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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-17 at 07:03
Published 1 month ago
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HEADLINES
- Israeli strike kills Iran's Ali Larijani
- US casualties mount as Iran conflict widens
- Iran seeks Mexico host for World Cup
The time is now 7:03 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, Ali Larijani, a longtime Iranian official who headed Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an IDF strike ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. As head of the council, he oversaw the Islamic Republic’s defense, intelligence, and foreign policy, and he was appointed to the post in August 2025 after previously holding the role from 2005 to 2007. Across his career he held senior positions including Parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020, Culture and Islamic Guidance minister, and head of the state broadcaster IRIB from 1994 to 2004, with reports he also served as deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was involved in talks with European countries about the nuclear program. After the strikes that killed senior Iranian figures on February 28, Larijani rose to prominence as one of the most senior voices in Iran’s government, with some observers saying he carried a large share of decision-making, particularly if the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is incapacitated. Analysts say the killing sends a hard message to surviving Iranian leaders: compromise or die. At the same time, reports describe ongoing regional tensions, including sirens in central Israel as a missile attack from Iran was intercepted with several cluster munition impacts and no injuries, and Iranian opposition sources report additional airstrikes on Basij checkpoints in Tehran.
In US Military Role, the US Central Command says the war has entered its third week and the number of American troops wounded has risen to about 200. The majority of injuries are minor, with 180 troops already back on duty and ten listed as serious. Wounds have been reported across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Israel. Thirteen US personnel have been killed since Iran launched strikes on American bases on February 28. Iran has also attacked diplomatic missions, hotels, airports, and energy infrastructure in Arab Gulf states. The United States has conducted strikes against more than 7,000 targets in Iran, and US officials say roughly a dozen MQ-9 drones have been destroyed in the conflict.
In Regional Impacts, Iran is in talks with FIFA about moving World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico due to safety concerns for Iranian players after the United States launched airstrikes alongside Israel that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Iran’s sports minister and sports officials said they are negotiating with FIFA to host Iran’s World Cup games in Mexico, given security concerns in the United States. Iran has qualified for the 48-team tournament to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with group-stage matches slated for Los Angeles and Seattle. Separately, former Iranian air-force commanders have commented on a dramatic shift in the region’s military balance, describing changes in airpower that affect how warfare is planned, including access to the region via Syrian airspace and the implications for long-range operations. US President Donald Trump has floated the possibility that Iran’s leadership could be replaced or significantly moderated, but US assessments remain uncertain about the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s status. Additional commentary from regional observers includes a Qatar position opposing an end to the war with Iran, warning that Iran could seek retaliation if hostilities cease, and a description of how the wider conflict is reshaping alliances and regional calculations.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz condemned Iranian missile fire toward Jerusalem after debris fell near sacred site
- Israeli strike kills Iran's Ali Larijani
- US casualties mount as Iran conflict widens
- Iran seeks Mexico host for World Cup
The time is now 7:03 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, Ali Larijani, a longtime Iranian official who headed Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was killed in an IDF strike ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday. As head of the council, he oversaw the Islamic Republic’s defense, intelligence, and foreign policy, and he was appointed to the post in August 2025 after previously holding the role from 2005 to 2007. Across his career he held senior positions including Parliament speaker from 2008 to 2020, Culture and Islamic Guidance minister, and head of the state broadcaster IRIB from 1994 to 2004, with reports he also served as deputy head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He was involved in talks with European countries about the nuclear program. After the strikes that killed senior Iranian figures on February 28, Larijani rose to prominence as one of the most senior voices in Iran’s government, with some observers saying he carried a large share of decision-making, particularly if the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is incapacitated. Analysts say the killing sends a hard message to surviving Iranian leaders: compromise or die. At the same time, reports describe ongoing regional tensions, including sirens in central Israel as a missile attack from Iran was intercepted with several cluster munition impacts and no injuries, and Iranian opposition sources report additional airstrikes on Basij checkpoints in Tehran.
In US Military Role, the US Central Command says the war has entered its third week and the number of American troops wounded has risen to about 200. The majority of injuries are minor, with 180 troops already back on duty and ten listed as serious. Wounds have been reported across Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Israel. Thirteen US personnel have been killed since Iran launched strikes on American bases on February 28. Iran has also attacked diplomatic missions, hotels, airports, and energy infrastructure in Arab Gulf states. The United States has conducted strikes against more than 7,000 targets in Iran, and US officials say roughly a dozen MQ-9 drones have been destroyed in the conflict.
In Regional Impacts, Iran is in talks with FIFA about moving World Cup matches from the United States to Mexico due to safety concerns for Iranian players after the United States launched airstrikes alongside Israel that killed Iran’s supreme leader. Iran’s sports minister and sports officials said they are negotiating with FIFA to host Iran’s World Cup games in Mexico, given security concerns in the United States. Iran has qualified for the 48-team tournament to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with group-stage matches slated for Los Angeles and Seattle. Separately, former Iranian air-force commanders have commented on a dramatic shift in the region’s military balance, describing changes in airpower that affect how warfare is planned, including access to the region via Syrian airspace and the implications for long-range operations. US President Donald Trump has floated the possibility that Iran’s leadership could be replaced or significantly moderated, but US assessments remain uncertain about the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s status. Additional commentary from regional observers includes a Qatar position opposing an end to the war with Iran, warning that Iran could seek retaliation if hostilities cease, and a description of how the wider conflict is reshaping alliances and regional calculations.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz condemned Iranian missile fire toward Jerusalem after debris fell near sacred site