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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-07 at 12:02
Published 1 week, 3 days ago
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HEADLINES
Israel Lacks Online Influence Shield, Worries Grow
Tankers Attacked in Hormuz Spark Global Alarm
Barak Warns Gov’t Ignores High Court Rulings
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, Israel still has no national policy or designated government body to coordinate its response to foreign influence campaigns online, nine years after the threat was first identified, according to outgoing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman. The audit, conducted between July 2024 and January 2026, found that repeated attempts since 2017 to create an interagency response were never translated into a functioning national framework. The National Security Council, the National Cyber Directorate, the now-defunct Intelligence Ministry, the Shin Bet and other bodies each identified the danger at different points, yet initiatives to coordinate their work were not realized. Englman warned that the threat of foreign influence in the digital sphere is worrying, noting that hostile actors, including Iran, exploit social media covertly and systematically to deepen divisions and to shape the Israeli public’s perception of reality.
In Regional Impacts, two tankers were attacked off the coast of Qatar in the Strait of Hormuz, with UKMTO reporting that one ship was struck by an unknown projectile and the second was hit by a drone of unknown origin. Both vessels sustained structural damage, though there were no reported casualties or environmental impact, and the incidents remain under investigation. Earlier reports cited a US official saying Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the strait, and Reuters quoted the captain of the Qatari Al Rekayyat LNG tanker as saying the engine room was on fire with heavy smoke after a Mayday call.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, former US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel met President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, saying afterward that Israel’s security needs, the Arab world’s push for regional stability, and the Palestinian people’s aspiration for self-determination could be combined in a historic agreement. Herzog hosted Emanuel at the President’s Residence, where the two discussed the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States, continued cooperation, and Israel’s standing in the international arena. Emanuel, who has held roles including White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago, visited as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence. Herzog said he stressed the importance of maintaining broad bipartisan support in the United States for the US-Israel relationship.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Ehud Barak warned on Tuesday that the government’s decision not to comply with High Court rulings signals worse to come and urged the opposition to lead a public campaign. In an interview on 103FM, Barak argued that the move signaled a view of government supremacy over the other branches and warned that the Knesset’s authority had been eroded. He signed a letter with former heads of the security establishment calling on opposition leaders to rally against the government’s latest steps, while clarifying that he was not necessarily seeking full political unity but a common front to oppose the government’s direction.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, the Bene Israel community in Jabalpur, India, says the city’s historic Jewish cemetery faces encroachment by local land mafias and has been repeatedly damaged, with the case now before India’s High Court. The cemetery, the only known Jewish burial ground in Madhya Pradesh and surrounding regions, covers about 5,000 square feet and holds more than 100 graves. Once a thriving community, most Jewish families left for Israel after independence, leaving only a handful still in the area. The site has seen vandalism and boundary damage, and a pet
Israel Lacks Online Influence Shield, Worries Grow
Tankers Attacked in Hormuz Spark Global Alarm
Barak Warns Gov’t Ignores High Court Rulings
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, Israel still has no national policy or designated government body to coordinate its response to foreign influence campaigns online, nine years after the threat was first identified, according to outgoing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman. The audit, conducted between July 2024 and January 2026, found that repeated attempts since 2017 to create an interagency response were never translated into a functioning national framework. The National Security Council, the National Cyber Directorate, the now-defunct Intelligence Ministry, the Shin Bet and other bodies each identified the danger at different points, yet initiatives to coordinate their work were not realized. Englman warned that the threat of foreign influence in the digital sphere is worrying, noting that hostile actors, including Iran, exploit social media covertly and systematically to deepen divisions and to shape the Israeli public’s perception of reality.
In Regional Impacts, two tankers were attacked off the coast of Qatar in the Strait of Hormuz, with UKMTO reporting that one ship was struck by an unknown projectile and the second was hit by a drone of unknown origin. Both vessels sustained structural damage, though there were no reported casualties or environmental impact, and the incidents remain under investigation. Earlier reports cited a US official saying Iran fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting the strait, and Reuters quoted the captain of the Qatari Al Rekayyat LNG tanker as saying the engine room was on fire with heavy smoke after a Mayday call.
In US Policy Concerning Israel, former US ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel met President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, saying afterward that Israel’s security needs, the Arab world’s push for regional stability, and the Palestinian people’s aspiration for self-determination could be combined in a historic agreement. Herzog hosted Emanuel at the President’s Residence, where the two discussed the strategic relationship between Israel and the United States, continued cooperation, and Israel’s standing in the international arena. Emanuel, who has held roles including White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago, visited as the United States marked the 250th anniversary of its independence. Herzog said he stressed the importance of maintaining broad bipartisan support in the United States for the US-Israel relationship.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Ehud Barak warned on Tuesday that the government’s decision not to comply with High Court rulings signals worse to come and urged the opposition to lead a public campaign. In an interview on 103FM, Barak argued that the move signaled a view of government supremacy over the other branches and warned that the Knesset’s authority had been eroded. He signed a letter with former heads of the security establishment calling on opposition leaders to rally against the government’s latest steps, while clarifying that he was not necessarily seeking full political unity but a common front to oppose the government’s direction.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, the Bene Israel community in Jabalpur, India, says the city’s historic Jewish cemetery faces encroachment by local land mafias and has been repeatedly damaged, with the case now before India’s High Court. The cemetery, the only known Jewish burial ground in Madhya Pradesh and surrounding regions, covers about 5,000 square feet and holds more than 100 graves. Once a thriving community, most Jewish families left for Israel after independence, leaving only a handful still in the area. The site has seen vandalism and boundary damage, and a pet