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.
ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following overnight Iranian cluster warhead fire that killed four, Horovitz discusses the complex challenge of intercepting the warheads that can fall in multiple locations. He also details the specific aspects of safeguarding Ben Gurion International Airport, which is now reducing the number of people allowed on each outgoing flight due to the fraught realities.
As the war nears the end of its third week, Horovitz examines the attritional aspects of the missile attacks, as Iran and Hezbollah keep up multiple strikes.
He also talks about what he regards as the existential threat posed by the Islamic Republic, as well as whether the Iranian people will rise against the regime if and when the US and Israel signal that the time is ripe to do so.
Horovitz looks at the divergence in messaging from US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as they and their militaries maintain close alignment, and whether this war will end with Iran retaining its enriched uranium stockpile and able to advance its rogue nuclear program.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Iranian cluster bombs kill foreign worker in Israel, 4 Palestinian women in West Bank
Passenger limits reimposed on outbound flights after private jets hit by missile debris
Regimes are ousted from within, but the US and Israel must not let up until that happens in Iran
PM urges Iranians to celebrate Persian fire festival, in apparent bid to spark protests
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.
IMAGE: A U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is seen on the runway at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv amid ongoing missile attacks from Iran toward Israel, March 5, 2026 (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
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.
An elderly couple, identified as Yaron and Ilana Moshe, were killed early Wednesday morning in Ramat Gan by a cluster missile as Iran continued to fire salvoes at Israel through the night and into the morning. From midnight to 8 a.m., there were four rounds of missile fire that caused injuries and damage to property.
Iran confirmed on Tuesday that Israel had assassinated overnight Ali Larijani, one of the most important Iranian officials still alive. Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was the regime’s key figure after the assassination of supreme leader Ali Khamenei by Israel on February 28. Berman weighs in on his significance and how this may affect the regime moving forward.
US President Donald Trump on Monday accused allies of showing low “enthusiasm” for the coalition he proposed to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most vital route for oil tankers. Berman discusses the different responses from NATO allies, China and India.
And finally, we speak about the blowback that Trump is facing within his own MAGA movement after director of the US National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent's dramatic resignation letter.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Ramat Gan couple in their 70s killed by Iranian cluster missile
Larijani’s death removes key pillar of regime. Will it be enough to make Iran collapse?
Ali Larijani was hardline voice in Iran’s regime for decades, with supreme leader’s ear
Pro-regime crowds gather in Iran as authorities seek to squelch potential protests on Nowruz
Trump slams allies’ low ‘enthusiasm’ for his proposed coalition to open Hormuz
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee produced this episode and Ari Schlacht edited.
IMAGE: Mourners attend the funeral procession for senior Iranian military officials and civilians killed during the US-Israel campaign as a portrait of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, son and successor of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is seen at center, in Tehran, Iran, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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.
Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
This morning, the IDF confirmed killing Basij paramilitary force commander Gholamreza Soleimani in a strike in Iran overnight. Soleimani was targeted while at a tent camp that was recently established by the Basij. And just after recording time, the IDF also confirmed that top Iranian official Ali Larijani was killed in an airstrike in Iran overnight. Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, was targeted by the Israeli Air Force in the capital Tehran.
We learn from Fabian what else Israel is targeting in its current waves of strikes on Iran, including the entire chain of weapons manufacturing.
We then turn to Lebanon, where the IDF is currently pushing even more forces deeper into southern Lebanon to create an expanded buffer zone, as Hezbollah attacked towns in northern Israel with rockets and drones.
In the second half, Fabian relates a bizarre and disturbing saga that he was swept up into concerning menacing Polymarket gamblers who threatened ToI's military correspondent and his family over a report that did not work in their bet's favor.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Iran’s new supreme leader purportedly issues fresh statement as questions linger over his health
IDF pushes deeper into south Lebanon as Hezbollah keeps up fire at northern Israel
Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Members of Iranian paramilitary forces (Basij) during an anti-Israeli rally in Tehran, January 10, 2025. (AFP)
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 reporter Ariela Karmel joins host Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.
As the Knesset increases its activity during the war, Karmel discusses the subjects up for debate, including controversial legislation regarding the politically appointed probe into the October 7 massacre.
Following last week’s announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to enact a 3% cut across the budget to bolster defense spending, including the earmarked funds for the long-awaited rehabilitation of the northern communities, Karmel discusses the contentious debate from the residents, coalition and opposition.
Karmel also reports on the severe lack of shelters in the Bedouin communities, predating October 7, brought to the forefront during the June war with Iran, and now leaving two-thirds of the community without any access to shelter during the current war.
Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Coalition advancing controversial legislation amid war with Iran
Northern communities protest cuts to rehabilitation budget amid war
As Hezbollah strongholds crop back up, northern farmers regrow destroyed fields
With missiles flying again, most Negev Bedouin still exposed without any shelter
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.
IMAGE: Damage after a missile fired toward Israel overnight struck Zarzir, in northern Israel, March 13, 2026 (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Bret Stephens, a The New York Times columnist and the editor-in-chief of Sapir magazine.
Recent polling indicates that only roughly half of Americans support the US-Israel war against Iran's Islamist regime. Stephens weighs in on why the current conflict can be both "Trump's war" and a just war.
Far from feeling that Israel dragged the US into this war, he says that for the first time in recent history, the US has a partner with whom to wage a war. "This war is different, not because it's a war for Israel. It's a war with Israel," says Stephens.
But is the American public capable of internalizing the Iranian regime as an existential threat? In answer, Stephens asks whether a patient with stage II cancer should be advised to wait to treat it until it develops into stage IV. "Thank goodness we're acting now rather than just waiting on events," says Stephens.
Assessing today's global dynamics and the authoritarian axis of Iran, Russia, North Korea and China, he turns to the 1930s, when the world was experiencing a series of conflicts that eventually led to World War II. He warns there is no Hollywood ending in sight.
And so this week, we ask Bret Stephens, what matters now.
What Matters Now podcasts are available for download on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: New York Times columnist Bret Stephens (YouTube screenshot) / Beirut, Lebanon, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.