Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-24 at 11:03

HEADLINES
Israel-US defense partnership targets 2028-38
Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh half-destroyed, residents return
Netanyahu orders sweeping West Bank crackdown

The time is now 11:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, Amir Baram is the lead negotiator for Israel’s upcoming memorandum of understanding with the United States to transform a defense aid arrangement into a defense partnership for 2028-2038. Baram has spent 38 years in either the IDF or the Defense Ministry’s director-general office, with deployments or combat experience in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, including covert missions behind enemy lines. A self-described maverick at times, he in 2012 reinstated full brigade parachute training, leading a team in its first full parachute exercise in 15 years. Since taking the Defense Ministry’s top apolitical post in early 2025, he has traveled worldwide to safeguard Israel’s defense interests amid the roughest diplomatic environment in decades. His current task is to secure a long-term partnership with Washington as the US shifts from aid to a strategic framework for 2028-2038. On the one hand, Baram no longer needs to persuade Washington to provide “aid to little Israel,” a country that has matured into a regional economic power; on the other hand, his mission remains to strengthen Israel’s defense ties with the United States as part of that new arrangement.

In The Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, residents began returning to the shattered south Lebanon town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh after Israeli withdrawal and the Lebanese army’s deployment under a US-brokered arrangement. The return appears tentative, with authorities saying more than half the town has been destroyed and many standing homes badly damaged. Mayor Abed Ezzeddin described the scale of destruction as residents walked rubble-strewn streets and stopped outside damaged houses. Mohammed Darwish expressed relief at being able to enter again and check belongings, saying he was happy to be returning, while noting the possibility of not being allowed to stay overnight. Abu Ali Ezzeddin said he plans to remain because his livelihood is in the town, even though his and his children’s homes were destroyed. The Lebanese army began its deployment as residents reassessed what comes next in a landscape altered by weeks of fighting and displacement.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Monday and will meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, according to a statement from Netanyahu’s office. Netanyahu will also attend US Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral. (The report notes these planned engagements and does not add other details beyond that schedule.)

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered a sweeping West Bank crackdown after two Israelis were killed in a terror shooting amid clashes with Palestinians. The move included increased troop deployments, new checkpoints, and expanded counterterrorism measures, following an incident in which Israeli civilians crossed into Palestinian Authority areas while hiking near Gilad Farm; clashes with locals preceded a fatal shooting in which Master Sergeant (Res.) Benayahu Mellet and Major Yuval Ezra were killed, prompting a security assessment with Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir. Netanyahu pledged a strong response against terrorists and their proxies. Separately, IDF and Shin Bet forces raided a Nablus hospital and arrested two terrorists wounded in the Havat Gilad shooting, transferring them for questioning. In another incident, a man in Ramat Gan admitted on video to threatening to kill an aide of Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz; the confrontation was captured on video, and a police officer escorted the man away after questions about the threat.

In Uplifting News, a Hebrew-language post announcing that a missing child has been found circulated with celebratory emojis; the message, shared online, marks a joyful update without additional details.

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-903485
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/residents-enter-shattered-south-lebanon-town-after-israeli-withdrawal
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/netanyahu-meet-trump-washington-tuesday-pms-office-says
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903568
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjhrbe11hfx
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903563
https://t.me/newssil/207453