HEADLINES
Israel’s Sde Teiman accountability showdown
Russia expands security ties with Egypt
Saudi slows normalization demands Palestinian statehood

The time is now 7:00 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

Good evening. At seven o’clock, here is the hour’s briefing on the Middle East and related security developments shaping the region and its beyond.

Israel faces a domestic debate over accountability tied to two high-profile matters. First, the Sde Teiman affair has raised questions about how responsibility is assigned within security institutions. Second, the military advocate-general issue has intensified concerns that legal mechanisms once used to support public governance could be employed in ways that influence political discourse and public accountability. The discussions moving through Israeli public life reflect a broader tension between security imperatives and the norms that guide democratic oversight of the security establishment.

Turning to regional and international security dynamics, Russia’s security diplomacy continues to unfold in the Middle East as a large Russian delegation led by Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian leadership and senior ministers. The discussions, according to Russian officials, focus on military and military-technical cooperation and ongoing agreements reached at the highest levels. Egypt maintains close ties with Moscow, while also balancing relations with Western partners and Gulf states amid the strains of the Ukraine conflict and the Gaza conflict. The delegation includes officials from arms export, space, nuclear sectors and multiple ministries, signaling a broad effort to coordinate security and strategic capabilities in the region.

In Washington’s Gulf watch, Saudi Arabia has signaled that it will not formalize full ties with Israel during Mohammed bin Salman’s White House visit. Riyadh says progress toward normalization will depend on a credible path to Palestinian statehood and a viable political horizon. At the same time, the defense agreement framework with the United States appears to be scaled back, with expectations that such arrangements will shape the United States role in Gulf security. The broader backdrop is a regional calibration in which Gulf partners weigh security guarantees against the political realities of a stalled peace process, while the United States seeks to maintain influence through security arrangements and diplomacy.

On the international financing front, a World Bank-backed draft UN resolution seeks to mobilize resources for Gaza’s reconstruction, with initial estimates around seventy billion dollars. The proposal aims to align financial institutions with reconstruction needs while highlighting the scale of rebuilding required after conflict in the territory. The resolution underscores international attention to humanitarian and development needs alongside ongoing security concerns in the region.

In the United States, political discourse at the highest levels continues to reflect deep concern about the state of democracy and governance. Reports indicate that former President Joe Biden, speaking at a Democratic gathering, criticized President Donald Trump for actions he described as harmful to the country’s institutions, emphasizing a defense of constitutional norms and the rule of law. The remarks illustrate how domestic political shifts in the United States intersect with international policy debates and discussions about security alliances and regional posture.

On the Yemen front, reports from Yemeni sources, corroborated by outlets reporting in Arabic, indicate that senior Houthi figures have sustained injuries in recent strikes, with one minister reported to be in critical condition following August attacks attributed to Israeli operations. The same sources note that the Houthi leadership, including the movement’s top commander, has signaled a readiness to escalate actions if current hostilities resume, stating that renewed aggression against Gaza would be answered with a renewed campaign against Israel. These accounts reflect the persistent volatility of the region’s proxy and militia dynamics and the way such developments can influence security calculations across borders.

Taken together, these threads show a region pulsating with competing interests and security calculations. Israel’s internal debate over accountability and governance sits alongside the evolution of security partnerships with major powers, as Gulf states weigh the terms of engagement with Israel against the demand for progress toward Palestinian statehood. At the same time, international financial and diplomatic efforts to address Gaza’s humanitarian and reconstruction needs are advancing in parallel with ongoing regional tensions, including the risk of escalation in Yemen and broader regional strategic alignments. The United States remains a central actor, shaping diplomatic and defense contours in consultation with regional partners, while Moscow and Cairo pursue cooperative arrangements that have implications for security and influence across the Middle East.

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/opinion/article-873249
https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-873229
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/11/shoigu-leads-large-russian-delegation-egypt-military-talks-ria-reports
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjmkik0ybe
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-873294
https://t.me/newssil/179076
https://t.me/Newss0nline/57026
https://t.me/Newss0nline/57025