources quoted by rival outlets say Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has moved to a fortified underground bunker with a network of tunnels, and that Masoud Khamenei, the ayatollah’s son, has assumed day‑to‑day management and is serving as a key conduit to the regime’s executive branches. The shift comes as Washington has signaled its readiness to act, with President Donald Trump saying American ships were heading toward the region, and Iranian officials warning that any attack would be treated as an all‑out war. The backdrop remains a country in the grip of domestic unrest and a government that insists it will respond decisively to external threats. In recent days, the United States and allied entities have also kept economic tools in play; the US Treasury has imposed sanctions in response to Tehran’s crackdown on demonstrators, while rights organizations have tallied significant casualties in the protests, underscoring a volatile domestic backdrop even as external pressures mount.
In a broader regional and hemispheric context, Washington has been pressing Bolivia to take a harder line against Tehran’s networks. US officials are seeking to expel suspected Iranian spies from Bolivia and to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, alongside calls to label Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations. The push appears part of a wider effort to constrain Iran’s diplomatic and intelligence footprint across Latin America, including efforts to curb cooperation between Caracas and Tehran and to push regional governments into closer alignment with American security objectives. The Bolivian government has offered cautious replies while acknowledging that positions are still developing. These efforts sit alongside a renewed US campaign to deter Iran’s proxies in the region and to reinforce a regional architecture in which Washington seeks to rely more on regional partners to shoulder security responsibilities.
Turning to the Gaza front, the fighting described as ISRAEL AT WAR remains fragile, with both sides accusing the other of ceasefire violations. The Israeli Air Force reported strikes against militants who crossed the ceasefire line, arguing that the targets posed an direct threat near troops in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian authorities and medical workers report casualties on the Hamas‑controlled side, including teenagers killed near a hospital complex along the ceasefire line, with hospital figures indicating several dozen wounded in the past two days. Across Gaza, comprehensive tallies from local authorities continue to differ from international estimates, but the toll from the past two years remains high, with hundreds of Palestinians killed since the onset of the current hostilities. The United Nations and aid agencies have warned of civilian suffering, particularly among children, and the toll to infrastructure such as healthcare and water services has complicated humanitarian relief efforts as the situation remains volatile.
On the military diplomacy front, the Pentagon released its 2026 National Defense Strategy, signaling a return to a “peace through strength” posture and explicitly naming Israel as a model ally in the Middle East. The document places Israel at the center of American strategic thinking, pledging to remove bureaucratic obstacles that limit Israel’s military edge and underscoring a belief that Israel’s security helps stabili
- Iran Leader Hidden Underground US Readies Strike
- Gaza Israel War Shows Civilian Toll
- Israel Model Ally Drives New US Strategy
The time is now 11:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
Good morning. Tensions across the Middle East have intensified as reports indicate Iran’s supreme leader may be sheltering underground in Tehran, a move tied to warnings of an increased likelihood of a United States strike. Islamic Republic sources quoted by rival outlets say Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has moved to a fortified underground bunker with a network of tunnels, and that Masoud Khamenei, the ayatollah’s son, has assumed day‑to‑day management and is serving as a key conduit to the regime’s executive branches. The shift comes as Washington has signaled its readiness to act, with President Donald Trump saying American ships were heading toward the region, and Iranian officials warning that any attack would be treated as an all‑out war. The backdrop remains a country in the grip of domestic unrest and a government that insists it will respond decisively to external threats. In recent days, the United States and allied entities have also kept economic tools in play; the US Treasury has imposed sanctions in response to Tehran’s crackdown on demonstrators, while rights organizations have tallied significant casualties in the protests, underscoring a volatile domestic backdrop even as external pressures mount.
In a broader regional and hemispheric context, Washington has been pressing Bolivia to take a harder line against Tehran’s networks. US officials are seeking to expel suspected Iranian spies from Bolivia and to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, alongside calls to label Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations. The push appears part of a wider effort to constrain Iran’s diplomatic and intelligence footprint across Latin America, including efforts to curb cooperation between Caracas and Tehran and to push regional governments into closer alignment with American security objectives. The Bolivian government has offered cautious replies while acknowledging that positions are still developing. These efforts sit alongside a renewed US campaign to deter Iran’s proxies in the region and to reinforce a regional architecture in which Washington seeks to rely more on regional partners to shoulder security responsibilities.
Turning to the Gaza front, the fighting described as ISRAEL AT WAR remains fragile, with both sides accusing the other of ceasefire violations. The Israeli Air Force reported strikes against militants who crossed the ceasefire line, arguing that the targets posed an direct threat near troops in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian authorities and medical workers report casualties on the Hamas‑controlled side, including teenagers killed near a hospital complex along the ceasefire line, with hospital figures indicating several dozen wounded in the past two days. Across Gaza, comprehensive tallies from local authorities continue to differ from international estimates, but the toll from the past two years remains high, with hundreds of Palestinians killed since the onset of the current hostilities. The United Nations and aid agencies have warned of civilian suffering, particularly among children, and the toll to infrastructure such as healthcare and water services has complicated humanitarian relief efforts as the situation remains volatile.
On the military diplomacy front, the Pentagon released its 2026 National Defense Strategy, signaling a return to a “peace through strength” posture and explicitly naming Israel as a model ally in the Middle East. The document places Israel at the center of American strategic thinking, pledging to remove bureaucratic obstacles that limit Israel’s military edge and underscoring a belief that Israel’s security helps stabili