About this episode
HEADLINESKiryat Ata center hit IRGC commander killedUS Moves Elite Forces Toward Middle EastHezbollah Fire Surges as Israel Pressures CeasefireThe time is now 9:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, a children's play center in the north of Israel was devastated by an Iranian cluster missile strike on a nearby mall in Kiryat Ata, with shattered glass and toys scattered as the site prepared to reopen; the play center owner called it a miracle that no children were inside. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy commander, Alireza Tangsiri, was killed in an IDF strike. In central Israel, air defenses intercepted missiles during the latest barrage.In Iranian Retaliation, the United States must be prepared for the possibility that Iran will attack civilian systems, including telecommunications satellites in space, and continue to target critical civilian infrastructure, a warning delivered by Theresa Payton, the former White House chief information officer and now head of Fortalice Solutions, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Payton stressed that Tehran lacks the same level of skill and technology as the United States and Israel, but cautioned against underestimating the regime as it seeks to expand its digital reach. She noted recent Iranian cyber activity, including attacks on American firms such as Stryker Corporation, illustrating the regime’s effort to inflict damage through cyber means even as it faces other pressures. The United States has recently established a Bureau of Emerging Threats to counter cyber and space-based threats and other rapidly evolving dangers.In US Military Role, the United States has moved elite forces toward the Middle East, with the 82nd Airborne Division and two amphibious ready groups positioning to signal readiness for a possible rapid entry if diplomacy fails, including a potential move to seize airfields and hold territory until heavier reinforcements arrive. The 82nd, known as the All American, is described as the Army’s quick-response force capable of reaching the theater within about 18 hours, with a legacy dating to D-Day. Officials say the deployment aims to deter Iranian strategic moves such as any threat to Kharg Island and to provide a rapid-entry option if needed. Separately, reports indicate Washington is preparing a decisive action described as a knockout punch against Iran, with a warning that there is no turning back if diplomacy does not produce a concrete result.In Regional Impacts, President Isaac Herzog warned Europe and its leaders that they are “next” in the face of Iran’s terror activities, telling StandWithUs that regime change in Tehran is not an official Israeli war aim but could help bring peace between Israelis and Iranians and transform the wider Middle East, while also critici
