Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-06-26 at 12:01

HEADLINES
- Singapore Ship Struck as Hormuz Traffic Slumps
- Hezbollah Regroups as Israel Holds Lebanon Ceasefire
- Israeli American Emanuel Sharp Drafted by Kings

The time is now 12:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, traffic levels in the Strait of Hormuz fell back from Wednesday's high, but vessels continued to use a passage not approved by Iran, with a Singapore-flagged container ship reported struck on Thursday while using the route, according to UKMTO. About 42 commodity vessels including tankers carrying oil, gas, and dry bulk such as fertilisers crossed the strait on Thursday, down from a high of 57 on Wednesday. Ten entered the Gulf, 32 exited, and roughly half of the traffic used a southern path hugging the coast of Oman. By Friday afternoon, a further 29 commodity vessels had crossed, with 10 entering the Gulf and 19 leaving; 17 of those ships used the Omani route. Marine Traffic logged around 15 tankers and cargo vessels crossing the strait between 1410 GMT, the time of the reported attack, and midnight Thursday.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Hezbollah regroups as Israel holds fire under Lebanon ceasefire, Under a fragile ceasefire in southern Lebanon, the IDF has shifted to a defensive posture while Hezbollah regroups and gathers intelligence; Israel has carried out strikes against operatives, uncovered tunnels, and awaits political approval on how to handle deep underground infrastructure.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Counterprotest begins in Bnei Brak after mass traffic disruption from ultra-orthodox draft protest, Following protests by haredi demonstrators that disrupted traffic across the country this week and caused major congestion, a counter-protest took place on Friday. Between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., hundreds of protesters were expected to arrive in Bnei Brak as part of a demonstration against inequality in the burden of service. They planned to disrupt traffic at the city’s entry points, with participants including reserve soldiers, active-duty soldiers, mothers of combat troops, and residents of Kfar Yona, Kfar Saba, and other cities. The protest was coordinated with police and slated to take place at several locations, with the main gathering point at the Coca-Cola Bridge from where protesters would march toward Bnei Brak. A convoy of vehicles departed from a parking lot near Prison 10 in Kfar Yona toward Bnei Brak, and residents were instructed to enter the address “Rabbi Kahaneman 120” into Waze and drive slowly until 4 p.m. The message accompanying the protest read, “The convoy of draft dodgers will not disrupt the lives of citizens.”

In Uplifting News, Israeli-American Emanuel Sharp, son of Maccabi TA legend Derrick Sharp, gets drafted to the NBA, Emanuel Sharp was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the 45th pick after an outstanding career at the University of Houston, joining a growing list of Israeli basketball talent reaching the NBA. Born and raised in Israel until age nine, he moved back to the United States, following in the footsteps of his father Derrick Sharp, a Maccabi Tel-Aviv legend; his mother Justine Ellison Sharp was a standout basketball player at the University of Toronto in Canada. Sharp represented Israel at the U16 level in the FIBA Europe championship, averaging 25 points per game, and overcame a devastating leg injury late in high school to reach Division I college basketball. At Houston, he averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game as a senior, and earned All-Big 12 First Team and All-Defensive Team honors during his college career.

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/2026/06/ships-crossing-hormuz-use-oman-passage-despite-iran-warnings
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1mu5w2zme
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-900613
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-900618