Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-17 at 19:01

HEADLINES
- Iran hammers Kuwait, soldiers wounded
- First Full Ship Shock Trial Begins
- Emanuel warns Israel losing U.S. legitimacy

The time is now 7:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, the US Geological Survey said the experimental explosion yesterday off the coast of Ponce Inlet, Florida, measured at magnitude 3.9. A spokesman for the US Navy said the event was the first of two scheduled test events for Full Ship Shock Trials as part of the certification process for the Future USS Ted Stevens (DDG-128) under the DDG 51 Flight III Program.

In Regional Impacts, Iran fired several ballistic missiles and drones toward Kuwait on Friday, Kuwait's military said. Several Kuwaiti soldiers were wounded by falling shrapnel from intercepted targets, according to the military. Multiple sites were hit by the attack, including a power station, a water desalination plant, and other civilian infrastructure, with fires and material damage reported. The military noted that no civilians were wounded. Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for previous strikes on Kuwait and said it had struck and damaged a US military drone depot in Bahrain in response to US strikes last night. A senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mohsen Rezaei threatened that Tehran would move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations if the United States continues strikes.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, the Democratic Party's Israel problem runs deeper than Rahm Emanuel says. Emanuel, who is exploring a 2028 run for the presidency, visited Tel Aviv to warn that Israel is losing international legitimacy and that fundamental changes are needed to preserve the alliance with America. The piece argues that while Emanuel is right about strain, the story is broader: Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu is losing the Democratic Party, which has long been a friend, and is also facing shifts within the Republican ranks. The author rejects the view that outsiders have no right to critique and notes that this is a globally connected world where events in one country can ripple elsewhere; the piece also notes that Israel’s challenges contributed to the Democratic loss of the White House in 2024.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, the global war to delegitimize Israel: The war for which Israel built no shelters - opinion argues that Israel faces a sustained campaign to delegitimize its state through narratives, disinformation, lawfare, diplomatic isolation, media manipulation and psychological warfare designed to attack legitimacy rather than battlefield territory. It frames these efforts as a separate front in the broader conflict, with enemies using words and perceptions to undermine Israel, including accusations such as genocide and apartheid.

No, this isn't “Zionist propaganda.” The meme paraphrases Ismail Haniyeh's real Oct 2023 speech (Al-Mayadeen, translated by MEMRI): Hamas needs "the blood of the women, children and elderly" of Gaza to awaken revolutionary spirit and resolve against Israel. The piece notes that Hamas leaders have repeatedly glorified civilian sacrifice for their cause while using human shields, and says the core message conveyed by the translation is accurate.

In Uplifting News, Lost Holocaust music, nearly erased by Stalin, goes on tour in Asia recounts how 263 songs recorded in 1944 by Soviet Jewish ethnomusicologist Moisei Beregovsky from Ukrainian Jews freed from Romanian occupation were nearly lost during Stalin’s crackdown on Yiddish culture. The collection was rediscovered in the Vernadsky National Library in Kyiv in the 1990s, and 15 of those songs appear on Yiddish Glory: The Silenced Songs of World War II, released in April by Six Degrees Records, compiled by Anna Shternshis. The project brings the music to audiences in Asia.

Why Orthodox Jews are pushing back against permanent daylight saving time explains that while the Sunshine Protection Act would end clock changes, groups like Agudath Israel of America oppose permanent DST. They warn that winter sunrises would be pushed later, potentially past 9 a.m. in parts of the country, and that the change would disrupt morning synagogue prayer schedules for observant Jews, raising public safety and religious-life concerns.

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://t.me/DefenderDome/22240
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-902856
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-902588
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-902689
https://t.me/beholdisraelchannel/78335
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-902854
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-902853