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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-06-22 at 23:02
Published 3 weeks, 4 days ago
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HEADLINES
Pentagon seeks eighty billion for Iran war
Israel vows relentless push to secure Lebanon
Hamas leaders discuss 1967 borders with France
The time is now 11:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Pentagon seeking around $80 billion from a divided Congress to fund Iran war, the Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the US war against Iran, as the White House Office of Management and Budget has not yet filed a formal request. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been pressing lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Monday evening, and a top deputy defense secretary briefed senators last week. The push comes as lawmakers remain skeptical of the deal to end the conflict with Iran, and as the White House has sought a broad funding package for the Pentagon, with a request that could run to about $1.5 trillion—a near 50 percent increase over current levels. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects a supplemental spending request and that, when it arrives, the Senate will work through it.
In Regional Impacts, weather conditions have disrupted flights at LaGuardia Airport. In other developments, President Trump asserted that the Hormuz Strait is open and that oil shipments through the strait yesterday set records, claiming the United States has an open strait and that the country will never have a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force scrambled fighter jets to counter a suspected intruding aircraft, likely a Chinese PLAAF aircraft, in the East China Sea, with Japan noting a year of increased testing of its airspace, ADIZs, and territorial waters by Chinese and Russian aircraft as Tokyo strengthens regional defense commitments and its stance on Taiwan and force readiness.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and Northern Command chief Major General Rafi Milo held a call in which they said the IDF will continue to act decisively to thwart threats to soldiers and civilians, destroy terror infrastructure, and maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon, with the security of civilians and IDF troops as a priority. A separate report notes that Netanyahu publicly said his forces are not leaving Lebanon. Senior Hamas leaders reportedly held a highly confidential meeting with French officials, discussing a potential return to the 1967 borders, with talks focusing on Palestinian internal affairs, national reconciliation, and advancing a political process to end the conflict; the meeting was described as the first since October 7.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, Vice President Vance described a productive 36 hours in Switzerland, saying they set up the mechanism to keep the Straits of Hormuz open, establish a regional ceasefire mechanism, and secure Iranian access for weapons inspectors and nuclear inspectors into the country for the first time in a long time, along with progress on technical negotiations. He also cautioned that you can’t rely on words alone and that what inspectors actually do will be the test as the negotiations continue. Separately, there was mention of a significant private-sector investment advance in this domain, with an Executive Order expected to turbocharge that effort.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his criticism of AIPAC after Jewish leaders, including Representative Josh Gottheimer, objected to his description of the pro-Israel group as “monsters who move dark money,” saying his aim was to critique what he called an immoral status quo in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to accuse AIPAC of sustaining it through campaign contributions and outside political spending. A Brooklyn coffee shop drew attention for refunding Representativ
Pentagon seeks eighty billion for Iran war
Israel vows relentless push to secure Lebanon
Hamas leaders discuss 1967 borders with France
The time is now 11:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Pentagon seeking around $80 billion from a divided Congress to fund Iran war, the Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the US war against Iran, as the White House Office of Management and Budget has not yet filed a formal request. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been pressing lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including Monday evening, and a top deputy defense secretary briefed senators last week. The push comes as lawmakers remain skeptical of the deal to end the conflict with Iran, and as the White House has sought a broad funding package for the Pentagon, with a request that could run to about $1.5 trillion—a near 50 percent increase over current levels. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects a supplemental spending request and that, when it arrives, the Senate will work through it.
In Regional Impacts, weather conditions have disrupted flights at LaGuardia Airport. In other developments, President Trump asserted that the Hormuz Strait is open and that oil shipments through the strait yesterday set records, claiming the United States has an open strait and that the country will never have a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, the Japanese Air Self Defense Force scrambled fighter jets to counter a suspected intruding aircraft, likely a Chinese PLAAF aircraft, in the East China Sea, with Japan noting a year of increased testing of its airspace, ADIZs, and territorial waters by Chinese and Russian aircraft as Tokyo strengthens regional defense commitments and its stance on Taiwan and force readiness.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir and Northern Command chief Major General Rafi Milo held a call in which they said the IDF will continue to act decisively to thwart threats to soldiers and civilians, destroy terror infrastructure, and maintain the security zone in southern Lebanon, with the security of civilians and IDF troops as a priority. A separate report notes that Netanyahu publicly said his forces are not leaving Lebanon. Senior Hamas leaders reportedly held a highly confidential meeting with French officials, discussing a potential return to the 1967 borders, with talks focusing on Palestinian internal affairs, national reconciliation, and advancing a political process to end the conflict; the meeting was described as the first since October 7.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, Vice President Vance described a productive 36 hours in Switzerland, saying they set up the mechanism to keep the Straits of Hormuz open, establish a regional ceasefire mechanism, and secure Iranian access for weapons inspectors and nuclear inspectors into the country for the first time in a long time, along with progress on technical negotiations. He also cautioned that you can’t rely on words alone and that what inspectors actually do will be the test as the negotiations continue. Separately, there was mention of a significant private-sector investment advance in this domain, with an Executive Order expected to turbocharge that effort.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani defended his criticism of AIPAC after Jewish leaders, including Representative Josh Gottheimer, objected to his description of the pro-Israel group as “monsters who move dark money,” saying his aim was to critique what he called an immoral status quo in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to accuse AIPAC of sustaining it through campaign contributions and outside political spending. A Brooklyn coffee shop drew attention for refunding Representativ