Day 197 - US mum on Iran strike after urging Israeli restraint

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.

It is day 197 of the war with Hamas. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode in the Jerusalem office.

The alleged Israeli strike in Iran overnight Thursday-Friday went beyond the scope of several small drones described by Tehran. The strike reportedly included at least one missile launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes that targeted an air defense radar site near Isfahan that was part of an array defending the nearby top-secret Natanz nuclear site. What are we hearing from the US so far about the attack on Iranian soil?

White House Mideast czar Brett McGurk said on Friday that the regional cooperation that took place in the thwarting of Iran’s attack on Israel last weekend is something that the Biden administration has been working to bolster for the past several years. What else did he say?

The Biden administration has managed to continue holding high-level discussions with Saudi Arabia in recent weeks aimed at brokering a normalization agreement between the leading Gulf kingdom and the Jewish state, three US officials told Magid last week. What does this information signal?

The Palestinian Authority said on Saturday that it will reconsider bilateral relations with the US after Washington vetoed a Palestinian request for full United Nations membership. Magid dives into the meaning of the vote.

Magid describes Benzi Gopstein, a far-right Israeli activist and close ally to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir who was targeted in the third round of sanctions imposed by the Biden administration, aimed at clamping down on settler violence in the West Bank.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 20, 2024

In ‘message,’ IDF said to fire missiles at radar defense for secret Iran nuclear site

US vetoes Security Council resolution recognizing Palestinians as full UN member state

PA’s Abbas threatens to reconsider ties with US after veto of UN membership bid

Top Ben Gvir ally, former MK aide among targets of latest US and EU settler sanctions

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

IMAGE: Illustrative - Demonstrators burn a US and an Israeli flag during the funeral for seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members killed in a strike in Syria, which Iran blamed on Israel, in Tehran on April 5, 2024. (Atta Kenare / AFP) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.