HEADLINES
Iran open to nuclear concessions, won't surrender
Beirut Hezbollah towers destroyed, Israel vows strikes
Judicial complaints surge to 1,100 in 2025
The time is now 12:02 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Iranian Retaliation, Iran may be open to making nuclear concessions but will not surrender, expert says. Dr. Raz Zimmt, head of the Iran and Shiite Axis program at the Institute for National Security Studies, told 103FM that Tehran could offer concessions on its nuclear program while staying determined not to yield after Operation Roaring Lion. He said that anyone imagining Mojtaba Khamenei stepping out of a bunker and raising a white flag is not envisioning reality. He noted that Iran does not trust the United States or its ally Israel, given past attacks during negotiations, and that Tehran is preparing for escalation, operating under the assumption that Trump might escalate. Zimmt argues Tehran is willing to continue a war of attrition, and there is one fear greater than a prolonged war: a temporary ceasefire. After the 12-Day War in June, Iranians argued it was not a permanent ceasefire, and that is what occurred. The Iranians fear a temporary halt as a strategic pause, rather than a lasting settlement.
In Regional Impacts, many Jewish Americans have holiday plans canceled as others seek path home from Israel. War-driven chaos leaves some stranded, others rerouted through Egypt and Jordan, and many with ties to Israel forced to celebrate apart from their families. A Californian could not celebrate her daughter’s bat mitzvah in Israel, a New York Israeli is not going to share Passover with her parents in Jerusalem, and a Texan made it home to be with family for the holiday. They are all victims of abrupt cancellations of flights, the collateral damage of a war that America and Israel are fighting against a common enemy. Lily Feinstein, a 20-year-old Dallas native studying at Reichman University in Herzliya, described a frantic scramble through Egypt and Greece before reaching the customs counter in New York. She said her biggest fear during the ordeal was getting stuck outside the country, and flights booked with El Al kept being disrupted, leaving families trying to coordinate a holiday apart from each other.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, the Syrian army says recent drone attacks targeted bases near the Iraqi border, most of the drones shot down, as Damascus weighs how to respond. The attack comes as the region remains drawn into a broader confrontation sparked by earlier US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iraqi-aligned factions involved in parallel clashes. Syrian officials said drones originated from unknown sources, and four drones from Iraq reportedly attacked a base in northeast Syria housing US forces. Separately, Israeli forces disclosed that more than 100 high-rise towers used by Hezbollah in Beirut for command, control and planning attacks against Israeli civilians and troops were destroyed, with the army accusing Hezbollah of embedding those structures in civilian areas across Beirut. Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah as the confrontation widens.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, Israel Police arrested twenty-one anti-war protesters Saturday night as demonstrations against the conflict with Iran expanded in multiple cities despite restrictions on public gatherings. Protests took place in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba, with hundreds in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and about 100 in Haifa, marking the largest turnout since weekly demonstrations began. Police said 13 people were arrested in Tel Aviv and eight in Haifa, adding that the gatherings were not approved under Home Front Command regulations banning events with more than 50 people. Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh criticized the police response, calling officers fascists in some remarks. Separately, a judicial watchdog notes a sharp rise in complaints against judges in 2025, with 1,100 complaints filed—up from 770 in 2024—along with an average handling time of 228 days and 474 cases still unresolved by year’s end. The report reflects a period when the office operated without a sitting commissioner, before Asher Kula took the post in mid-2025, and covers both the latter half of 2024 and the first half of 2025.
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/middle-east/iran-news/article-891668https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-891677https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-891671https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1303239https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-891685https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-891679