Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-30 at 18:02

HEADLINES
US bombers strike Iran in Epic Fury
FBI says Hezbollah-inspired attack hits Michigan synagogue
Canada elects Avi Lewis New Democrats leader

The time is now 6:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress long-range bombers from the Bomber Barons and Knighthawks of the 23rd and 69th Bomb Squadrons, assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing, each fully loaded with 20 GBU-31 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions, took off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England for strikes against Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 22, 2026.

In Regional Impacts, reports of an Iranian drone attack Monday against an administrative building operated by the Thuraya Telecommunications Company within the Emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates have no reported injuries, according to the UAE Media Office.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, defense sources say ending the IDF war on Iran may be delayed by a decision from President Donald Trump on the Straits of Hormuz and the 60 percent enriched uranium issue still in play; without clear US goals on Hormuz, Jerusalem might be able to end its part in the conflict, though officials caution Iran may not accept a deal and, if not, Trump would determine how to address the Hormuz crisis, including potential actions against ships or measures to open the Straits, a scenario he has discussed and has pursued with airpower. Israel says it will accept any Trump decision on the next phase of the Iran war as the president engages with Iran’s parliamentary speaker and regional mediators. Separately, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt says Trump is interested in asking Arab states to help pay for the war, noting that talks with Iran continue and that private communications with Tehran align with Washington’s points even if public statements differ, with assurances that Iran’s private replies will be tested.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, analysis shows a broad Jewish Israeli majority supports the death penalty for terrorists, with poll tallies over the years ranging from roughly six in ten to eight in ten depending on the question, and numbers often rising after October 7; the Israel Democracy Institute’s 2017 polling found about 70% support for terrorists convicted of nationalistic murder and about 66% for those convicted of killing soldiers, while Reichman University’s PDRD/LIBRES series recorded 61.5% in September 2023, 67.3% in November 2023, and 64.9% in March 2024, with a Mashav poll in November 2025 showing 81% support among Jewish Israelis for executing convicted Nukhba terrorists. The political debate over penalties continues alongside legal challenges to the newly passed death penalty law for terrorists, which some groups say is discriminatory and unconstitutional. A petition filed with the High Court of Justice seeks to strike down the new law and freeze its implementation pending a ruling, arguing that capital punishment is unconstitutional in principle and that the framework creates separate tracks that, in practice, would target Palestinians.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Canada’s main progressive party has elected Avi Lewis, a Jewish anti-Zionist filmmaker and former journalist, to lead the New Democrats. Lewis's platform centers on affordability, the environment, and unapologetic anti-Zionism, and in accepting the role he noted his family’s legacy in the party, with his grandfather David Lewis as a founder and former leader, his father Stephen Lewis who led in Ontario, and his great-grandfather Moishe Lewis, who helped shape Jewish labor activism in Eastern Europe before immigrating to Canada. In the United States, the FBI said the Michigan synagogue vehicle-ramming attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township was a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism aimed at the Jewish community and the state’s largest temple; authorities identified the attacker as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old Lebanese-born man who died by self-inflicted gunshot after the incident, while a security guard was injured and several officers treated for smoke inhalation as investigators continue to compile details.

In Uplifting News, Better later than never.

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://t.me/DefenderDome/19854
https://t.me/DefenderDome/19853
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-891707
https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-says-it-will-accept-any-trump-decision-on-next-phase-of-iran-war/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-891703
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-891710
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-891709
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-891712
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/fbi-says-michigan-synagogue-attack-was-hezbollah-inspired
https://t.me/selena_updates/60255