Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-03 at 13:01

HEADLINES
US Warns Tehran Amid Ceasefire Negotiations
Israel Builds Temporary Terror Prosecution System
Venezuela Praises Israeli Aid Thawing Ties

The time is now 1:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Direct Israel-Iran Clashes, American officials reportedly feared Israel might target senior Iranian negotiators and political leaders, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, during ceasefire talks. The concern prompted US warnings to Tehran through regional intermediaries and heightened security measures for Iranian delegations. The Israeli prime minister issued a statement on the report, calling it a complete fabrication of reality.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Mike Huckabee argues that the shared values binding the United States and Israel are as vital as ever as America marks its 250th year. He connects America’s founding ideals to a biblical sense of rights, noting the declaration that all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and says those ideas have shaped a long history of partnership between the two democracies.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, police arrested two people for allegedly attacking activists with the Democrats party in Tel Aviv’s south, at the Hatikvah Market, with Deputy Mayor Chen Arieli among those targeted. Video shows activists being cursed at, their equipment overturned, and at least one person appearing to strike an activist; Arieli said the incident underscores a political climate she describes as a new reality in which campaigning in certain neighborhoods is difficult. Separately, as Israel marks 1,000 days since the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, the state is preparing for what officials describe as the largest terrorism prosecutions in its history. A dedicated temporary justice system is being built, with more than one billion shekels approved and work under way at Atarot in northern Jerusalem to host a military tribunal. Prosecuting hundreds of defendants across dozens of locations will require managing a vast evidentiary record, a large witness pool, and security considerations; the first trials are not expected before 2028.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Ellie Cohanim has been named Senior Policy Advisor at the US Mission to the United Nations by US Ambassador Mike Waltz. Born in Tehran, Cohanim’s family fled the Islamic Revolution in 1979 and rebuilt their life in New York. Her career includes roles as deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism and work on the Abraham Accords’ Warm Peace initiative. Waltz described her appointment as reflecting the conviction and courage needed at the United Nations as she continues to defend freedom and speak out against antisemitism.

In Uplifting News, Venezuela praises Israeli aid after the 17-year diplomatic freeze, with Interim President Delcy Rodríguez thanking Israel for sending disaster experts and Venezuela’s chief rabbi saying the mission could mark a first step toward restoring ties with Jerusalem. A Hebrew-language post echoes the sentiment, noting that relations between Israel and Venezuela had been severed in 2009 under Hugo Chávez.

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/selena_updates/66565
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-901219
https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-arrest-2-for-allegedly-attacking-democrats-party-activists-in-south-tel-aviv/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-901283
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-901351
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h16cvdhqgg
https://t.me/abualiexpress/125902