Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - September 3, 2026, 09 AM Eastern

0:00You're listening to Israel Today ongoing war report, I'm Noah Levi. We have critical updates today on regional tensions, particularly concerning Iran, alongside important developments within Israel and the Palestinian territories. Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning on Thursday, declaring that any Iranian attack on Israel would effectively free the IDF from any restrictions. Speaking ahead of the Roch Hashanah holiday, Katz threatened, we will destroy all national military and civilian infrastructure in Iran, including energy infrastructure. We will return Iran to the Stone Age. He also claimed Israel has previously attacked them with force, destroying their nuclear program and severely damaging strategic capabilities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had similarly warned on Wednesday that an attack by Iran would be one of their last decisions. Noting that Iran refrains from attacking Israel directly, because they already know the

1:04consequences. Meanwhile, in the Palestinian territories, questions are mounting over whether Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas will again postpone the long delayed Palestinian legislative council elections. These elections have an expired mandate of 16 years. According to expert analysts and reports in Arab diaspora media, senior fatter officials, including Deputy Chairman Hussein Alshake, are reportedly pushing Abbas to postpone, citing difficulties in holding elections in Gaza and East Jerusalem. However, European officials are urging the elections to proceed. Yoni Ben Menashem, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, noted that these elections could become a referendum on the PA's unpopular and widely regarded corrupt leadership. And that Hamas, through potential alliances with figures like Mohammed Darlin, could see significant political power. Israeli authorities have justified their actions in removing unwrahe from a former compound in Jerusalem. They stated the agency functioned as an active arm of the Hamas terrorist organization,

2:09citing employee participation in the October 7 massacre and Hamas operations from unwrahe facilities. This move has drawn condemnation from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and a UN spokesperson, as well as several European foreign ministers. Israel maintained that the property is not owned by the United Nations and that unrarlacks legal authority to operate their following the termination of an agreement. In parallel efforts with Lebanon, Israel is set to release four or five Lebanese detenees on Thursday as a gesture to the Lebanese government. According to an Israeli source speaking to the Jerusalem Post, this follows a similar release of five detenees last year. Additionally, Prime Minister Netanyahu's office announced that he has instructed efforts to locate and return the bodies of Lebanese Jewish community leaders who were kidnapped and murdered by terrorist organizations in the mid-1980s as part of ongoing negotiations. Lebanese channels also reported that Israel will transfer a 20-year-old prisoner, Meilit

3:10Kamal Gazi, to Lebanon via the NACA, a crossing as a goodwill gesture. Gazi had gone missing in late 2025 and was later confirmed abducted and transferred to Israel. Turning to economic pressures within Iran, university professors there have threatened to strike and suspend academic activity nationwide if their wages remain unpaid. The Iran Academic Faculty Trade Union has given the government until September 22 to make outstanding payments, with a potential strike beginning on October 1. The Union warned that continued neglect of professors' financial needs could worsen Iran's, brain drain, and damage its higher education system, especially as the country faces ongoing economic hardship exacerbated by war, sanctions, and internal instability. Domestically, a notable political exchange occurred regarding military enlistment. Shah's leader Aurea Derry claimed in a podcast interview that the IDF doesn't want her AD soldiers, and that the idea of ultra-orthodox soldiers gives the IDF a very big headache.

4:14Former Prime Minister Naftarli Bennett strongly refuted these comments, stating that Derry is harming IDF soldiers, and that the IDF is desperate for soldiers, accusing Derry of lying and making excuses. Bennett also commented on recent remarks by Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the events of October 7. An article in the Jerusalem Post highlights a perceived oversight in Israeli politics, suggesting the political establishment has largely ignored a lea from the English-speaking community, despite their significant contributions as professionals and public figures. The report notes that large political parties rarely offer genuinely competitive positions for immigrants on their electoral lists, and that new olem often faced bureaucratic hurdles when trying to establish their lives in Israel. The Peace Calls for Greater Attention to this Demographic, which continues to grow with thousands of North American immigrants making a lea annually. And in party politics, reports from telegram channels indicate shifts within the Yes-Ateed

5:14Party. It is noted that Yeh Lapid is now the sole remaining active politician from the party's original founders in 2013. Additionally, MK Karin Elharar is described as another defection from the party. Finally, a report from telegram channels details and incident in Aka, where two young men were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a bereaved father from Heifer. The father, who lost his daughter at the Nova Festival massacre, was reportedly attacked following a dispute involving dogs. Police stated the man sustained injuries in the incident. I'm Noah Levi, thank you for listening to Israel Today ongoing war report. Stay safe and informed. Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view.