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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A drone hit a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta yesterday. No party has claimed responsibility, and authorities are continuing their investigations; however, two unnamed Iranian sources are quoted by The New York Times as heavily implying that Tehran was behind yesterday’s attack, marking the first targeting of that country in the current war.
As Iran flexes, Fabian describes the role of CENTCOM in the region and discusses recent cooperative strikes held by the US and Saudi Arabia. We explore the concept of Israeli air supremacy and learn what US assets are currently on Israeli soil -- and flying off of it.
Fabian updates on the Hezbollah drone that hit an Israeli armored bulldozer stationed in the IDF’s south Lebanon buffer zone overnight Tuesday, in violation of the ongoing truce. We next turn to Gaza, where the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday struck a mosque in Gaza City, saying Wednesday that it was one of several Hamas weapons depots in the central and northern Gaza Strip that it destroyed this week.
In the second half of the program, we turn to the case of an Israeli civilian who previously served in the military in a classified unit who has been arrested and charged with spying on behalf of Iran. Fabian touches on similar recent cases and explains that perhaps these would-be spies are not only in it for the money.
And finally, yesterday IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir again said that the military must expand its ranks and draft more ultra-Orthodox soldiers, as data showed an increase in Haredi enlistment over the past year. We learn about whether the new Haredi brigade is meeting expectations.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Drone strikes US-owned gas tanker in Egyptian port, in possible expansion of Mideast war
Hezbollah drone hits IDF bulldozer, violating Lebanon truce, IDF says, days ahead of talks
IDF strikes Gaza City mosque, claims it was used for weapons storage
‘I know a lot’: Veteran of secret IDF unit charged with spying for Iran
IDF chief tells Haredi commanders army must grow, as data shows uptick in enlistment
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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the White House for his first in-person talks with US President Donald Trump since the Iran war began in February. Closed to the press, later statements about the meeting were laconic, with Israel describing it as “excellent” and “one of the best we’ve ever had,” and the White House calling the talks productive and positive.
Magid reviews what we know about the meetup and hypothesizes why the long-awaited talks were held in such an atypically subdued fashion.
We hear about overnight flare-ups in the Iran conflict after the regime targeted US forces in Jordan and the US and Saudi Arabia launched deadly strikes on Tehran-backed militias in Iraq, blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities. How close were the sides to resuming the memorandum of understanding -- and what may happen now?
Securing Saudi Arabia is the focus of our final item as well: Magid brings exclusive reporting on how Pakistani military chief Asim Munir leveraged a joint oil transport venture with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi to secure an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia under which Tehran agreed to halt attacks against the Gulf kingdom.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Netanyahu: Meeting with Trump was one of our best ever; White House: Productive, positive
Wary of perception that Israel driving war, Trump and Netanyahu opt to avoid optics altogether
‘He loved Israel’: Lindsey Graham eulogized by Trump and other dignitaries at DC funeral
US-Saudi strikes target Iraqi pro-Iran militias as IRGC renews attacks on US forces
Pakistan army chief leveraged private oil venture with IRGC head to shield Saudi Arabia
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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump today in the White House, mediators believed they were close to a breakthrough that would revive the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran last month. Reportedly, decisions are to be made following the leaders' meetup. Horovitz explains why resurrecting the MOU is not necessarily a positive step for Israel's aims and discusses other points of friction between the two leaders.
Also on hand in Washington, DC, is Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who recently staged an attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. What could Ukraine's flex mean for the balance of the conflict?
Last week, Andy Burnham officially became Britain’s new Labour prime minister, raising questions about how he will navigate policy on Israel and rising antisemitism in his country. Horovitz discusses how Burnham came to office, who has so far been appointed to his government and how they may influence UK-Israel relations.
And finally, we turn to Israel's upcoming October 27 election and reports last night that a new television poll showed Netanyahu neck and neck with his foremost challenger, former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, when respondents were asked who they would choose to lead the country. How do these polls affect public opinion -- and how we report on the run-up to elections?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meeting, mediators believe US-Iran breakthrough near
At odds with Trump on Iran, Netanyahu heads to DC to seek agreement where he still can
Where does new UK premier Andy Burnham stand on Israel and antisemitism?
UK PM Burnham’s new solicitor general met with Hamas in 2010
10 clues on how new UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband could deal with Israel
Poll shows Eisenkot and Netanyahu neck and neck as public’s preferred PM
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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
After several nights without US strikes on Iranian targets, Israeli leaders still estimate that US President Donald Trump could soon be compelled to step up military action, according to Israeli reports. The US military has continued to send significant forces to Israel, including dozens of warplanes, refueling planes, air defenses and munitions — a similar deployment to the one that took place just before the US-Israeli war against Iran was launched in late February, according to the Kan broadcaster.
At recording time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has boarded Israel's official Wing of Zion plane. Berman rolls out what he expects will be on the agenda for tomorrow's planned Trump-Netanyahu meetup.
Netanyahu is set to attend the funeral of the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham. Yesterday, reports surfaced based on unaired footage seen by The Wall Street Journal that Netanyahu talked Graham out of convincing Trump to join Israel’s fight against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Berman shares other insights from the posthumously released excerpts from an upcoming documentary.
Yesterday, after a deadly Friday shootout was sparked when settlers illegally entered a Nablus-area village, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed at a cabinet meeting to expand farming outposts and operations against Palestinian “terrorist strongholds” in the West Bank. This promise was made soon after leaked reports were published of Netanyahu's March condemnation of extremist settler violence. How do these conflicting statements play on the international stage?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
As Trump pauses Iran strikes, Israel said to believe he’ll soon be forced to escalate
Netanyahu says he’ll fly to DC for Tuesday meet with Trump, Graham memorial service; Trump confirms visit
Netanyahu talked Graham out of lobbying Trump to join war on Hezbollah – report
Netanyahu vows expanded operations against West Bank ‘terrorist strongholds’
Report: Cabinet quietly okayed plan to curb settler violence; PM called phenomenon ‘cancer’
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.
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.
Legal correspondent Jeremy Sharon joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today's episode.
We begin by reviewing Friday morning's gunfight in the northern West Bank village of Tell. A far-right hiking group of Israelis allegedly raided the town and a gunfight broke out between the Palestinian residents and Israeli hikers. Benayahu Mellet, a 32-year-old member of the neighboring Havat Gilad settlement’s civil security squad, was fatally shot by a Palestinian, along with Maj. Yuval Ezra, an IDF officer who had been dispatched to the scene. Four Palestinians were killed during the clash.
Jeremy Sharon walks us through the parties involved in the fight and gives an overview of the different narratives surrounding why the group of settlers was in the area. How was the conflict initiated?
From there we move on to discuss broader patterns in the West Bank since October 7, 2023. These include the rapid expansion of settlements in the area, and markedly higher rates of tensions and violence between Israeli and Palestinian residents.
Following the break, we hone in on how Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has taken steps to entrench the powerful Settlements Administration agency he established in 2023. Sharon explains how these changes will help to continue expanding the settlement enterprise, and how they will make it more difficult for a new government to undo those gains. We hear about a variety of other ways the current administration has financed and supported the expansion of the settler movement.
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.