
Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-17 at 18:02
About this episode
- Argentina backs US and Israel against Iran
- Ford carrier fire sparks morale worries
- Knesset approves 32 billion shekels war budget
The time is now 6:02 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.
In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, Argentina’s president Javier Milei used the anniversary of the 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires to condemn Iran and reaffirm his support for the United States and Israel, citing a 2024 court ruling that the embassy bombing, along with the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center attack, was ordered by Iran. Milei asserted that “in the face of terrorism, there can be no truce” during the commemoration at the site of the former embassy, placing the event in the context of Tehran’s actions as regional tensions persist after the start of a broader confrontation in which Tehran has conducted strikes and threats that have disrupted regional shipping. Separately, a post attributed to President Donald Trump claimed relations with Iran were “going pretty good,” while insisting the Islamic Republic must not possess nuclear weapons. In remarks tied to the regional crisis, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Fox News that the whereabouts of Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remain an “open question,” and Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people, saying our air force is with you.
In US Military Role, a British member of parliament urged London to kick US troops off its bases, signaling continued debate over allied deployments amid the Iran confrontation. The US Air Force, meanwhile, appeared unconcerned about residual air defenses, with B-1B Lancer bombers approaching the Persian Gulf not switching off their transponders as they move toward targets in Iran. The US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, deployed in operations against Iran, is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board in the Red Sea, with Souda Bay in Crete identified as the likely stop. Nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries, one service member was flown off for treatment, and the Ford’s nine-month deployment—which included Caribbean operations prior to its Middle East duty—has raised questions about morale and readiness.
In Regional Impacts, soldiers from the French Army’s 7th Battalion of Chasseurs Alpins, part of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, gathered in Varces-Allières-et-Risset to honor Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, killed in an Iranian drone attack on a joint Kurdish-French patrol base in Northern Iraq. Following an evacuation order, residents of Tyre and nearby villages began moving northward. Palestinian residents of the Rashidiya refugee camp were reported leaving after an Arabic-language evacuation alert issued by the Israeli military. Iran released video footage showing Ali Larijani alongside his son Morteza, nicknamed “the Scientist,” and the head of his security team, all of whom were killed in related confrontations. A security expert warned that Iran’s brain drain—driven by emigration of skilled workers and students—could threaten Israel’s security, noting record numbers of Iranian students abroad in 2024. Explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, and air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain.
In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, alarms rang as sirens were heard in Misgav Am following fire from Lebanon. Hezbollah published evacuation notices for residents of Nahariya, Kiryat Shmona, and the front line, signaling a broader mobilization in the border region as hostilities persist along multiple fronts.
In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Knesset approved in its first reading an updated war budget for 2026, adding 32 billion shekels to defense spending and raising the deficit ceiling. The measure, passed 53–45, now moves to the Finance Committee before second and third readings and must clear final votes by the end of March to avoid automatic dissolution and early elections. The government cited wartime needs and Operation Roaring Lion as justifications for the increased defense outlays, with discussions intensifying as opposition members raised questions about the overall outline and deficits.
In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Germany’s Brandenburg antisemitism commissioner resigned from the far-left Die Linke party over a resolution condemning Israel, citing harassment within the party and saying he could no longer remain aligned with what he described as his convictions. Party leadership expressed regret and pledged to continue fighting antisemitism, noting that the departure was not about party affiliation but about upholding principles in the face of criticism over Israel and related issues.
