Episode Details
Back to Episodes
Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-09 at 21:01
Published 3 weeks ago
Description
HEADLINES
Iran seals Isfahan tunnels as talks loom
West Bank annexation sparks US UK rebuke
Germany probes death threat against Munich Jews
The time is now 9:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Vice President JD Vance addressed the Iran talks at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, saying the president intends to preserve decisional space and keep human rights as a central element of the negotiations. Asked about whether the United States would allow any limited uranium enrichment by Iran, Vance said he would let the president speak to exactly where he wants to set the line, noting the president typically discusses such matters privately to avoid constraining him in private discussions. He added that human rights have been a part of the negotiations. Separately, satellite imagery shows Iran fortifying the Isfahan nuclear site by sealing tunnels with soil, a move analysts say is meant to blunt a possible US or Israeli attack as war fears resurface.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), UK and US denounced the security cabinet decision to expand West Bank annexation, joining Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in criticizing Israel's plan to strengthen administrative and legal control over parts of the West Bank. A US official said a stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region, reiterating that the West Bank will not be annexed. Britain called on Israel to reverse the decision. Critics have said Israel’s move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank violates the Oslo Accords. Vance had previously opposed the move, calling it a deliberate political provocation by the opposition. The policy of President Trump, as cited by officials, is that the West Bank will not be annexed.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, the Times of Israel liveblog reports the White House reiterating opposition to Israel annexing the West Bank and stressing the importance of maintaining stability in the territory as it responds to the security cabinet’s measures aimed at expanding Jerusalem’s grip in areas Palestinians hope will form their future state. The White House statement does not directly condemn or address the measures, which, observers say, would violate the Oslo Accords by expanding Jerusalem’s administrative powers in West Bank areas that are supposed to be under the Palestinian Authority’s control. The administration’s position is that a stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with the goal to achieve peace in the region. A separate Reuters report quotes a White House official repeating the administration’s opposition to annexation, underscoring that “A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region.”
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, German authorities have opened an investigation into a death threat mailed to the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria amid an ongoing rise in antisemitism across Germany. The package, received by the IKG’s community center and the Ohel Jakob Synagogue on Thursday, contained a cartridge for a handgun and a note with intimidations such as “all the Jews belonged shot” and “every Jew will die … I will cause all the deaths.”
In the uplifting news, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has met students at a Jewish school in Sydney this morning on the second day of his visit to Australia. Mr Herzog arrived at the Moriah War Memorial College in Queens Park, with a rendition of "Am Yisrael Chai," escorted by more than a dozen vehicles, as a heavy police presence stood by while students lined up to greet the leader.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report up
Iran seals Isfahan tunnels as talks loom
West Bank annexation sparks US UK rebuke
Germany probes death threat against Munich Jews
The time is now 9:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Vice President JD Vance addressed the Iran talks at a joint press conference with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, saying the president intends to preserve decisional space and keep human rights as a central element of the negotiations. Asked about whether the United States would allow any limited uranium enrichment by Iran, Vance said he would let the president speak to exactly where he wants to set the line, noting the president typically discusses such matters privately to avoid constraining him in private discussions. He added that human rights have been a part of the negotiations. Separately, satellite imagery shows Iran fortifying the Isfahan nuclear site by sealing tunnels with soil, a move analysts say is meant to blunt a possible US or Israeli attack as war fears resurface.
In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), UK and US denounced the security cabinet decision to expand West Bank annexation, joining Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in criticizing Israel's plan to strengthen administrative and legal control over parts of the West Bank. A US official said a stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region, reiterating that the West Bank will not be annexed. Britain called on Israel to reverse the decision. Critics have said Israel’s move to ease settlement expansion and widen its powers in the West Bank violates the Oslo Accords. Vance had previously opposed the move, calling it a deliberate political provocation by the opposition. The policy of President Trump, as cited by officials, is that the West Bank will not be annexed.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, the Times of Israel liveblog reports the White House reiterating opposition to Israel annexing the West Bank and stressing the importance of maintaining stability in the territory as it responds to the security cabinet’s measures aimed at expanding Jerusalem’s grip in areas Palestinians hope will form their future state. The White House statement does not directly condemn or address the measures, which, observers say, would violate the Oslo Accords by expanding Jerusalem’s administrative powers in West Bank areas that are supposed to be under the Palestinian Authority’s control. The administration’s position is that a stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with the goal to achieve peace in the region. A separate Reuters report quotes a White House official repeating the administration’s opposition to annexation, underscoring that “A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region.”
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, German authorities have opened an investigation into a death threat mailed to the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria amid an ongoing rise in antisemitism across Germany. The package, received by the IKG’s community center and the Ohel Jakob Synagogue on Thursday, contained a cartridge for a handgun and a note with intimidations such as “all the Jews belonged shot” and “every Jew will die … I will cause all the deaths.”
In the uplifting news, Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has met students at a Jewish school in Sydney this morning on the second day of his visit to Australia. Mr Herzog arrived at the Moriah War Memorial College in Queens Park, with a rendition of "Am Yisrael Chai," escorted by more than a dozen vehicles, as a heavy police presence stood by while students lined up to greet the leader.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report up