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.
Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
Lebanese terror group Hezbollah blasted some 200 rockets and 20 drones at northern Israel for hours on Wednesday evening, repeatedly sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis to shelters. At the same time, much of the rest of the country was also sent to safe rooms with four salvos of ballistic missiles shot from Iran. We hear how this is affecting Israelis' spirits right now.
Yesterday, the UN Security Council called for Iran to halt its attacks on Gulf states. Notably, the resolution did not mention US or Israeli strikes on Iran and was passed by 13 votes with two abstentions. Horovitz weighs in.
In counterpoint to the support from Israelis at large, Americans are not overwhelmingly in favor of their new war. We discuss the mixed messaging coming from the Trump administration -- and how much skin Israel has in the game for mutual war goals to be attained.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Seeking clarity, and safety, in a war marked by incoherent leadership and a momentous goal
Hezbollah fires 200 rockets at north, Iran launches missiles in ‘integrated operation’
UN Security Council demands Iran halt attacks on Gulf states
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: Iraqis step on US and Israeli flags during a protest against US and Israeli attacks on multiple cities across Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
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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.
About half of the roughly 300 ballistic missiles Iran has launched at Israel in the current war carried cluster bomb warheads, according to Israel Defense Forces assessments published Tuesday, a day after the munitions killed two people and seriously wounded another in central Israel. Fabian gives insight into the number of munitions used by the US, Israel and Iran.
Turning to Lebanon, we hear that Hezbollah is raining down projectiles on northern Israel, but potentially rationing the use of key anti-tank rockets as they engage Israeli troops. At the same time, the Israel Defense Forces announced on Tuesday that it had completed a wave of airstrikes targeting branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial institution across Lebanon, as it keeps up the pressure on the Iran-backed terror group.
We then turn to Gaza and learn how Hamas is continuing to attempt to cross the Yellow Line. Fabian also updates us on the tunnel demolitions and the discovery of Hamas fighters hiding underground.
And finally, we introduce a new segment, Five Minute Frontlines. Join video reporter Eli Katzoff as he explores what's happening on the ground throughout the country.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Iran has fired some 300 missiles at Israel, about half with cluster bomb warheads — IDF
US says it destroyed minelayers near Hormuz after Trump warns Iran not to mine strait
Hezbollah rationing munitions as it braces for full-scale Israeli invasion – sources
IDF hits Hezbollah command centers and finance body as rockets fly at northern Israel
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: Rescue workers gather at the site where Israeli airstrikes hit apartments in Beirut, Lebanon, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
During a briefing and in a one-on-one phone interview with Magid, US President Donald Trump discusses a possible timeframe for ending the war with Iran, a decision he says will be made with Israel. The US leader notes that if the regime harms oil exports, he will strike Iran harder than before.
Magid notes that Trump is not happy with the choice of the new Iranian leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, but isn't discussing his removal, unlike Israel, which has not ruled out his assassination. He also discusses whether Trump is betraying anti-regime protestors by not creating a government that will support them.
There appears to be some behind-the-scenes discomfort with the war against Iran from Vice President JD Vance, reports Magid, although the Vice President has been publicly supportive of the continued operation.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump: Iran war could be over soon, but not this week; oil disruption would trigger harsher strikes
Trump to Times of Israel: It’ll be a ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu regarding when Iran war ends
Netanyahu tells Iranians freedom is near as Israel hits Iran’s oil depots for first time
Trump: ‘I have to be involved’ in picking Iran’s next leader, Khamenei’s son ‘unacceptable’
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: President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference, Monday, March 9, 2026, at Trump National Doral Miami in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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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.
Overnight, the Israeli military says, it pushed deeper into southern Lebanon as part of its “enhanced forward defense posture” after Hezbollah began attacking Israel a week ago. While there are Israeli boots on the ground, Berman clarifies that the IDF is not -- yet -- taking part in a ground maneuver.
We turn to Iran and the question of a potential schism between the US and Israel over Israel's targeting of Iranian oil sites. How long can the US continue the conflict in light of the ripple effects on the global economy?
The Times of Israel's US bureau chief Jacob Magid conducted a telephone interview with US President Donald Trump yesterday. We hear the main headlines today, and Magid will fill us in on the rest of the conversation on the podcast tomorrow.
And finally, we speak about the choice of Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader. Berman discusses who he is and how the move is a direct rebuke to US President Donald Trump, who had declared the son “unacceptable.” We also delve into the apparent differences of opinion among the leadership as Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized Saturday for attacks on regional countries, even as its missiles and drones flew toward Gulf Arab states
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Two IDF soldiers killed in Hezbollah attack in southern Lebanon
Black clouds over Tehran rain down oil drops after Israel strikes oil facilities
Trump to Times of Israel: It’ll be a ‘mutual’ decision with Netanyahu regarding when Iran war ends
Trump: Next Iranian supreme leader ‘not going to last long’ without US approval
More hardline than his father, Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment signals defiance and revenge
Pezeshkian apologizes for attacks on Gulf neighbors even as Iran forces step up strikes
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Gabriella Jacobs produced this episode and Ari Schlacht edited.
IMAGE: A thick plume of smoke from a U.S.-Israeli strike on an oil storage facility late Saturday lingers in the cloudy sky over Tehran, Iran, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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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)
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