HEADLINES
Trump escalates threats on Iran over Hormuz
Knesset approves rabbinical and Sharia arbitration
Tel Aviv protests 21 arrested in clashes

The time is now 11:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In US Military Role, President Donald Trump said the United States was in talks with a “more reasonable regime” to end the war in Iran, but he repeated his warning to Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk US strikes on its oil wells and power plants. He wrote on social media that if a deal is not reached soon and the Hormuz Strait is not opened immediately, the United States would end its “lovely stay” in Iran by blowing up and destroying all of their electric generating plants, oil wells and Kharg Island, and he also threatened to attack the desalination plants that supply clean water. Trump noted a pause on attacks on Iran’s energy plants for 10 days, until April 6, US time. While he says progress is being made in talks with a “more reasonable regime,” he has also been sending more US troops to the region, prompting Iran’s parliament speaker to accuse Washington of signaling possible negotiations while planning a ground invasion, which Tehran denies.

In US Policy Concerning Israel, an opinion piece argues that the Iran war is really about US credibility. The piece notes that for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, defeat could destabilize the regime, collapse an already fragile economy, trigger internal upheaval, and damage Iran’s image in the Shi’ite world. It highlights Hassan Nasrallah’s August 2021 speech on Al-Manar TV in Lebanon as part of a broader argument that the erosion of America’s image in the Middle East did not occur overnight but through a series of turning points that chipped away at trust and deterrence, including the Iraq War in 2003. The author emphasizes that understanding the full picture requires examining moments when the United States appeared to lose grip, resolve, and commitment to its partners and allies.

In Israeli Domestic Politics, Israel Police arrested 21 anti-war protesters Saturday night as demonstrations against the conflict with Iran expanded across Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and Beersheba. Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and about 100 in Haifa, marking the largest turnout since weekly demonstrations began. Authorities said 13 people were arrested in Tel Aviv and eight in Haifa; the gatherings were not approved under Home Front Command regulations banning events with more than 50 people. Officials said organizers opposing the government had called for protests despite restrictions, and Hadash-Ta’al chairman Ayman Odeh criticized the police response, calling officers fascists. In a separate development, complaints against judges rose sharply in 2025, with 1,100 complaints filed up from 770 in 2024. The average handling time for complaints examined on the merits stood at 228 days, and 474 complaints remained unresolved at year’s end, a context shaped by a long vacancy in the office of the Judicial Complaints Commissioner before Asher Kula took the post in July 2025. A third item notes that the Knesset approved a law allowing rabbinical and Sharia courts to arbitrate certain civil disputes, pitched as expanding choice. Critics warn it could alter the relation between state law and religious authority, since arbitration is a private mechanism and the law would grant these religious bodies a larger role in civil matters while state courts retain a supervisory function. The measure passed 65-41 after a late-night debate, raising questions about consent and the balance of power between communities and public law.

In Uplifting News, a sandstone stele dating to the reign of Roman Emperor Tiberius (14 to 37 CE) was found near Luxor, Egypt, by a team of Egyptian and French archaeologists. The stele depicts Tiberius standing before the Theban triad of the gods Amun (or Amun-Ra), Mut, and Khonsu. Below the scene are five lines of hieroglyphic text documenting the restoration of the retaining wall of Amun’s Temple within the Karnak Temple Complex. Dr. Abdel Ghaffar Wagdy, director-general of Luxor Museum and leader of the Egyptian team, said the stele will be displayed at a museum in the future. The discovery came during three years of restoration work on a gateway dating to the Ramesses III period; to restore the gate, archaeologists dismantled and carefully reassembled each stone block, after uncovering a lower section of the wall that had deteriorated and been overgrown with vegetation.

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-891661
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-891548
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-891685
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-891679
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-891666
https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-891653