Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2026-03-12 at 07:02

HEADLINESIsrael blasts Iran nuclear site Parchin-Taleghan 2PMF bases struck; over a dozen killedQatar media frames Iran war negativelyThe time is now 7:02 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.In Operation Lion's Roar, the IDF said it struck Iran's advanced explosives experiments facility at Parchin-Taleghan 2, a site tied to the AMAD-era nuclear weapons program and located just south of Tehran. Satellite imagery released on February 2 showed Iran rebuilding at Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin-Taleghan 2 to conceal the status of its nuclear program. Israeli officials have cited other developments in recent weeks, with March 3 statements from IDF leadership naming a secret Iranian nuclear weapons development site called Min Zadai on the northeast outskirts of Tehran and saying intelligence followed nuclear scientists who attempted to travel there, and with a March 8 acknowledgment of the seriousness of the Parchin-Taleghan 2 site amid questions about prior claims of destruction.In the Conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, airstrikes hit multiple bases belonging to Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including a camp in Qaim on the western border with Syria, with ten members of the PMF killed in that strike. Rudaw reported that more than a dozen PMF fighters were killed in two separate strikes on bases in Kirkuk and Anbar provinces in the early hours of Thursday, part of a pattern of repeated strikes against PMF sites that have Iranian links and have been targeted in the broader regional confrontation. Separately, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz contradicted some IDF positions by warning of a possible large invasion of Lebanon if Hezbollah’s rocket fire continues, while IDF sources said they were not currently favoring a full-scale invasion and viewed it as a potential option only if the situation with Iran stabilizes. The confrontation across the region has been framed by Israeli officials as centered on Iran, with Lebanon{,} Hamas, and other fronts acting as secondary theaters. Elsewhere, Israel’s recognition of Somaliland has raised the prospect of an Israeli base on the Red Sea coast to gather intelligence against Yemen’s Houthis, though officials said discussions about a military base would come later. At the same time, the IDF said Hezbollah’s heavy barrage had produced mixed results for its defenses, with more than 200 rockets fired overnight and Iron Dome and other defenses shooting down most drones, while some rockets still caused damage as the war with Iran remains the dominant theater.In US Policy Concerning Israel, a new study finds that Qatar’s English-language media landscape framed the war against Iran in sharply negative terms, underscoring a gap between Doha’s US alliance and its public messaging. The Jewish People Policy Institute analyzed dozens of English-language columns, articles, and videos published between January 28 and March 8, 2026, and found a consistent pattern of harsh criticism that often characterized the campaign as politically motivated, legally dubious, or morally illegitimate, with little emphasis on Qatar’s own security role as host of a major American air base. The study notes that before the conflict began, about 77.8% of the material reviewed was classified as very negative, with 5.6% negative, and overall 89% of publications expressed negative sentiment toward the prospect of war; after fighting began, negative framing remained prevalent.In Israeli Domestic Politics, a Beersheba District Court acquitted Assaf Shmuelevitz, the former IDF officer central to the so-called “fake officer” case, by reason of insanity. The court determined that while he carried out the acts charged, he was suffering from mental illness and was in a psychotic state at the time, depriving him of criminal responsibility. The ruling closes the criminal phase of one of the more unusual wartime security cases to emerge from the aftermath of October 7, noting that the psychiatric evaluation supported the insanity defense and that he would be subject to whatever processes follow the acquittal.In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, Never Is Now, the ADL’s flagship summit, is set for March 16 and 17 in New York City, bringing together policymakers, activists, and innovators to confront rising hate and shape strategies for the future. The organization cites its 2024 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, which tallies 9,354 incidents—the highest annual total since the ADL began tracking such data 46 years ago—and notes a 344 percent rise over the past five years. A Blue Square Alliance finding shows antisemitic attitudes now affect about 25% of the population, with Jews, though representing roughly 2% of the US population, accounting for nearly 70% of faith-based hate. Summit participants will explore responses to this surge in hate and consider actions to curb it.In Israeli Economy and Business, Onyx Security unveiled a $40 million funding round led by Conviction Partners and Cyberstarts to build what it calls a secure AI control plane for autonomous AI agents in the enterprise. The platform aims to discover AI agents, monitor their reasoning steps, and approve, block, or correct actions in real time as organizations deploy AI-driven security and governance across engineering, customer service, and other functions. Founding CEO Maxim Bar Kogan said enterprises are becoming agent operators, with AI systems gaining access to sensitive internal platforms and critical business processes, highlighting the new operational and security risks posed by autonomous agents and the need for governance tools that traditional security stacks were not built to address.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.SOURCEShttps://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-889729https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-889728https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-889725https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-889715https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-889713https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-889719https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-889724https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-889672https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-889727