Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-06-08 at 16:02

HEADLINES
Israel cripples Iran air defenses, opens skies
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi opposes Tehran talks
Trump warns Netanyahu against full-scale Iran war

The time is now 4:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, the latest IDF attacks further reduced Iran’s newly restored air defenses, potentially allowing the Israeli air force to operate more freely inside Iran if fighting continues. After the first full round of exchanges since the April 7 ceasefire, Israel and Iran traded blows Sunday night and Monday until a new ceasefire was imposed late in the afternoon. Iran fired ballistic missiles toward Israel’s North late Sunday night, and the IDF said it had completed extensive attacks on Iran’s newly installed air defenses in Tehran and western Iran. Since the April 7 ceasefire, Tehran has been rushing to rebuild those defenses, and the latest strikes further degraded them, a move that could enable easier air operations if hostilities resume. IDF officials did not specify why air defenses or missile launchers were not targeted in these strikes.

In Iranian Retaliation, exiled Iranian Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi said the crisis cannot be solved through talks with Tehran’s regime, renewing his opposition to negotiations and arguing that lasting peace and stability cannot be achieved while the current regime remains in power. He criticized Tehran’s support for Hezbollah and said the Islamic Republic has started another military conflict, revealing what he described as its anti-Iranian nature. Pahlavi’s remarks followed Iran’s missile launches toward Israel on Sunday night after an Israeli strike on Hezbollah targets in Beirut’s Dahiyeh district, with Israel replying in the early hours of Monday by striking targets in western and central Iran. The latest exchanges occurred amid ongoing US efforts to reach a broader deal with Tehran to end the conflict, with reports that President Trump urged Netanyahu not to retaliate.

In Regional Impacts, air traffic is slowly returning to the skies over Western Iran and Iraq.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, President Trump told Israel’s Channel 12 that he warned Prime Minister Netanyahu against escalating the exchange of fire with Iran into a full-scale war, saying you could be left alone against Iran very soon. He also said he asked Netanyahu to avoid retaliating at a late stage and that the Israelis were on their way to Iran before he intervened to reduce the scale of the attack. Trump noted that five regional mediators asked him to press Netanyahu to stop the attacks and pursue a peace arrangement.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, opposition leader Yair Lapid said there is no productive strategy behind Israel’s attacks on Iran, arguing that the country is failing to achieve its military objectives while drawing citizens into repeated rounds of conflict. He said war should be used with overwhelming force when necessary, but cannot be the automatic response to every problem, and he noted that Iran’s announcements showed that past operations did not overthrow the regime, eliminate the ballistic missile program, or end the nuclear program. Separately, reports circulated of disorder at the Beit Ilan junction in Jerusalem. Italy, meanwhile, has opened an investigation into Minister Ben Gvir following the Turkish flotilla affair.

In Israeli Economy and Business, the government approved the Water Authority’s long-term plan to allow private entities to plan and develop large desalination plants, with the goal of producing 2.3 billion cubic meters of desalinated water per year by 2050 and 2.75 billion by 2075. Private firms will be able to participate in projects with production capacities of at least 100 million cubic meters per year, in response to population growth, urbanization, and climate change pressures. The planning and construction process for a desalination plant can take up to eight years, so this shift aims to accelerate delivery. Also under this topic, NATO militaries and European defense companies saw Elbit Systems demonstrate its Digital Ground Army system in Sweden, a major live-field demonstration of a system already used by the IDF. The network connects command centers with troops, vehicles, and platforms, enabling real-time data sharing. The system has been exported to Australia and the Netherlands and has generated more than a billion dollars in commitments; European and NATO forces are pursuing similar modernization as fears of a potential war with Russia grow.

In Uplifting News, registration is well underway for the Discovering Daniel Conference in Perth, Australia, on Saturday, August 8. Further details and registration information are being provided by the event organizers.

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
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