Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-13 at 17:01

HEADLINES
US vows to hit Iran hard tonight
Houthis end four-year Gulf de-escalation
Hamas blocks Gaza aid despite UN warnings

The time is now 5:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, the president said the United States will hit Iran hard tonight and tomorrow, and that Tehran did not honor the memorandum of understanding. He added that the current US military action could last two to three weeks, and he was not interested in answering whether Israel would intervene in the strikes tonight.

In Regional Impacts, a United Nations official said Hamas is obstructing aid distribution in the Gaza Strip, placing civilians under greater hardship. The UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories said humanitarian workers had to halt activity on Saturday after armed men entered a food distribution point in northern Gaza and assaulted two World Food Program truck drivers. The deputy special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, said these incidents are not isolated and reflect a dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations, which places aid workers at risk and disrupts life-saving assistance as civilians in Gaza endure dire conditions.

In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, Yemen’s Houthis fired multiple ballistic missiles at Abha International Airport and two Saudi air bases after accusing Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport, with Saudi defenses intercepting missiles heading toward the southern region. The Saudi-led coalition said the strikes ended a four-year de-escalation, and the Houthis blamed Riyadh for the Sanaa attack. In a separate development, the Houthis quickly retaliated after Riyadh struck Sanaa airport, signaling growing confidence despite Iran’s broader involvement in the conflict and underscoring what analysts describe as a gradual erosion of deterrence across the Gulf.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, Democratic senators led by Kirsten Gillibrand urged the Trump administration to disclose within a week the findings from a US military investigation into the February 28 strike at a girls’ school in Iran. The lawmakers noted an earlier internal assessment, reported by Reuters, that US forces were likely responsible for the deadly strike in Minab on the war’s opening day, which Iranian officials say killed more than 175 children and teachers. The Pentagon said the investigation is ongoing and there are no updates to announce. Separately, President Trump announced a 20% cargo fee on all goods moved through the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States would renew a blockade of Iranian ports near the waterway, declaring the US the guardian of the Hormuz Strait. The blockade is set to resume a Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, and oil prices rose while stocks declined in the wake of the announcement.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, analysis of the Ro Khanna incident shows both the IDF and Khanna’s entourage releasing additional information, with video evidence painting a more nuanced picture of last week’s detainment in the West Bank. The episode centered on questions over whether the area had become a closed military zone and on claims that settlers with M-4 rifles blocked the group from leaving Khirbet Zanuta, where Palestinian residents were displaced in December 2024. The incident highlights the tensions Israel faces in the West Bank and the fragility of US-Israel perceptions. The Knesset’s plenum approved a contentious haredi-backed bill to enshrine Torah study as a fundamental value in Israel’s Basic Law, passing 63 to 52 after weeks of coalition friction and warnings that it could encourage draft evasion and alter the status of yeshiva students who do not serve. With Oct. 27 set as election day by the House Committee, Israelis abroad face a scramble for scarce plane tickets as absentee voting remains limited, and opposition leaders, led by Yair Lapid, vow to repeal the coalition’s legislative blitz and pledge to repair Israel, including a plan for a state commission of inquiry into government failures during the October 7 Hamas attacks.

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-902414
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/un-official-says-hamas-obstructing-aid-gaza
https://worldisraelnews.com/houthis-fire-ballistic-missiles-at-saudi-airport-air-bases-after-sanaa-strike/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk410hmnzl
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-902410
https://worldisraelnews.com/trump-announces-20-hormuz-cargo-fee-renewed-blockade-of-iranian-ports/
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-902409
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902405
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-902402
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902400