The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump indicated during a Wednesday cabinet meeting that progress in talks with Iran on a deal to end the war had slowed, departing from his assertion at the start of the week that an agreement was nearly finalized.
On Thursday, Israelis awoke to the news that the US had struck Iranian targets for a second time this week for "defensive" purposes. Later in the morning, it was reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted an American base in retaliation for US strikes on the country’s south.
At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to broaden its activities against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Magid helps us unravel where things stand in the negotiations, even as the ceasefire appears to be evermore fragile and the chances for a deal increasingly remote.
Also during the Wednesday cabinet meeting, for the second time this week, the president suggested he may not sign a deal with Iran if neighboring Gulf countries do not normalize ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Magid explains how this stance could actually blow up in the face of the US.
In the second half of our program, we turn to the leadership vacuum in the Gaza Strip. Hamas on Wednesday confirmed the death of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of the terror group’s military wing, who Israel killed in a strike in Gaza City. Whatever happened with last month's elections to appoint a new Hamas head?
And finally, we hear the scoop behind Shin Bet chief David Zini's meeting with the Palestinian Authority’s exiled former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan during a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump says US ‘not satisfied’ in talks with Iran, days after claiming deal imminent
Soldier killed in Hezbollah drone attack as Israel widens strikes on terror group
Hamas confirms death of military chief Mohammed Odeh; defiant funeral held in Gaza City
Shin Bet head met exiled PA Gaza security chief Dahlan in UAE — sources
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As US President Donald Trump seeks to finalize an agreement with Iran that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz but won't limit the regime's ballistic missile program, thwart its nuclear ambitions or constrain its capacity to wage terrorism around the world, Horovitz discusses Israel’s absence from the negotiations and its need to assert its independent capacity to defend itself.
After National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunted hundreds of detainees from the latest flotilla and received only a light rebuke from Netanyahu, Horovitz recalls that the prime minister just a few years ago said that the hawkish Ben Gvir didn't represent Israel's values and would never have a seat in his government.
Ben Gvir is in charge of the prisons that New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has accused of carrying out the strategic sexual assault of Palestinian detainees. Israel, however outraged, will not end up suing the publication, Horovitz assesses, explaining why.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
With Trump conflicted and Iran emboldened, vital bid to end regime’s nuclear drive is being botched
Trump’s emerging Iran deal forces Israel to seek guarantees, not victory
Netanyahu needs to fire Ben Gvir after his flotilla provocation, but of course he won’t
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
IMAGE: Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. (ToI)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
As the US closes in on a deal with Iran based on talks that didn't include Israel or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sales discusses the war that began with Israel and the US standing shoulder to shoulder, and that appears to be ending with Israel's leader watching from the sidelines, and what that means for the country.
While many Israelis are relishing the ability to live without the day-to-day threat of rocket fire from Iran or its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, Sales examines the unprecedented period and its psychological effect on the country and its residents.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Israel began the Iran war as a partner of the US — and is ending it on the sidelines
Ceasefire nation: Caught between war and peace, can Israelis move forward?
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
IMAGE: News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's Daily Briefing. (ToI)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Diplomatic reporter Nava Freiberg joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Iran and the United States played down hopes for an imminent breakthrough in the three-month-old war on Monday, with Tehran saying that while it had reached understandings on many issues with the US, an agreement was not imminent. For his part, US President Donald Trump says the deal will be "great and meaningful" or won't happen at all.
While there was no official Iranian confirmation of the contents of the potential agreement, Freiberg delves into the differing narratives being presented by US and Iranian press.
US President Donald Trump sought to reassure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call that a final agreement with Iran will fully dismantle Tehran’s nuclear program, a senior Israeli official said yesterday. We learn of blowback from politicians in the US and Israel and explore how this potential deal could affect the Lebanon front.
As part of an ongoing series of conversations, Freiberg communicated with five residents of Iran who described widespread unemployment and economic hardship, tighter surveillance and targeting of dissidents, and further restricted internet access since the war’s start. We hear more.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Iran and US voice optimism but temper expectations for imminent breakthrough in talks
US official: Iran deal to be signed in coming days; Trump derides ‘loser’ critics
Trump said to assure Netanyahu he will thwart Iran nuke program as Israel fears ‘very bad’ deal
As US moves to end war, Iranians tell ToI they fear regime clampdown just starting
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Political correspondent Tal Schneider joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
The US and Iran are close to signing a deal involving a 60-day ceasefire extension, during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, Iran would be able to freely sell oil, and negotiations would be held on curbing Iran’s nuclear program — including it giving up its stockpile of enriched uranium, the Axios news site reported on Sunday, citing a US official. Schneider gives insight into Israel's reaction to the potential deal and delves into what could happen on the Lebanon front: Is Hezbollah part of the package?
A soldier was killed Friday by a drone near the Lebanese border, the Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday. The slain soldier was named as Staff Sgt. Noam Hamburger, 23, a technology and maintenance soldier in the 401st Brigade, from Atlit in northern Israel. Schneider underlines that this occurred on Israeli soil, where Hezbollah drone attacks are still an everyday occurrence for residents of the north.
On Friday night, Yashar! party head Gadi Eisenkot gave his first major interview in recent memory to the Uvda TV news magazine. We hear what was said -- and unsaid.
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, young women, from the age of 18, have been obligated to enlist in the IDF. We learn about how the ranks of female fighters have swelled in the past decade -- and the intense backlash from the religious community. Schneider brings us an update from this morning, which illustrates this delicate balance.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US-Iran deal said to open strait for 60 days, Iran to discuss giving up enriched uranium
Trump says deal with Iran ‘largely negotiated, will be announced shortly,’ Hormuz will be opened
Liberman slams emerging Iran deal, accuses Netanyahu of failing to win war ‘on any front’
Soldier killed in northern Israel by Hezbollah drone from Lebanon
Female troops are under assault, and not just in Bnei Brak
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.