Episode Details

HEADLINES
- Mossad vows regime change amid Iranian clash
- Saudi warns US over Hormuz blockade
- Three severely wounded in Bint Jbeil clash

The time is now 12:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, a Chinese tanker has passed through the Strait, and the Mossad chief has vowed Iran regime change. The Jerusalem Post’s must-listen news roundup, edited by Shir Perets and produced by Shifra Jacobs, highlights these top stories.

In Regional Impacts, Saudi Arabia is pressing the United States to end the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and to return to negotiations with Iran, warning that the situation could trigger a broader regional escalation that threatens Red Sea shipping routes and Saudi oil exports. Officials also fear Iran could use the Houthis in Yemen to threaten the Bab al-Mandeb Strait as a way to apply pressure on export routes and energy markets. Iranian-American historian Arash Azizi says the Houthis are likely planning contingency actions but stresses that Iran’s general direction remains de-escalation and a deal. Israel-Lebanon talks have begun.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, IDF soldiers were wounded when a terrorist cell opened fire in Bint Jbeil. The IDF returned fire and killed two terrorists; a third who attempted to flee was also killed by a follow-up strike. Three IDF soldiers were severely wounded, one moderately wounded, and six lightly wounded. During operations in southern Lebanon, IDF soldiers from the Nahal Brigade located Hezbollah weapons and equipment inside a civilian home, including Kalashnikov rifles and magazines and Hezbollah military vests.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other state officials joined a closed wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem for two minutes of silence, with Netanyahu pausing to steady and straighten the wreath. A High Court petition seeks to block Major-General Roman Gofman’s appointment as Mossad chief, arguing that his conduct in the Ori Elmakayes affair should have disqualified him. The petition was filed after Netanyahu approved Gofman’s appointment, following his clearance by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, ahead of his June 2 entry. Justice Yael Willner set a hearing for the earliest date possible and indicated there was no interim order at this point, with respondents due to submit preliminary responses a week before the hearing.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, German pro-Israel activist Karoline Preisler, granddaughter of a Nazi soldier, warns that antisemitism is a real threat to democracies and says the October 7 attack marked a turning point in the global discourse. In Poland, a member of parliament displayed a Nazi swastika and claimed Israel is the “new Third Reich” during the March of the Living, drawing swift condemnation and noting that Nazi symbols are illegal under Polish law. In Berlin, an appeals court ruled that a violent assault on Jewish student Lahav Shapira was not antisemitic in motive, commuting the attacker’s sentence. World Jewish Congress – Israel Region President Sylvan Adams addressed a Holocaust Remembrance Day event at Auschwitz, warning that rising antisemitism threatens democratic norms and citing global incident statistics. An opinion piece argues Viktor Orban will be remembered as a defender of Jewish life in Hungary, noting Hungary’s comparatively safer environment for Jews amid a broader rise in antisemitism elsewhere.

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.

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