Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-09-15 at 01:05

HEADLINES
Israel Iran ceasefire teeters as proxies pressed
Israel to reconsider AG firing in committee
US Europe coordinate Russia sanctions against Moscow

The time is now 9:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

Good evening. This is the nine o’clock update.

Tensions in the region remain high as the uneasy ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds by a thread, with both sides signaling resolve while many questions about scale and timing persist. Israel emphasizes its right to defend itself against threats linked to Tehran and its network of proxies, even as it signals a preference for calibrated responses to avoid broader escalation. Iran, for its part, frames its actions as legitimate deterrence and retaliation against what it calls external interference. The broader picture shows Iran’s proxies under pressure: in Syria, the government’s posture remains unstable and dependent on shifting regional dynamics, while in Lebanon Hezbollah has suffered losses that Lebanese authorities and regional observers say complicate the group’s presence on the border. Hamas’s operational capacity in Gaza appears diminished, yet the hostage crisis continues to complicate any attempt at a durable pause in hostilities.

On the humanitarian and health front, Israel’s health system remains in a state of high readiness. Sheba Medical Center is publicizing the wartime care framework it has built over decades, designed to manage mass casualty situations and coordinate complex medical logistics during emergencies. Officials point to these lessons as applicable not only to conflict scenarios but to civilian health emergencies that could arise from regional volatility.

Diplomatically, the United States and its allies watch developments carefully. Former President Donald Trump has praised Qatar as a “great ally” and urged Israel to be “very careful” following a strike on Doha, arguing that efforts against Hamas must be balanced to prevent widening conflict. In Washington, officials say any move to sanction Russia would be coordinated with Europe, reflecting a shared aim of pressuring Moscow while maintaining allied unity. Across these threads, the overarching aim from US policy voices remains to pursue peace through strength in close collaboration with Israel and other regional partners.

Attention also turns to the Korean peninsula, where Pyongyang maintains its position that nuclear weapons are an inevitable component of national defense, a stance that continues to shape regional deterrence calculations and international diplomacy.

In the digital and tech sphere, the TikTok debate continues, with the Trump administration weighing additional deadlines for ByteDance to sell or otherwise divest, a move that would align digital policy with national security considerations amid broader US-China competition.

Meanwhile, international headlines include the arrest of Simon Leviev, known as the “Tinder Swindler,” on arrival in Batumi, Georgia, with authorities citing unclear grounds for detention. In the United States, a confrontation at Santa Monica Pier reflects the volatile emotions surrounding the Gaza crisis, as pro-Palestinian protesters clash with others when a hostage family member speaks Hebrew in public.

In Europe, Spain’s La Vuelta has become a flashpoint in the capital as police and protesters clashed, prompting organizers to cancel the podium ceremony amid political controversy. Across the Pacific, Australia’s new risk assessment warns of a surge in extreme weather events in coming years, stressing the strain on emergency services, health systems, and infrastructure.

Domestically in Israel, the government continues to weigh its approach to the attorney general matter. Late-night filings indicate a willingness to reconsider the firing of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara...