Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-18 at 22:01

HEADLINES
Eighth Night of US Strikes on Iran
Saka Hat-trick Seals England 6-4 France
Towering Ashurbanipal Stele Unearthed in Nineveh

The time is now 10:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, the United States has launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Saturday night, Central Command announced, marking the eighth consecutive night of attacks. CENTCOM said the strikes are designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who attacked American service members in Jordan last night. Iranian media reported strikes near the city of Hajiabad, with explosions heard near Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.

Earlier, CENTCOM announced that two US service members were killed in action, one missing in action, and four were injured during Iranian strikes on Friday in Jordan. The four injured service members were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged, with others evaluated for minor injuries returning to duty. CENTCOM said it would withhold further information, including the identities of the service members killed in action, until 24 hours after their next of kin have been identified.

Around the same period, a separate report described strikes near Sirik on the Strait of Hormuz around 1:30 a.m. local time, with another site near Hajiabad and explosions reported in Bandar Abbas and near Qeshm Island. In Iraq, a drone attack hit a base of a Kurdish dissident group near Irbil, wounding eight, and explosions were heard as air defenses responded. No group has claimed responsibility for these strikes.

In Uplifting News, England defeated France 6-4 to take third place in the World Cup in a Miami thriller, the highest-scoring match in the tournament since 1982. England raced to a four-goal lead by halftime, with Declan Rice opening the scoring in the third minute. France fought back in the second half with Mbappe scoring twice, but England extended its lead to 5-3 before France scored again to make it 5-4. Jude Bellingham then added a solo effort in stoppage time to seal a 6-4 victory. Bukayo Saka finished with a hat-trick and was named player of the match. England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, called the performance brilliant in the opening 45 minutes and noted the team had worked hard in a demanding schedule.

Archaeologists have discovered a rare stele dating to the reign of Ashurbanipal, about 2,600 years ago, at the Bab Shamash site in Nineveh province. The fragment, standing two meters tall and 1.55 meters wide, bears a large relief of Ashurbanipal on the front and two smaller reliefs on the back, along with cuneiform inscriptions detailing the king’s architectural works and achievements. The stele has been moved to the Inspectorate’s headquarters for initial restoration so it can be studied in depth. Ashurbanipal is remembered for building the Library of Ashurbanipal, believed to have housed over 100,000 texts, the largest collection of its kind until the Library of Alexandria.

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/iran-news/article-902889
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-july-19-2026/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ten-goal-thriller-england-beats-france-6-4-to-win-world-cups-third-place-play-off/
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-902841