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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-09 at 21:02
Published 1 month, 1 week ago
Description
HEADLINES
- Potential sleeper cells activated after Khamenei strike
- Australia deploys Wedgetail to Middle East
- Iran fires missiles at Manama, casualties reported
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 Iranian Retaliation, authorities say an encrypted transmission that appears aimed at Iranian sleeper cells may have been activated or prepared for activation after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News. The transmission was relayed internationally and could be used to activate prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside Iran, though there is no specifically known threat at this time. The alert urged heightened situational awareness as experts warn of the potential deployment or activation of sleeper cells across the West in the wake of the broader US-Israel action. The context includes two Iran-related violent incidents reported last week in Austin, Texas, and Toronto, events that have intensified concern about Tehran’s covert capabilities. Separately, Reuters sketches a long-run Iranian strategy to outlast adversaries by grinding the conflict into a war of endurance, unleashing drones and missiles, disrupting vital energy routes, and jolting global markets to pressure Washington. It notes the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps remains firmly in control, directing battlefield contingencies and targeting decisions, even as Tehran elevates Mojtaba Khamenei to a more prominent leadership role. In a separate response to remarks by President Trump, Iranian leaders said they will decide when the war ends and signaled readiness to confront the US Navy in the Hormuz corridor while reaffirming a commitment to defend regional oil exports; commanders warned that missiles weighing less than a ton would not be launched, signaling a preference for heavier weapons in the broader confrontation.
In Regional Impacts, Australia’s prime minister outlined a defensive contribution to regional security, saying Canberra will deploy one E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to the Middle East for an initial four weeks and provide missiles to the United Arab Emirates, while stopping short of deploying ground troops in Iran. He stressed the move is defensive and aimed at protecting Australians in the region and close partners in the UAE as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut by the conflict. Australia estimates about 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the fighting intensified 11 days ago, with roughly 2,600 more in the broader region. In a separate development, Bahrain reported Iran fired missiles at Manama, hitting a multi-story residential building and causing casualties, including at least one death and several injuries, underscoring the region-wide reach of the current hostilities and the risk to civilians beyond Iran’s borders.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, sirens and alerts were sounded across northern Israel as Hezbollah and allied actors in Lebanon conducted rocket and unmanned aircraft attacks, prompting emergency responses in border communities. The repeated alarms north of the country reflect the ongoing spillover from regional hostilities and the volatile frontline dynamics involving Iran’s network of proxies, with Israeli defense systems under steady pressure as cross-border threats persist.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, announced that his son Benaya Hebron was more seriously wounded than initially reported when mortar fire struck his unit along the Lebanese border last Friday. Smotrich said shrapnel entered his son’s back and stomach, narrowly missing a major blood vessel, and doctors described the outcome as a “great miracle” as the young soldier remains hospitalized under care.
Thank you for tuning in to this I
- Potential sleeper cells activated after Khamenei strike
- Australia deploys Wedgetail to Middle East
- Iran fires missiles at Manama, casualties reported
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 Iranian Retaliation, authorities say an encrypted transmission that appears aimed at Iranian sleeper cells may have been activated or prepared for activation after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike, according to an alert reviewed by ABC News. The transmission was relayed internationally and could be used to activate prepositioned sleeper assets operating outside Iran, though there is no specifically known threat at this time. The alert urged heightened situational awareness as experts warn of the potential deployment or activation of sleeper cells across the West in the wake of the broader US-Israel action. The context includes two Iran-related violent incidents reported last week in Austin, Texas, and Toronto, events that have intensified concern about Tehran’s covert capabilities. Separately, Reuters sketches a long-run Iranian strategy to outlast adversaries by grinding the conflict into a war of endurance, unleashing drones and missiles, disrupting vital energy routes, and jolting global markets to pressure Washington. It notes the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps remains firmly in control, directing battlefield contingencies and targeting decisions, even as Tehran elevates Mojtaba Khamenei to a more prominent leadership role. In a separate response to remarks by President Trump, Iranian leaders said they will decide when the war ends and signaled readiness to confront the US Navy in the Hormuz corridor while reaffirming a commitment to defend regional oil exports; commanders warned that missiles weighing less than a ton would not be launched, signaling a preference for heavier weapons in the broader confrontation.
In Regional Impacts, Australia’s prime minister outlined a defensive contribution to regional security, saying Canberra will deploy one E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to the Middle East for an initial four weeks and provide missiles to the United Arab Emirates, while stopping short of deploying ground troops in Iran. He stressed the move is defensive and aimed at protecting Australians in the region and close partners in the UAE as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut by the conflict. Australia estimates about 115,000 Australians were in the Middle East when the fighting intensified 11 days ago, with roughly 2,600 more in the broader region. In a separate development, Bahrain reported Iran fired missiles at Manama, hitting a multi-story residential building and causing casualties, including at least one death and several injuries, underscoring the region-wide reach of the current hostilities and the risk to civilians beyond Iran’s borders.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, sirens and alerts were sounded across northern Israel as Hezbollah and allied actors in Lebanon conducted rocket and unmanned aircraft attacks, prompting emergency responses in border communities. The repeated alarms north of the country reflect the ongoing spillover from regional hostilities and the volatile frontline dynamics involving Iran’s network of proxies, with Israeli defense systems under steady pressure as cross-border threats persist.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, announced that his son Benaya Hebron was more seriously wounded than initially reported when mortar fire struck his unit along the Lebanese border last Friday. Smotrich said shrapnel entered his son’s back and stomach, narrowly missing a major blood vessel, and doctors described the outcome as a “great miracle” as the young soldier remains hospitalized under care.
Thank you for tuning in to this I