Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-05-26 at 14:01

HEADLINES
Starlink price dispute fuels Iran drone warfare
IDF pushes deeper into Lebanon, Hezbollah threat
Belgian report: Jews most targeted in 2025

The time is now 2:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, senior SpaceX officials argued the Pentagon should be paying more for access to Starlink’s satellite Wi‑Fi network as US kamikaze drones guided by Starlink began to show results in the war with Iran. Within weeks of the bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met with Pentagon officials and said the military had been paying about $5,000 per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service valued closer to $25,000, according to two sources familiar with the matter and Pentagon documents reviewed by Reuters. The dispute over Starlink’s use on the LUCAS drones, a cheaper US model comparable to Iran’s Shahed that can circle a target area before detonation, is part of rising tensions between SpaceX and the Pentagon over Starlink pricing in recent months, according to five people familiar with the matter and the documents. The Pentagon, which is seeking to help Iranian citizens bypass government-imposed communications blackouts, has also been at odds with SpaceX over pricing for a plan to provide direct-to-cell connections with Starlink.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, the IDF pushed deeper into Lebanon to blunt Hezbollah drone threat as Netanyahu said troops were expanding the security zone beyond the yellow line, targeting Hezbollah positions and weapons depots while FPV drones slowed operations near the border.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Belgium’s threat analysis body said the Jewish community remained the most common target of extremist or terrorist threats in 2025, with Islamist extremism still the largest threat category; the total number of threat reports fell from 213 in 2024 to 157 in 2025, and 39% of reports related to Islamist extremism, with 86% of individuals in the joint database linked to Islam or Islamist ideology and about a quarter of reports tied to foreign affairs. Separately, Elizabeth Pipko, a former Republican National Committee spokeswoman, spoke of fear for herself and her family as she described how America has changed and said she remains deeply connected to Jewish identity and American patriotism as she prepares to appear at The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference in New York in June. A column in this section argued that Jewish safety should not be a political disagreement and urged New York City’s mayor to condemn attacks on Jews, noting the mayor’s first-day action of rescinding the IHRA definition of antisemitism. A UN Watch report accused 13 of 59 UN special rapporteurs of ideological bias, conflicts of interest, and funding links to Qatar, Russia, and China, while alleging praise for authoritarian regimes and public support for Hamas by some envoys.

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/international/article-897375
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rk11ez87xfe
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-897381
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-897376
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-897251
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skhi5nqxze