Israel Update: September 22, 2025

In today's "Israel Update," the Iron Beam laser missile interceptor is a battlefield "game changer," plus correspondent Jodie Cohen details how Israeli citizens in Jerusalem's Old City are preparing for Rosh Hashanah.

From Sci-Fi to Reality: Israel’s Iron Beam Activated

Israel has flipped the switch on its Iron Beam, the world’s first operational laser air-defense system, promising to zap enemy rockets, drones, and mortars at the speed of light — and at a fraction of the cost of Iron Dome or Arrow interceptors.

Defense officials say the breakthrough will slash wartime expenses, save lives by neutralizing threats before sirens even sound, and mark a global first in real combat use.

With nationwide deployment coming in months, Israel’s battlefield just got a laser edge that could change modern warfare forever.

‘Praying for Peace’: Israelis Share New Year Hopes in Jerusalem’s Old City

Newsmax Israel correspondent Jodie Cohen visited Jerusalem’s Old City ahead of Rosh Hashanah, speaking with residents in the Jewish Quarter about the meaning of the holiday and their hopes for the new year.

One woman told her, “This year we pray that all of the hostages kidnapped so brutally to Gaza will be returned to Israel.” Another woman shared, “I’m really praying for peace.”

And another resident reflected more broadly, saying the High Holidays represent a moment when Jewish people “dream about the year ahead, about what we can become and what the world can become — and are tasked to make that into a reality.”

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