Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-07-15 at 12:02

HEADLINES
- Mottaki Urges Iran Base Seizure and Hostages
- US Strikes Iran as Syria Pressures Israel
- Sofer Won't Run as War Wounds Deepen

The time is now 12:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Iranian Retaliation, Former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki called for Iran to launch a ground war, infiltrate and seize a US military base in the Middle East, and take thousands of US personnel hostage in Iran as retaliation for strikes. He said Iran should kidnap hundreds or thousands of US soldiers in retaliation for the US strikes and threats to invade Iran's Kharg Island and other major oil facilities in southern Iran. He also cited Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding talks between the US and Iran as a deception plan and urged the negotiating team to explain themselves if they still doubt it. He spoke of vengeance, domestically and internationally, following the strikes.

In US Military Role, New US strikes target Iran as Syria presses Israel to withdraw.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, On Wednesday, Ofir Sofer said he will not run in the next Knesset. He described daily pain from his sons-in-law rotating in and out of Gaza and Lebanon, and his son, an officer in the Paratroopers, having been wounded in Gaza. Sofer carries Joseph’s Tomb and has publicly spoken about his injuries from 1996, choosing measured remarks in public. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is the architect of the draft evasion law, former prime minister Naftali Bennett said, calling it a desecration of Religious Zionism. Bennett urged Smotrich to step aside, saying the government is pushing horrific laws and telling soldiers to hold on as the country faces continued conflict in Lebanon; he added that there are 104 days of plunder and evasion ahead and that reinforcement is on the way. Bennett dismissed the claim that Prime Minister Netanyahu was compelled to pass these laws to preserve the right-wing bloc as nonsense. Police discovered two illegal infiltrators hiding in the trunk of a vehicle at a Jerusalem-area checkpoint, including a wanted terrorist suspected of planning an imminent attack. In a separate incident, two additional illegal infiltrators were arrested after using forged Israeli identification documents.

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-902607
https://www.jpost.com/podcast/jpost-headlines/article-902616
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-902623
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-902563
https://t.me/JewishNews24/57200