Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-02-19 at 17:02

HEADLINES
- Israel braces for renewed Iran proxy threat
- Hamas urged Ra'am to back Netanyahu
- Damascus restores El-Frenj Synagogue, heritage revived

The time is now 5:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, world observers weigh potential strikes as tensions rise again. After the June 12 Day War, which targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and left a lasting imprint on civilian life in Israel, families describe how they are preparing for another confrontation with Tehran. The fighting left 32 Israelis dead, including 31 civilians and four children. Keren Shannon, 39, says she has 18 bottles of water under her table, stocked up on cans of tuna and dried oats, purchased rechargeable lights, and secured 40 days of food for her cat. She has also bought a radio and a first-aid kit and placed a war bag by her front door. Others report similar emergency preparations as tensions mount. Separately, Iranian authorities have announced a fatal crash of a training fighter jet in Hamadan, with the pilot killed, underscoring ongoing risk in a tense regional environment.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Hamas allegedly worked to ensure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's re-election, according to Israeli journalist Amit Segal. A senior Hamas official reportedly called Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas from Qatar, asking him to help Netanyahu maintain power, arguing that Netanyahu was seeking calm and quiet understandings while a new government could be drawn into a Gaza operation. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett supported Segal’s claim, stressing that these are not theories but publicly disclosed facts. The same official reportedly urged Abbas not to join Bennett, fearing a government led by him would not allow Hamas to arm itself and would act as they did on October 7. Bennett later said he would not boycott National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, according to leaked recordings.

In the uplifting news, the restoration of the El-Frenj Synagogue in Damascus’s Old City has been completed after years of war-related damage, marking a milestone for Syria’s dwindling Jewish heritage. The project focused on repairing structural destruction while preserving the building’s original architectural and religious features. The development comes a year after a delegation of Syrian Jews from the United States visited Damascus and held religious rites at the synagogue for the first time in years, reflecting renewed attention to Syria’s historic Jewish sites. In February 2025, a small delegation of Syrian Jews from the United States, organized by the Syrian Emergency Task Force, made a historic return to Damascus, visiting key sites of Syria’s Jewish heritage. The group included Rabbi Yusuf (Joseph) Hamra, a former leader of Syrian Jewry, his son Henry, and others accompanied by former US diplomat Stephen Rapp. They toured the El-Frenj Synagogue, the last synagogue still standing in Syria, in the Jewish Quarter of Old Damascus, alongside other historic sites.

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.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-887313
https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1286986
https://t.me/newssil/192101
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-887314
https://t.me/selena_updates/55516