HEADLINES
Six-Month Iran Deal Near as Hormuz Opens
Israel Hezbollah Ten-Day Ceasefire Begins Naval Raid
Golan Heights One-Billion Shekel Plan Katzrin City

The time is now 2:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, officials say a peace deal between the United States and Iran could take about six months to be agreed, and they advise extending the current ceasefire to provide a workable window for negotiations. The opening of the Strait of Hormuz is a central issue, with Gulf Arab and European leaders urging it to be open as soon as possible to restore energy flows and avert a potential global food shortage. Negotiators have scaled back ambitions for a full peace and are aiming for a temporary memorandum to prevent a return to conflict, with discussions touching on the unfreezing of some Iranian funds in exchange for allowing more ships through the Strait and a demand from the United States for a 20-year halt to Iran’s nuclear enrichment, as officials described gaps narrowing on management of the strait. Separately, in Umm al-Khair in the West Bank, barbed wire erected by settlers has blocked the usual valley path to the village school, forcing dozens of Palestinian children to seek a longer, more dangerous route. Village leaders say the wire blocks the outskirts’ access to the school in the village center, and human rights group B'Tselem describes the move as part of a coordinated effort to intimidate Palestinians and drive them from their lands, with classes already suspended at the outset of the Iran war due to debris from intercepted missiles in the area.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Israeli officials and regional observers note that Israel has reached a limit of what it can achieve with force alone against Hezbollah. Israel’s leadership faces a looming 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah, and analysts say the battlefield has already delivered much of what could be accomplished militarily, including significant reductions to Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal and leadership losses, and gains on the ground in southern Lebanon that the IDF has since reasserted control over. As the ceasefire proceeds, Israel and Lebanon have announced a 10-day pause that begins at midnight, with Trump inviting the leaders to the White House for talks, while Israel’s security cabinet reportedly did not vote on the arrangement and ministers learned of it through the media. Meanwhile, a high-profile naval operation marked a new phase of cross-border activity as Shayetet 13 commandos conducted a sea-based raid on Naqoura, Lebanon—the first such operation in years—described by the military as part of a broader shift after the October 7 attacks, with joint work involving Mossad and Shin Bet. The Israel Navy also reports a heavy pace of strikes across the region, saying it has carried out or supported 154 attacks in the current Iran-Hezbollah war, including 95 in Iran and many in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere, with the majority of Iran-focused actions informed by Israeli naval intelligence and some executed by the air force. In related regional considerations, Lebanon’s president is reported as refusing talks amid concerns about Iran stockpiles in the region, underscoring the fragility of diplomacy as tensions remain high and the broader proxy conflict continues to unfold.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, opposition leader Yair Lapid criticizes the Lebanon ceasefire, saying the government’s promises are crashing into reality and arguing that the war there can only end by fully and permanently removing the threat to Israel’s northern communities. Avigdor Liberman, leading the Liberman faction, calls the ceasefire a betrayal and warns that Hezbollah must be eliminated, adding that the current government has learned little from past conflicts and that future leadership must act more decisively. Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar! party, presents a plan to bring two million olim to Israel by 2048, aiming to cut bureaucracy and expand incentives via a “one-stop shop” for licensing, employment assistance, and community integration as part of a broader effort to support new and returning residents. In the government’s own voice, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first official remarks on a ceasefire with Lebanon, says Israel has a historic opportunity for peace with Lebanon, signaling a continued emphasis on diplomacy alongside security concerns.

In Israeli Economy and Business, the government approves a nearly 1 billion shekel plan for Golan Heights development over five years, a move designed to entrench the Golan as a defensive buffer on Israel’s northern border and to strengthen ties with local Druze communities. Lawmakers from the New Hope party, including Ze’ev Elkin, say the plan would attract thousands of new families to the Golan and designate Katzrin as the region’s first city, reflecting a broader effort to boost settlement and regional integration following discussions with Katzrin and Golan leaders and support from Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior ministers.

In Uplifting News, a feature highlights Leah Shenir, age 68, who was captured on camera, and the report notes she is not alone.

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-893300
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https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-893291
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-893279
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-893282
https://www.jpost.com/podcast/jpost-headlines/article-893278
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-893297
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-893289
https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1310877
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-govt-approves-nearly-330-million-golan-build-up-plan/
https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1310870