Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-27 at 18:09 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-27 at 18:09

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-27 at 18:09

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 HEADLINESDoomsday Clock hits 85 seconds to midnightLast Gaza hostages freed ceasefire beginsUS conducts deterrence drills amid Iran SaudiThe time is now 1:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.This hour the global security landscape is marked by a rare convergence of nuclear risk, regional conflict, and shifting diplomacy that will shape headlines for weeks to come. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest it has ever been to annihilation. In a briefing that spanned the United States, Europe, and Asia, scientists cited accelerated competition among leading powers, the fraying of long standing arms control frameworks, and ongoing conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East. They highlighted the unregulated integration of artificial intelligence into military systems, the potential for misused biotechnology, and the spread of disinformation as new factors heightening the risk of global catastrophe. They pointed to gaps in leadership and the emergence of what they described as neo‑imperial tendencies that could push the world closer to crisis. The clock’s move comes as New START, the last major arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, is set to expire in February, prompting debate about whether limits on deployed strategic weapons can be renewed or extended and how to manage renewed nuclear competition. The scientists warned that no country benefits from a return to explosive testing, even as rhetoric and provocations in other theaters—China’s assertiveness, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and regional flashpoints in the Middle East—add to a perilous mix. Beyond nuclear risks they noted, the growing challenges posed by climate change, and the accelerating pace of technological advancements in AI and biotechnology, require new forms of international cooperation that have been slow to emerge. The remarks from the scientists were layered with a reminder that leadership at the global level has failed to meet the scale of the danger, and that the practical consequences of inaction are borne by people around the world.In Gaza and Israel, a different kind of milestone was reached this week as hostilities and a long ceasefire negotiation entered a new phase. After nearly 12 years of conflict and a protracted hostage crisis tied to October 7, 2023, the Israeli government announced that the last hostages remained in Gaza had been recovered or accounted for, bringing an emotional end to a global diaspora campaign that had kept the plight of captives in the public eye for years. The final recoveries were celebrated across Israeli society and by Jewish communities abroad who had worn symbolic markers to pressure for release and safe return. Officials stressed that while no hostages remain in Gaza, families continue to seek closure for loved ones who were previously reported missing or held, and the broader ceasefire framework remains in place with the possibility of future adjustments depending on regional security and humanitarian considerations. The episode has raised questions about how Israeli‑Diaspora ties may evolve when a dominant hostage issue is no longer a near‑term rallying point, even as security concerns in Gaza and across the region persist.On the strategic front, the United States is continuing to test and demonstrate its readiness in the region. CENTCOM announced a multi‑day air readiness exercise designed to show the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower across the command’s area of responsibility. The drill, conducted with regional partners and featuring multi‑mission scenarios, is described as a means to validate rapid movement, logistics sustainment with a minimal footprint, and coordinated command and control over a broad area. Officials say the exercises also reinforce partnerships with regional allies and underscore the United States’ commitment to deterring aggression and ensuring the safety of its partners, including Israel and Sunni Arab states, should regional tensions rise or external actors threaten stability. Critics have long warned that such exercises can serve as signaling tools or be used to create leverage in diplomacy, particularly amid escalatory rhetoric from Iran and its allies. The Lincoln carrier group and associated airpower have been deployed in the region as part of a broader posture aimed at deterring potential Iranian escalation and preserving freedom of navigation and security in the Gulf.Diplomatic exchanges outside the battlefield continue to influence calculations. Iran and Saudi Arabia, long estranged, have been engaging in overtures and mutual readouts signaling an interest in reducing regional tensions. Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian told Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a phone conversation that Tehran welcomes any path to preventing war within the framework of international law. The Saudi...
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