Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-08 at 15:02

HEADLINES
Six F-35s for Turkey pending ban lift
Israel's NYC consulate reopens after safety scare
IMEC route rerouted via Syria, Israel sidelined

The time is now 3:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, Turkey is expected to receive six F-35 fighter jets from the United States as part of an initial transaction, Bloomberg News reported, citing Turkish officials familiar with the matter. The deal would depend on US President Donald Trump reversing the ban on Ankara's purchase of the latest-generation American fighters. Turkey had originally planned to buy around 40 jets before tensions with Washington and with allies like Israel and Greece led to the block. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pressed for the deal to move forward, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned against arming the Turks. US lawmakers warned the Trump administration on June 28 that selling the jets could pose a security risk given Turkey's defense ties with Russia and its use of the S-400 air defense system. Trump praised Erdogan at the NATO summit, calling him a strong leader.

In Regional Impacts, Israel's New York Consulate will reopen on Thursday with police approval following safety issues at a nearby building. Consular employees were evacuated from the 2nd Avenue location on Tuesday after being alerted that the nearby 37-story building was at risk of collapsing, with buckled columns observed on the 21st and 22nd floors of the 42nd Street building and floors sagging. Besides the consulate, nearby buildings, including a school, were evacuated, and streets were closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic, with no injuries reported. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the building remains unstable and noted that a team of emergency responders would stay on scene. Separately, Saudi Arabia is exploring a significant shift in the proposed India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor, seeking to sideline Israel from the trade initiative by rerouting the corridor through Syria instead, according to two sources. The IMEC project envisions a network of railways, ports, and shipping lanes linking India with Europe via the Gulf and the Eastern Mediterranean, and from its inception Israel’s role was tied to broader normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia; the new discussions would alter that dynamic by changing the route.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Trump praised Netanyahu, saying that with a weak prime minister "Israel wouldn't exist."

In Israeli Domestic Politics, analysis from a Middle East scholar suggests the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza will fail, arguing that only an emirate-style system in which local clans govern independent districts could effectively rule Gaza and that Hamas must be removed first; the scholar notes the Palestinian Emirates Plan would rely on clan-based governance across Gaza and parts of the West Bank. Meanwhile, MK Moshe Gafni, leader of Degel HaTorah, urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to advance the Basic Law: Torah Study bill unchanged despite legal warnings that its current wording could provide Torah students with benefits similar to reservists. Joint List Party Chairman MK Ayman Odeh is set to meet United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York to discuss the Arab crime wave in Israel, saying the government will close doors to them in the fight against crime and that international attention is needed to address the crisis.

In Uplifting News, the remains of IDF soldier Private Yaakov Zrihan, killed during Israel's War of Independence, were identified after being found in an unmarked mass grave in Kiryat Enavim; the grave also contained the remains of seven additional IDF soldiers, and the find comes after a 15-year investigation by the IDF Missing Persons Branch that included document analysis, witness interviews, soil analyses, and archaeological surveys. A state ceremony will be planned for the late private. Separately, the start of the swimming season has been noted.

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-901902
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-901923
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-901922
https://t.me/hnaftali/23822
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-901903
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-901918
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-901904
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-901913
https://t.me/newssil/206211