Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-06 at 23:07

HEADLINES
Hostages drive Israel Gaza campaign dilemma
Iran proxies strain as Hezbollah weakened
Spain weighs arms embargo on Israel

The time is now 7:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

At 7:00 PM, authorities and observers survey a regional security picture still shaped by an uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Iran, even as Tehran tests regional levers through its networks and proxies. In the most visible strand, Israel continues its Gaza operations with attention on the remaining hostages and the broader aim of degrading Hamas’s military capacity. Within this context, observers note that support for a rapid, decisive victory among the Israeli public is tempered by concern over civilian harm and the strategic cost of a protracted confrontation. Polls reflect a cautious mood: about 46% of Israelis believe the Gaza operation has a low chance of defeating Hamas, 38% express confidence it will succeed, and 16% are unsure, highlighting the political andmilitary breadth of opinion as the campaign evolves.

On the battlefield and in the broader proxy theater, Iran’s influence remains a central underside of the conflict. Provisional arrangements and signaling from Tehran have kept channels open, but the operational strength of Iran’s most visible affiliates is described by many analysts as degraded compared to the peak of recent years. Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon has been described in various readings as diminished in leverage and capability relative to the intensity of past confrontations, while Lebanese authorities and security forces continue to press to reduce Hezbollah’s autonomy inside the state. In Syria, discussions around the future arrangement of governance and security alignments are ongoing, with regional actors weighing how any reshaping of the battlefield would affect Israel’s security environment. In Yemen, Houthi attacks persist, contributing to a broader pattern of cross‑regional instability that complicates diplomacy and casualty risk along multiple frontlines.

Internationally, a set of developments underscores a tense global backdrop to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Spain has signaled a potential acceleration of an arms embargo on Israel, a move that would affect defense and technology transfers at a time when Israel argues its security needs are driven by existential threats. In the wake of contested debates over genocide allegations in Gaza, hundreds of scholars have urged the International Association of Genocide Scholars to retract its resolution, arguing that it distorts legal standards and misplaces accountability in the Gaza crisis. The exchange showcases the ongoing friction within academic and legal communities over how best to describe and respond to the violence in Gaza.

Across the Atlantic, scrutiny of foreign interference in public discourse continues to travel with the conflict. A creative collaboration between media, culture, and diplomacy is in focus as a new Israeli government effort to organize public diplomacy within the Foreign Ministry aims to counter misinformation and hateful rhetoric online. In parallel, a separate narrative highlights Iran’s global footprint in antisemitic activity, with reporting detailing attacks linked to Iranian proxies abroad and the international response to Iran’s broader campaign against Jewish communities. Australian authorities have moved to cut diplomatic ties with Iran and to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization, a policy step framed as part of a broader strategy to deter Iran’s external aggression. The United Kingdom saw clashes at a London protest supporting the now-banned Palestine Action, with hundreds arrested during an unauthorized rally, a reflection of mounting tensions over how pro‑Palestinian activism is policed in Europe.

Within Israel itself, domestic stories color the...