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HEADLINES Kushner shapes Iran policy amid Oman talks Israel quietly funds Gaza militias, raising fears Barak's aliyah remark triggers moral backlash The time is now 1:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report. In the conflict with Iran and its Regional Proxies, tensions are centering on whether diplomacy or pressure will shape Tehran’s choices as talks surface in Oman and the broader regional calculus remains unsettled. Observers note that the United States, after pulling out of the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposing sanctions, faced a sequence of confrontations including Iran shooting down a US drone and attacks on oil tankers that prompted a regional force build-up and aborted strikes. Today, as Tehran and Washington hint at negotiations, some recall that, as a former president suggested, Iran has “never won a war” but “never lost a negotiation,” a framing that fuels debate over whether intensified pressure would drive policy change or if talks offer a different path. In related developments, a Hebrew-language report says Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is involved in efforts to find an alternative to the Iranian regime and is helping assemble a group of Iranian-American business leaders to advise on the issue. Separately, a night report notes that the United States has again urged its citizens to leave Iran immediately, warning of transport restrictions, internet cutoffs and the risk of detentions, with guidance to use land crossings into Armenia or Turkey. On the domestic side, a senior Republican official argued that the administration’s approach centers on nuclear concerns rather than protesters, with JD Vance saying the president has focused on nuclear weapons as a core national issue, reflecting the domestic emphasis within the foreign policy posture. In a formal note, the Iranian foreign minister was reported arriving in Muscat, Oman. In the Disputed Territories (Gaza, Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem), Israel quietly backs anti-Hamas militias in Gaza with millions in funding; fears of blowback resurface. Weapons, cash and protection; foreign reports say Israel is supporting rival armed groups in Gaza to counter Hamas, reviving memories of past proxy failures and raising concern the guns could one day be turned on Israeli troops. In Israeli Domestic Politics, People, not products: Ehud Barak’s 'quality control' aliyah comment is a moral failure - editorial, editors weigh in on the Epstein Files fallout with focus on remarks attributed to Ehud Barak about immigration to Israel. The piece argues that while leaders can debate housing, jobs, infrastructure, and schools in plain terms, the notion of “quality control” belongs to products, not people, and describes Barak’s reported view that Israel could absorb a large number of immigrants but should be more selective, a stance critics say reduces human beings to a sorting exercise and carries a morally charged implication about who counts as desirable arrivals. 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-885784 https://t.me/newssil/190357 https://t.me/newssil/190356 https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-885807 https://t.me/newssil/190351 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1ddng7wwe https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-885794