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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following a long weekend of Iranian and Hezbollah strikes that sent Israelis to shelter multiple times, Fabian notes that while the frequency of Iranian strikes has remained similar, the threat level is possibly lower, given the smaller number of missiles in each strike, making it easier for Israeli air defense systems to intercept each missile.
At the same time, Hezbollah in Lebanon has been ramping up its rocket strikes and drones on northern Israel, notes Fabian.
Israel's Air Force conducted many waves of strikes in Iran, bombing the regime's oil and fuel depots, Fabian reports, hitting the infrastructure involved in ballistic missile production, which forms the biggest threat to Israel.
Fabian also discusses the rare IDF operation to search for the body of airman Ron Arad in Lebanon, as ground forces have moved deeper into the country in recent days.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Black clouds over Tehran rain down oil drops after Israel strikes oil facilities
2 soldiers hurt in Hezbollah missile attack; IDF says it hit 600 of terror group’s targets
Israel pounds Iran missile sites, airport as Tehran fires back repeated salvos, threatens Europe
Israel says commando raid deep in Lebanon failed to find remains of Ron Arad
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: Israelis take shelter in an underground parking lot in Tel Aviv during the war with Iran and Lebanon as missiles are fired toward Israel, March 6, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Lazar Focus. Each Friday, join host diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe.
We are one week into a stunning US-Israel bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic. Senior Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been eliminated, and Iran's ability to attack its neighbors and to defend itself has been severely damaged.But it is still fighting, and launching attacks on countries across the region.
What are US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu trying to achieve in this war? And if it is regime change, is that even possible without sending in ground troops?
A possible way to thread that needle -- to avoid committing US or Israeli forces but to still take ground from the Islamic Republic -- is to use local opposition forces. The Kurds are being talked about as a possible vanguard of ethnic uprisings against the regime.
That is probably overambitious. There are only a few thousands Iranian Kurds under arms, and they have ample reasons to be wary of American promises.
Still, every day that goes by sees the US and Israel degrade Iranian forces, while they gain more freedom of action over the country. But there is still a long way to go before Trump and Netanyahu can consider ending the campaign while still achieving their goals.
Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.
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 author and public intellectual Micah Goodman.
In the sixth day of the United States and Israel's joint war against the Iranian Islamic Republic, Goodman takes stock and allows himself to wonder: What if we actually won this war against the evil regime?
We discuss the trickle effect on the Iranian people, the Mideast region and the world at large.
At this historic juncture, Goodman is hopeful that not only will World War III be averted, but peace may come to the region as Israel's existential threats are neutralized.
And so this week, we ask Micah Goodman, 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 Eli Katzoff and edited by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Dr. Micah Goodman/ A billboard showing a portrait of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, March 5, 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.
Political correspondent Sam Sokol and police reporter Charlie Summers join host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the deadly strike on Sunday that killed nine people in Beit Shemesh, Sokol and Summers discuss the shock and mourning in the centrally located city with a strong Haredi enclave.
Purim celebrations and revelry continued in some parts of Beit Shemesh, report the pair, as some synagogues flouted the Home Front Command directives regarding gatherings, while others reflected a somber, cautious mood.
Sokol takes a moment to update us on matters in the Knesset, where most committee meetings were canceled due to the hostilities, and speculates on whether war with Iran will boost Netanyahu at the ballot box in the upcoming elections.
Finally, Summers reports on an end-of-Purim street party in Jerusalem, where police kept a hands-off approach, and the scene of a missile strike in the capital earlier in the week.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
9 killed as Iranian missile destroys synagogue, smashes bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh
‘Everything is gone’: Deadly Iranian strike on Beit Shemesh leaves residents reeling
After deadly missile impact, Beit Shemesh struggles to maintain Purim cheer
Will the war with Iran boost Netanyahu’s prospects at the ballot box?
Israeli opposition leaders rally behind government as Israel and US strike Iran
Flouting wartime restrictions, revelers party in Jerusalem streets for Purim’s final hours
Three wounded in Iranian missile strike on highway outside Jerusalem
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: Ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak amid the war with Iran and ongoing missile fire toward Israel, March 3, 2026 (Chaim Goldberg/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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday denied that Israel dragged the US into war with Iran, insisting that if anything, the opposite could be true and that he felt Iran was going to attack first. These remarks come as politicians and media influencers on both sides of the US aisle condemn "Israel's war" and point their fingers at the Jewish state.
In the first half of the program, we take a deep dive into Iran's greater existential threat to the Mideast -- and the world at large. Which nations appear to start internalizing that the extremist Islamist nation may actually do what it threatens it will?
In the second half, we talk about the opportunity afforded at this time for Iranians to rise up and change their regime. It would be, posits Horovitz, more possible to see some form of "total victory" against the terror regime, as opposed to wiping out Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump says he may have forced Israel’s hand into war with Iranian ‘lunatics’
Isolationist US right-wing commentators decry Iran war; Trump says he doesn’t care
US officials say diplomatic path was at dead end when Trump approved Iran strikes
Iran and its proxies pose ongoing threat to US after Khamenei killing, US intel warns
Hoping to pressure end to war, Iran aims fire at Arab neighbors. It hasn’t worked, yet
Israel okays plan to slowly reopen airspace from Wednesday night for repatriation flights
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: A boy waves an Iranian flag in front of a police facility struck during the US–Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.