HEADLINES
Ukraine Drone Tech Boosts Saudi Base Security
Gaza Elections Spark Unity Against US Plan
Jerusalem High Court Demands Civil Burial Justice

The time is now 9:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, the US military has deployed Ukrainian counter-drone technology at a key air base in Saudi Arabia to counter the growing drone threat that has damaged aircraft and facilities and killed at least one service member. The Ukrainian Sky Map command-and-control platform has been deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base, and Ukrainian officials have arrived in recent weeks to train US warfighters on its use to detect incoming drones and coordinate interceptor responses. The move illustrates Kyiv’s advanced drone and counter-drone capabilities honed in its four-year war with Russia as the Pentagon increases investments in this technology. Prince Sultan Air Base sits about 400 miles from Iran and has faced waves of drones and missiles since the conflict began.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Zehavi, founder and president of the Alma Research and Education Center, says the current debate over southern Lebanon cannot be understood without asking whether it yields lasting changes to Israel’s security reality on the northern border. She notes that between May 2000 and the end of the previous war in 2023 there was effectively no Israeli presence or buffer zone in Lebanon, and the area south of the Litani River was supposed to be free of illicit weapons but enforcement never followed through. She adds that after Israel’s 2024 maneuver, the army remained on five hills overlooking communities, a posture she says proved inadequate, while Hezbollah’s Radwan forces were still able to maneuver near the border. In Gaza, residents will vote in Deir al-Balah this weekend in municipal elections that form part of Palestinian Authority elections and are seen as a show of national unity against a US plan for Gaza that Palestinians believe aims to entrench separation from the West Bank, with some pro-Hamas candidates on the ballot offering a rare gauge of Hamas popularity. An item in this bloc titled סוריה 🇮🇱 is included with no further detail provided in the available material.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, the High Court of Justice has ordered the state to explain why, decades after Israel enacted a civil burial law, Jerusalem-area residents still do not have a state-funded civil cemetery. Justices gave the Religious Services Ministry, the Finance Ministry and the Jerusalem Jewish Burial Council a July 1 deadline to show why they have not acted to establish such a cemetery, to allocate the required budget, to grant a burial license to lead petitioner Menucha Nechona Jerusalem once established, and to remove barriers that petitioners say have made it effectively impossible for non-Orthodox groups to operate such a site. The case, brought by Nechona Jerusalem with partners including the Reform movement, Hiddush, the Masorti movement and other petitioners, centers on the right to civil burial and its implementation in practice.

In Uplifting News, sister of fallen soldier Shachar Fridman described her brother as “a beacon of light, joy, and love” who lived with an open heart and constant concern for others. Fridman, who served in the 101st Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade, returned to service after the October 7 outbreak and was killed on November 18, 2023, during hand-to-hand combat with Hamas fighters in the northern Gaza Strip at age 21. Born in Jerusalem in 2002, he grew up there, studied at a religious high school with a focus on art, and answered his commander's call to fight in southern Israel before entering Gaza.

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/international/article-893832
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-893840
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/04/gaza-first-local-vote-years-offers-gauge-hamas-popularity
https://t.me/newssil/199810
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-893835
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-893838