Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-29 at 00:07 cover art

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-29 at 00:07

Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-01-29 at 00:07

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 HEADLINESBrooklyn man jailed for Iran hit plotEU backs IRGC terrorist designationNetanyahu rejected 11 Sinwar strikes in 2023The time is now 7:02 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.This is the hour’s news update. A Brooklyn man, Carlisle Rivera, known as Pop, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for his role in what prosecutors described as an Iran‑backed murder-for-hire plot against Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad. Rivera pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit stalking. Alinejad, who fled Iran in 2009, has long been a prominent critic of the regime’s head‑covering laws and has used social media to spotlight women defying those rules. The sentencing comes as the Justice Department emphasizes its crackdown on transnational repression, with prosecutors saying Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its intelligence services sought to target Alinejad on foreign soil. Iran has denied these claims, and other participants in the case have faced convictions in the United States.In related moves on sanctions enforcement, the United States has returned the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Sophia to Venezuela, marking the first known reversal of such a seizure under the Trump administration’s framework. The vessel was interdicted in January by US forces and the Coast Guard and was subject to sanctions. Officials said the return does not alter the broader effort to curb illicit oil shipments linked to Venezuela, but the precise rationale for this particular decision was not disclosed publicly.Across Europe, France has shifted to back placing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the European Union’s list of designated terrorist organizations. Paris had previously resisted moving the IRGC onto the list, wary of jeopardizing ties with Tehran. With France now supportive, the EU—which includes Italy and Germany among its backers—is expected to approve the step in Brussels. The move would come with asset freezes and visa bans on IRGC members and affiliates as part of a broader response to Iran’s crackdown on protests and its regional activities.Meanwhile in Israel, Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly turned down 11 opportunities to authorize strikes against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in early 2023, even as security services located him on multiple occasions. Netanyahu’s office has denied the report, saying decision-making on such matters was prevented by security leadership. Sinwar led Hamas in Gaza from 2017 and was a central figure in the October 7 attacks; he was killed in 2024 during operations in Rafah. The report highlights tensions over whether earlier action might have altered the trajectory of the war in Gaza, while officials emphasize that strategic considerations and security assessments guided decisions at the time.In domestic politics, activists associated with the Movement for Quality Government disrupted a public appearance by former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak in Tel Aviv, blocking his car and drawing sharp rebukes from opposition figures who urged authorities to curb harassment and protect public order. The incident reflects ongoing strains between reform-minded groups and elements of the current governance mix as Israel charts its path through a period of constitutional and judicial debates.In New York, a hate crime charge was filed against Eric Zafra Grosso for allegedly attacking a rabbi in Forest Hills on Holocaust Remembrance Day, shouting anti-Jewish slurs and punching the victim. Grosso faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the hate crime and related offenses; he has pleaded not guilty and was released pending further proceedings. The incident comes amid a year‑long rise in antisemitic incidents across the United States.Turning to technology and security, this week at Cyberweek in Tel Aviv, Israeli experts warned there are roughly three years to prepare for post-quantum cryptography, a shift aimed at protecting data from quantum-era decryption. Bank of Israel officials described a regulatory path to accelerate adoption, and the Israel National Cyber Directorate outlined plans for a coordinated national approach, including the possibility of a quantum key distribution framework. Industry leaders stressed the need to modernize often decades-old systems, and to collaborate with academia and the private sector to convert the challenge into an advantage. The overarching message is clear: begin planning now and move decisively toward quantum-safe security.In parallel, Israel’s political landscape saw a budget milestone as the Knesset approved the first reading of the 2026 budget law. The proposal would total about 811.74 billion shekels, with roughly 580.75 billion allocated to the regular budget and about 230.99 billion to development and capital accounts. The bill will move to the Finance Committee for detailed ...
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.