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.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/milei-blasts-iran-anniversary-attack-israeli-embassy
https://t.me/newssil/195749
https://worldisraelnews.com/daily-recap-strikes-embassy-attack-and-iran-leadership-targeted/
https://t.me/ILtoday/17905
https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/73007
https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/73004
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/03/us-carrier-ford-deployed-war-iran-go-port-temporarily-after-fire
https://t.me/DefenderDome/19357
https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/73008
https://t.me/abualiexpress/117926
https://t.me/newssil/195748
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-890311
https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/73005
https://t.me/DefenderDome/19356
https://www.maariv.co.il/breaking-news/article-1297721
https://t.me/newssil/195747
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-890314
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-890315
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Israel Today: Ongoing War Report — Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-17 at 18:02. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
President Barack Obama. Virginia, we are counting on you. Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to raid the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years. But you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st. Help put our elections back on a level playing field and let voters decide not politicians. Vote yes by April 21st. Paid for by Virginians for fair elections. The time is now 6.02 pm in New York. I'm Noah Levi and this is the latest Israel today. Ongoing war report. In direct Israel Iran clashes. Argentina's President Javier Miller used the anniversary of the 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires to condemn Iran. And reaffirm his support for the United States and Israel. Siting a 2024 court ruling that
the embassy bombing along with the 1994 AMIA Jewish Community Center attack was ordered by Iran. Millay asserted that in the face of terrorism there can be no truce during the commemoration at the site of the former embassy. Placing the event in the context of Tehran's actions as regional tensions persist after the start of a broader confrontation in which Tehran has conducted strikes and threats that have disrupted regional shipping. Separately a post attributed to President Donald Trump claimed relations with Iran were going pretty good. While insisting the Islamic Republic must not possess nuclear weapons. In remarks tied to the regional crisis, foreign minister Gideon Saar told Fox News that the whereabouts of Iran's new supreme leader Majtaba Kaminay remain an open question. And prime minister Netanyahu addressed the Iranian people, saying our air forces with you. In U.S. military role, a British member of parliament urged London to kick U.S. troops off its bases. Signaling continued debate over allied deployments amid
the Iran confrontation. The U.S. Air Force meanwhile appeared unconcerned about residual air defenses. With B-minus 1 billion lance of bombers approaching the Persian Gulf not switching off their transponders as they move toward targets in Iran. The U.S. aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford deployed in operations against Iran is expected to temporarily pull into port after a fire on board in the Red Sea. With Saudi Bay and Crete identified as the likely stop, nearly 200 sailors were treated for smoke-related injuries, one service member was flown off for treatment, and the Ford's nine month deployment, which included Caribbean operations prior to its Middle East duty, has raised questions about morale and readiness. In regional impacts, soldiers from the French Army's 7th Battalion of Shassar Alpens, part of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, gathered in Vars' Aliere's Etriset to honour Chief Warant Officer Arnord Frianne, killed in an Iranian drone attack on a joint Kurdish-French patrol base in Northern Iraq. Following an evacuation order,
residents of Taya and nearby villages began moving northward. Palestinian residents of the Rashidia refugee camp were reported leaving after an Arabic language evacuation alert issued by the Israeli military. Iran released video footage showing Ali Larajani alongside his son Morteza, nicknamed The Scientist, and the head of his security team, all of whom were killed in related confrontations, a security expert warned that Iran's brain drain, driven by emigration of skilled workers and students, could threaten Israel's security, noting record numbers of Iranian students abroad in 2024. Explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, and air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain. In the conflict with Iran and its regional proxies, alarms rang as sirens were heard in Misgav-AM following fire from Lebanon. Hezbollah published evacuation notices for residents of Naharia, Curri at S.H. Mona, and the front line. Signalling a broader mobilization in the border region as hostilities persist along multiple fronts. In Israeli domestic politics, the Knesset
approved in its first reading and updated war budget for 2026, adding 32 billion shackles to defense spending and raising the deficit ceiling. The measure, past 5345, now moves to the finance committee before second and third readings, and must clear final votes by the end of March to avoid automatic dissolution and early elections. The government cited wartime needs and operation roaring lion as justifications for the increased defense outlays, with discussions intensifying as opposition members raised questions about the overall outline and deficits. In anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish hate, Germany's Brandenburg anti-Semitism commissioner resigned from the far left-dialink party over a resolution condemning Israel, citing harassment within the party, and saying he could no longer remain aligned with what he described as his convictions. Party leadership expressed regret and pledged to continue fighting anti-Semitism, noting that the departure was not about party affiliation, but about upholding principles in
the face of criticism over Israel and related issues. Thank you for tuning into this Israel today, ongoing war report update. I'm Noah 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. President Barack Obama. Virginia, we are counting on you. Republicans want to steal enough seats in Congress to raid the next election and wield unchecked power for two more years, but you can stop them by voting yes by April 21st. Help put our elections back on a level playing field and let voters decide not politicians. Vote yes by April 21st. Paid for by Virginians for fair elections.
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