Episode Details

HEADLINES
Israel stronger Iran weaker after Roaring Lion
Iran proxies strike Israel Hormuz shipping continues
Artemis II returns after historic Moon mission

The time is now 9:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, Israel did not achieve all its war aims against Iran, but it emerged more secure, with its fiercest foe weakened and the regional balance shifting in its favor after Operation Roaring Lion. The ceasefire declared by the United States to forestall a broader confrontation left Israel facing fewer significant threats than before, while Iran is viewed as weaker. Earlier today, the IDF said it struck a facility linked to the transfer of chemical substances to the Iranian terror regime designated for chemical weapons development, along with a separate research and development site connected to those activities.

In Regional Impacts, airline pilots expressed safety concerns about flying in the Middle East during the Iran conflict, warning that refusal of high-risk assignments could bring retribution in the form of sanctions, loss of pay, or job loss. The head of the International Federation of Air Line Pilot Associations, Ron Hay, told Reuters that airspace can close with little notice as missiles or drones strike, a risk playing into a broader ceasefire that has yet to be fully tested as some carriers resume flights and safety culture is scrutinized.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, ship-tracking data shows most vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in the past day were linked to Iran, even as Tehran and Washington observe a two-week ceasefire. Three tankers, including a crude supertanker capable of carrying about 2 million barrels, plus a bunkering tanker and another smaller oil ship, left Iranian waters in the last 24 hours, while four dry bulk ships, including one loading iron ore for China, also sailed. Separately, four people were lightly wounded in Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel; multiple launches were intercepted and damage was reported at several impact sites, including a school.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Israel expelled Spain from the United States Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, saying the move was coordinated with the United States and rooted in Spain’s alleged anti-Israel bias. Spain was notified of the decision. Meanwhile, the US-Iran talks in Pakistan have been postponed to tomorrow morning, and J. D. Vance has left Washington to go to Islamabad, where he is set to arrive overnight; there is no information yet on the Iranian delegation.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that establishing new settlements in the West Bank will destroy the idea of a Palestinian state in Israel’s heartland, speaking at the inauguration of the Maoz Tzur settlement in the Binyamin region and underscoring he sees security as tied to settlement activity. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana described the backdrop as beautiful, while acknowledging the country is in an extended period of conflict. Separately, the state is weighing measures to require security classification for people close to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to apply conditions of state employees to their circle, in response to ongoing concerns about conduct and oversight.

In Uplifting News, Artemis II astronauts are returning to Earth after a historic 10-day crewed mission to the Moon. The four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—are on course for a splashdown in the Pacific off southern California aboard the Orion capsule Integrity, following a fiery re-entry and a six-minute radio blackout before parachuting into the sea. They became the first humans to operate in the Moon’s vicinity since the Apollo era, completing humanity’s first crewed lunar approach in more than half a century.