Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-05-15 at 07:02

HEADLINES
El-Khiam rubble signals new Israeli doctrine
UK declares antisemitism emergency after Manchester
Nazi swastikas flag shocks NYU campus

The time is now 7:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, The Rubble Doctrine: Inside Israel's new security policy in southern Lebanon, the destruction of El-Khiam reflects a profound shift in Israeli military thinking after October 7: deny the enemy not only the desire, but the capability, to strike. El-Khiam sits just six kilometers from the border and has become a pile of rubble where homes and businesses once stood. The town was a Hezbollah stronghold, with arms caches hidden in civilians' homes and command centers buried in tunnels beneath ordinary storefronts, such as a clothing shop with a teddy bear on the wall. It was also the site of a prison used by the South Lebanon Army before Hezbollah overtook the town in 2000. El-Khiam sits on key routes linking southern Lebanon to Hezbollah's heartland in the Bekaa Valley, making it a central corridor for moving fighters and equipment.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Middle Israel: How Likud’s primaries poisoned Israeli politics - opinion, the piece notes that primaries changed Israeli political life when Labor introduced broad-based primaries in 1992. The Labor Party elected its leaders through 108,000 members, giving Rabin a decisive victory by 16 percentage points, and Labor then won 44 seats to Likud's 32. Swing voters were impressed, and the primaries were seen at the time as a breath of fresh air that bypassed the party machinery and broadened participation for worthy people to reach public office. But the essay argues that primaries later became a major engine of political debasement, corruption, and bankruptcy for the major parties and their satellites.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, the UK has officially declared an antisemitism emergency, with Michael Weiger, CEO of the Board of Deputies of British Jewry, offering a measured assessment of a community living through what the government has now labeled an antisemitism emergency. Wegier sits down as the United Kingdom responds to a wave of attacks on Jewish targets; the threat level has been raised to severe, and the Manchester synagogue attack on Yom Kippur 2025 marked the first antisemitic terrorism fatalities in the UK since CST records began. Wegier's voice is presented as evidence-based, urging calm and vigilance rather than panic.

Separately, at New York University, a flag emblazoned with Nazi swastikas and the Star of David was flown on a campus building during graduation week, prompting condemnation from the university and political figures, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. NYU says it is working with the New York Police Department to identify those responsible, and university spokesperson Wiley Norvell said safety teams responded immediately to remove the symbol and that the campus community will not tolerate hate.

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/israel-news/defense-news/article-896271
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-896273
https://www.jpost.com/podcast/article-896317
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-896315