Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-24 at 20:01

HEADLINES
- Saudi Strikes Hit Hodeidah Ports Remain Open
- Israel Faces Heat and War Fears Rise
- Netanyahu Heads to US Amid Iran Tensions

The time is now 8:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it carried out strikes on Houthi military sites in Hodeidah governorate on Friday, describing the targets as used to threaten commercial shipping. The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV said Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation in Hodeidah city and that Kamaran Island off Yemen’s western coast was also targeted. A spokesman for the coalition, Turki al-Malki, said on Saturday that Hodeidah port had not been targeted and that all Yemeni ports, including Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif, remained open to maritime navigation and receiving commercial ships. The coalition said it would continue taking necessary measures to protect ships and Saudi Arabia’s interests, and would respond uncompromisingly if the Houthis continued what it described as hostile actions. Yemen’s Houthi foreign ministry said the strikes marked the start of a phase of escalation and held Saudi Arabia responsible for any resulting developments, in the context of a seven-year war in Yemen that began in 2015.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Israel is facing a scorching summer with temperatures near record levels, including 112 degrees in Tel Aviv, even as fears of war linger amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran. In a Friday performance at HaTanacha Park in Tel Aviv, Oren Pesso, frontman of the group Jilber and the Cats, asked the crowd, “Do you want the heat or the war? You have to pick one,” as he performed with his daughter. In anticipation of possible strikes, several Israeli cities have reopened municipal bomb shelters that had been closed since shortly after the US-brokered ceasefire on June 17, though Israel’s Home Front Command has not issued any new safety instructions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would travel to the United States on Monday, and the broader regional tension is underscored by rising hostilities between the United States and Iran, which have intensified after weeks of Iranian strikes against other Middle East countries, with the war potentially reaching Israel again.

In Uplifting News, on Shabbat Nachamu, Isaiah reminds us that human power is an illusion. The haftarah declares, “Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as the dust on the scales... All the nations are as nothing before Him” (Isaiah 40:15,17). It is one of the central messages of the haftarah read on the Sabbath immediately after Tisha B’Av, emphasizing that the rise and fall of nations and rulers do not compare with the enduring sovereignty of the Creator.

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/middle-east/article-903581
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-903585
https://www.jpost.com/judaism/torah-portion/article-903453