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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-18 at 14:02
Published 1 week, 4 days ago
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HEADLINES
Netanyahu Trump Unity Faces Iran Missile Uncertainty
GOP Senator Rejects Nominee Over Antisemitic Remarks
Histadrut Opposes Wizz Air Base Plan
The time is now 2:02 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, Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to Washington for talks with President Trump and came away with a stated unity on preventing Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but private doubts linger about how any deal would affect the immediate missile threat and Tehran’s funding network. Netanyahu pressed for a deal that includes ballistic-missile restrictions and an end to Iran's funding of proxies, arguing that the missiles pose the present danger to Israel. Trump signaled caution, saying, "We just have to see what the outcome," underscoring concerns that a pact could leave Tehran's missiles in place while the nuclear question evolves. There is no evidence Iran is close to possessing a deliverable nuclear weapon, but its missiles are a present threat to Israel. Separately, Iran's use of cryptocurrency and illicit networks to evade sanctions has drawn attention. The rial has weakened to roughly 1.28 million per dollar, signaling economic strain from sanctions. Experts say the regime moves income through oil sales to Russia and China and settles payments in cryptocurrency, with funds routed through Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar before reaching proxy groups in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. They note that Gaza's cryptocurrency activity has surged since October 7, and annual crypto inflows and outflows may surpass $100 million, a figure seen as substantial relative to Gaza's traditional economy. Global regulators have long called for tighter controls on crypto to curb sanctions evasion.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, a key GOP senator is opposing the nomination of a Trump appointee over his past remarks about Jews, the Holocaust, and Israel, potentially dooming Jeremy Carl’s bid for a top State Department post. Carl, who is seeking the role of Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, drew scrutiny during his confirmation hearing for past writings and statements about Jews, including remarks on a podcast in which he suggested Jews have often loved to play the victim and that the Holocaust dominates much of modern Jewish thinking. Following the hearing, Utah Senator John Curtis, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, announced he would not support Carl’s nomination, saying his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people are incompatible with representing the nation’s interests in international forums.
In Israeli Economy and Business, the Histadrut labor federation announced an official labor dispute in the aviation industry over a plan to establish a Wizz Air base in Israel, warning that allowing the Hungarian airline to operate in the country could affect airport workers' conditions, wages, and rights, including employment security. The union said the decision was made without extensive preparatory work and despite strong reservations from senior members of both the aviation sector and the Transportation Ministry. Histadrut described unilateral decisions as unacceptable and called the move disrespectful to workers, citing the COVID pandemic and missile attacks as examples of the hardships workers have endured. They stressed that such matters require broad national coordination.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.
SOURCES
https://www.jp
Netanyahu Trump Unity Faces Iran Missile Uncertainty
GOP Senator Rejects Nominee Over Antisemitic Remarks
Histadrut Opposes Wizz Air Base Plan
The time is now 2:02 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, Prime Minister Netanyahu traveled to Washington for talks with President Trump and came away with a stated unity on preventing Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but private doubts linger about how any deal would affect the immediate missile threat and Tehran’s funding network. Netanyahu pressed for a deal that includes ballistic-missile restrictions and an end to Iran's funding of proxies, arguing that the missiles pose the present danger to Israel. Trump signaled caution, saying, "We just have to see what the outcome," underscoring concerns that a pact could leave Tehran's missiles in place while the nuclear question evolves. There is no evidence Iran is close to possessing a deliverable nuclear weapon, but its missiles are a present threat to Israel. Separately, Iran's use of cryptocurrency and illicit networks to evade sanctions has drawn attention. The rial has weakened to roughly 1.28 million per dollar, signaling economic strain from sanctions. Experts say the regime moves income through oil sales to Russia and China and settles payments in cryptocurrency, with funds routed through Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar before reaching proxy groups in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen. They note that Gaza's cryptocurrency activity has surged since October 7, and annual crypto inflows and outflows may surpass $100 million, a figure seen as substantial relative to Gaza's traditional economy. Global regulators have long called for tighter controls on crypto to curb sanctions evasion.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, a key GOP senator is opposing the nomination of a Trump appointee over his past remarks about Jews, the Holocaust, and Israel, potentially dooming Jeremy Carl’s bid for a top State Department post. Carl, who is seeking the role of Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, drew scrutiny during his confirmation hearing for past writings and statements about Jews, including remarks on a podcast in which he suggested Jews have often loved to play the victim and that the Holocaust dominates much of modern Jewish thinking. Following the hearing, Utah Senator John Curtis, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, announced he would not support Carl’s nomination, saying his anti-Israel views and insensitive remarks about the Jewish people are incompatible with representing the nation’s interests in international forums.
In Israeli Economy and Business, the Histadrut labor federation announced an official labor dispute in the aviation industry over a plan to establish a Wizz Air base in Israel, warning that allowing the Hungarian airline to operate in the country could affect airport workers' conditions, wages, and rights, including employment security. The union said the decision was made without extensive preparatory work and despite strong reservations from senior members of both the aviation sector and the Transportation Ministry. Histadrut described unilateral decisions as unacceptable and called the move disrespectful to workers, citing the COVID pandemic and missile attacks as examples of the hardships workers have endured. They stressed that such matters require broad national coordination.
Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.
SOURCES
https://www.jp