Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-13 at 12:05

HEADLINES
Fragile ceasefire holds as Iran proxies test
Gaza Hamas weakened as hostage issue stalls
Houthi attack toward Tel Aviv triggers alarms

The time is now 8:00 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

Good morning. At 8:00 a.m., the region remains on edge as a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds for now, even as Tehran’s network of proxies across the Middle East continues to test the pause and keep regional security fragile. Washington has signaled its ongoing willingness to coordinate with allies in pursuing a stance of deterrence and readiness, a posture that in public discussion aligns with Israel’s insistence on security through strength.

In Gaza, Hamas’s capabilities appear constrained compared with the height of the war, even as the hostage issue and the humanitarian situation keep the conflict in a state of limbo. Israeli operations over recent weeks have targeted what the army says are Hamas command and control nodes as well as infrastructure used to plan and execute attacks. While the group’s leadership remains in place, analysts note that the ability to coordinator large-scale operations is diminished, a factor that could influence any future ceasefire discussions. Families of hostages remain anxious, with some reports suggesting attempts to strike a balance between pressure on Hamas and the practicalities of secure releases.

On the broader front, Iran’s proxies in the region continue to complicate any stable quiet. In Syria and Lebanon, regional actors are watching closely as Damascus asserts its posture under a government that remains dependent on external support while trying to keep domestic and cross-border pressures manageable. In southern Lebanon, Lebanese authorities and political actors have signaled a desire to curb the operative space of nonstate actors aligned with Tehran, even as security conditions along the border remain tense. The activity in these areas underscores a reality noted by observers: the ceasefire is deeply transactional, dependent on both enforcement on the ground and assurances that proxy forces will not escalate while formal negotiations proceed.

In Yemen, Houthi missiles and drones have continued to puncture the region’s security calculus. An early-morning strike toward Tel Aviv triggered air-raid alerts across central Israel, with the Israeli defense establishment saying interceptors disabled the threat and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage from debris. The Houthis have claimed the projectiles carried cluster-warhead capabilities, a claim that has drawn attention to the evolving sophistication of the group’s weaponry and the risk it poses to civilian communities well beyond Yemen’s shores. Israeli forces have responded with targeted strikes against Houthi facilities and leadership nodes in Yemen in an ongoing campaign to degrade the group’s ability to project power toward Israel.

Domestic Israeli developments continue to unfold in parallel with the regional crisis. The country has been navigating humanitarian and security imperatives in Gaza while continuing to emphasize deterrence and the protection of civilians. In a recent development related to Israeli civilians abroad, reporting details have emerged about the complex and often painful chapters of captivity and release, including reporting on the conditions surrounding the release of an Israeli woman held in Iraq and how international dynamics and domestic policy intersected with those events. The military and political leadership have reiterated a commitment to securing safe returns for hostages and to maintaining readiness across border theaters.

Internationally, the broader strategic picture features a United States that, under its current discourse, has emphasized a “peace through strength” approach in alignment with Israel’s security objectives. A...