Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-09-06 at 12:02

HEADLINES
Greece signs $3.5B Israel defense deal
Iranian proxies strike Kurdistan as US withdraws
Canadian campus antisemitism report card unveiled

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, Greek premier, leaning into Israeli defense cooperation, courts Arab states as well. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, days after signing a $3.5 billion air defense deal with Israel amid concerns about Turkey, says he will visit Egypt this week and is planning a Saudi trip soon.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Iranian-backed militias have targeted the Kurdistan region with more than 1,000 drone and missile attacks since February 2026, and a US withdrawal could leave the area vulnerable, according to Rudaw. The United States has set a September 30 deadline to withdraw from Iraq, with reports that air defense systems in the Kurdistan Region will be removed as part of the agreement with the Iraqi government. Iraqi security official Qasim al-Araji said the withdrawal includes all defense systems, including those in Erbil, and the phased pullback has begun. The US side has expressed readiness to implement the agreement and withdraw by that date.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, the Central Elections Committee voted to allow party representatives inside polling stations to report in real time which voters have cast ballots, aiding turnout operations ahead of the October 27 election. The information does not reveal how anyone voted and is intended to help campaigns focus outreach on undecided or unvoted supporters, under restricted conditions that the High Court will review on Wednesday. The committee approved the proposal by 19 votes to 11, with three abstentions, departing from the chair’s earlier position that transferring identified voter information to parties was prohibited. Separately, MK Zvika Fogel said he will not run with Otzma Yehudit in the October elections, saying the path to continuing his activities in the Knesset is not possible as he had planned. Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir thanked him for his service and announced that Limor Son Har-Melech and Yitzhak Kreuzer would hold top slots on the party list. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad party released its list of candidates ahead of the full slate reveal, with Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid slated for the second slot after Bennett. The top slots after Lapid are to be held by women who previously served as senior director-generals in the public sector, including Keren Terner and Liran Avisar Ben Horin; Meirav Ben-Ari, an Yesh Atid MK who serves as opposition coordinator, is also included on the slate.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, New report flags widespread failures in Canadian universities’ antisemitism response. B’nai Brith Canada has launched its Canadian Campus Climate Report Card, part of Project Accountability, to evaluate the state of Jewish life and the climate for Jewish students as the new academic year begins. The pilot covers four universities: York University, the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and McGill University. Rather than catalog incidents, the report cards assess 28 criteria across administrative policies and actions, campus conduct and climate, and Jewish life on campus, using student surveys and policy reviews to gauge anti-hate measures, course offerings, kosher dining, and other factors. Chinese nationals accused of posing as descendants of Nazi victims to obtain German citizenship. The Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office is investigating 32 people, many of them Chinese, who allegedly claimed descent from Jews persecuted by the Nazis to gain citizenship, using falsified documents submitted to the German Federal Office of Administration in Cologne. The case centers on Germany’s Article 116(2) provisions for restoring citizenship to former citizens and their descendants. One example involves Liu H., reportedly obtaining German nationality under the name Derrick Wong as part of an international manhunt. ‘Al-Aqsa, be patient’: Chants against ‘Zionist scum’ heard at Damascus International Fair, report. At Damascus’s 63rd International Fair, themed “Syria Shines Again,” participants from about 60 countries and nearly 1,000 entities heard chants declaring, in Arabic, that Palestine would be liberated from the Zionist scum and that Al-Aqsa would be patient. Conference of European Rabbis launch seven-point manifesto to combat antisemitism in the EU. The seven-point manifesto, titled “A Call to End the Violent Hatred,” was unveiled in Brussels before a gathering of politicians, policymakers, and journalists. CER President Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt warned against accepting a fortified state of Jewish life as normal and urged governments to address not only security but the ideological and financial roots of anti-Jewish hatred, noting a rise in violence across Europe and citing incidents such as the torching of four Hatzola NW ambulances outside a synagogue.

In Israeli Economy and Business, PayPal layoffs hit Israel as payment giant restructures global operations. About 70 employees in Israel are being cut from the Tel Aviv development center, which builds artificial intelligence systems to analyze transactions in real time, detect fraud, prevent money laundering, and monitor user experience and mobile apps. The restructuring, part of a broader efficiency plan announced by CEO Enrique Lores, aims to reduce PayPal’s global workforce by about 20 percent, affecting more than 4,500 employees and aiming to save around $1.5 billion, with other cuts reported in Ireland, India, and San Jose.

In Uplifting News, “We’re broken parents who want a normal family”: Nova survivors raise the next generation. Survivors of the music festival massacre describe babies born after October 7 as a triumph over death, even as nightmares, hypervigilance, and fears for their children continue to shape everyday parenthood.

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.timesofisrael.com/greek-premier-leaning-into-israeli-defense-cooperation-courts-arab-states-as-well/
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-907730
https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-907732
https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-907719
https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-907717
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907729
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-907728
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-907726
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907721
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-907722
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sj06ld9ofl