About this episode
HEADLINESIranian Missile Network Crippled by Israeli StrikesUS Raises Alarm on Kharg Takeover EscalationUAE Eyes Multinational Force to Reopen HormuzThe time is now 3:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.In Operation Lion's Roar, Israeli forces intensified efforts to locate and neutralize Iran's missile launchers, with defense officials prioritizing the destruction of Iran's IRGC surface-to-surface missile array since the start of the operation. The IDF notes that of roughly 470 launchers, fewer than 180 remain operational, about 40 percent, with the rest severely damaged or destroyed by airstrikes and many disabled inside facilities. Since Thursday morning, Israeli residents have entered shelters ten times due to Iranian attempts to strike population centers with cluster missiles. At the top of Israel’s defense establishment, Defense Minister Israel Katz has received daily professional reports from the Intelligence Directorate and the air force evaluating progress against Iranian launchers and missile batteries. IAF officials say Iran’s manufacturing industry has been crippled, making it difficult to produce new launchers during the fighting and eroding the country’s missile-launching capability. Data presented to Katz suggests Iran is struggling to meet its original plan of launching 100 missiles daily because of coordination hurdles and shortages of operational launchers. In addition to ongoing strikes on launchers, reports indicate nighttime attacks on missile production sites and air-defense infrastructure across Iran, including strikes in Isfahan and reported overnight operations from Urmia in the northwest.In US Military Role, US officials examined the potential risks of a takeover of Kharg Island in Iran and concluded that escalation remains a concern with broad implications for Washington’s posture and global interests. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the operation as incredibly successful, noting that unlike Iran, the effort has not involved bombing embassies or hotels but has targeted military objectives, and that the results are expected to bear fruit for the world.In Regional Impacts, the war in Iran has pushed oil prices higher and unsettled global markets. Rubio spoke with Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and expressed gratitude for enabling Iraqi oil, including from the Kurdistan region, to reach global markets, while offering condolences to families of Peshmerga killed in an Iranian missile attack and wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. At least six Kurdish Peshmerga fighters were killed and around 30 wounded in a rocket attack on a base north of Erbil, with Iran having launched ballistic missiles at a Peshmerga military headquarters earlier in the week. The United Arab Emirates has signaled readiness to participate in a multinational maritime task force to reopen the Stra
