The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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.

The shorthand term "Gulf states" doesn't describe a monolith. The Arab states along the Persian Gulf -- Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain -- all have unique internal dynamics, and approach their relationships with both Israel and Iran in different ways.

Yet they do share a common threat -- the Shiite regional heavyweight just across the water, Iran.

Placing a priority on stability and prosperity, the Gulf states have sought to prevent a war between the US and Iran. And if that war did break out, they hoped to secure immunity from Iranian attacks by maintaining diplomatic channels with the Islamic Republic and by showing that they were working for a ceasefire.

That effort failed spectacularly. All the Gulf states were targeted by Iran, and the UAE was the country hardest hit by Iran in the war that began on February 28.

The war made the countries look weak, as none of them hit back, nor were they able to put together a unified diplomatic initiative to end the war.

Moran Zaga, expert on the Gulf states at the University of Haifa and at MIND Israel, explains how each of the countries is rethinking its approach to the Iran threat, and whether they are open to deeper ties with Israel.

For now, she says, they are facing new and pressing challenges that threaten their economic well-being -- the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility that the Houthis will shut down the approaches to the Red Sea, and Iran's insistence that it should decide who gets to enter the Persian Gulf.

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 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.

US President Donald Trump made headlines this morning by announcing that Israeli and Lebanese "leaders" were set to speak to each other directly today. It was later announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun today. Magid weighs in on this historic planned phone call and discusses this week's talks in Washington, DC, between Israeli and Lebanese representatives, the highest-level meeting between the countries to date.

At the same time, no dates have been decided for the second round of talks between the US and Iran. There are reports that nuclear issues are among the subjects being discussed by the countries, and that talks may resume in Pakistan. Magid explains.

The Gaza Board of Peace gave Hamas until the end of last week to accept a disarmament proposal. Magid reports how the terrorist organization has answered with several "yes, but" responses.

Finally we turn to a pair of resolutions that were voted down by the US Senate that were aimed at preventing sales of weapons and bulldozers to Israel. We hear how Wednesday's vote saw the vast majority of Democrats join in favor of the block, demonstrating a substantive shift in the party’s approach toward Israel.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Security cabinet said to consider one-week Lebanon ceasefire amid US pressure

Israeli, Lebanese envoys hold historic summit in Washington to discuss peace deal

US Senate foils effort to nix Israel arms sale, but 75% of Democrats vote to block it

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Israeli and Lebanese flags fly near the border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, April 7, 2023. (Ayal Margolin/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.

Health reporter Diana Bletter joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Israel and Lebanon held a historic summit on Tuesday in Washington, DC, as envoys for the two nations met with the hopes of reaching a peace deal that would end decades of conflict. The talks ended without a clear way forward on the goal of demilitarizing Hezbollah and no date for a follow-up meeting had been set as of Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday morning, the Iranian-backed terror organization Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets to Israel, sending tens of thousands of Israelis to bomb shelters and wounding one.

Bletter explains what life is like in the north and focuses in on a visit she paid to Ora Hatan in Shtula. Hatan, who will light a torch next week for Israel's Independence Day, has cooked thousands of meals for IDF soldiers since the conflict erupted in the north on October 8, 2023.

A Beersheba family court judge on Friday ruled that the sperm of Yotam Haim, an Israeli hostage who was mistakenly killed by troops after escaping Hamas captivity in Gaza, may be used to conceive a child, saying it was his express wish before his death. Bletter delves into some of the 250 cases of postmortem sperm retrieval and the questions the procedure raises.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Israeli, Lebanese envoys hold historic summit in Washington to discuss peace deal

Judge rules slain hostage’s family may use his sperm with a surrogate

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: Ora Hatan’s family restaurant, Hemdat HaGalil, in Shtula, destroyed by Hezbollah rockets in 2024, on April 12, 2026. (Diana Bletter/Times of Israel)

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.

ToI founding editor David Horovitz joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As Israel marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, Horovitz discusses comments made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his pre-recorded speech at Yad Vashem, in which he focused on the blows dealt to the Iranian regime by Israel and the US on behalf of the free world.

While mediators aim to maneuver the US and Iran back to talks, Horovitz reviews the gaps between Tehran and Washington, the newly declared US naval blockade on Iran, and the acute dangers of the patient, malevolent regime's survival.

With Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors heading to a first, single meeting on Tuesday in Washington, Horovitz notes that both sides have the same goal, disarming Hezbollah, while the terrorist army wants to stop the talks.

Finally, Horovitz briefly discusses Peter Magyar's landslide victory in Hungary, a blow for US President Donald Trump and the Israeli premier, creating a shift, too, in the EU.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Netanyahu rebukes Europe as Israel commemorates Holocaust in shadow of Iran war

Vance: Lot of progress made in talks toward ‘grand deal,’ but ball in Iran’s court

US positions warships in region as it moves to enforce naval blockade of Iran

Officials seek to temper expectations as Israel, Lebanon envoys set to hold historic meeting

Hungary’s PM-elect vows return to ICC, but stresses ‘special relationship’ with 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 Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: An IDF Merkava tank in southern Lebanon by the border with northern Israel on March 27, 2026 (Jalaa Marey/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.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

The IDF is reportedly gearing up for renewed conflict with Iran as the ceasefire talks between the United States and the Islamic Republic collapsed over the weekend and US President Donald Trump issued an ultimatum that Iran open the Strait of Hormuz by 5 p.m. Israel time today.

Berman tells us where things stand now and takes us through some possible scenarios for the near, and farther future. We hear how China has responded to the war so far and whether the Gulf States are keen for it to restart.

We turn to the planned Lebanon talks set for Washington, DC, on Tuesday. Can Lebanon really broker a deal to rein in the Iranian terror proxy Hezbollah?

And finally, in a major shift in European politics, long-time leader Viktor Orban conceded defeat on Sunday after a landslide election victory by the upstart opposition Tisza party. What could this mean for the country's relationship with Israel -- and the European Union's stance on the Jewish state.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

After talks fail, IDF planning for return to war, Trump mulls strikes on Iran — reports

Trump declares US Navy to begin blockading Strait of Hormuz ‘effective immediately’

Post-Orban Hungary would not expose Israel to more EU pain, though support may ebb

After 16 years in power, Hungary’s Orban concedes defeat to center-right opposition

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.

IMAGE: An anti-US billboard depicting American aircraft caught in a fishing net with signs that read in Farsi: 'The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, The entire Persian Gulf is our hunting ground,' at the Eqelab-e-Eslami, or Islamic Revolution square in downtown Tehran, Iran, April 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.

Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

During the fragile ceasefire with Iran, Fabian reports on the 40-day war in numbers, including 80 to 90 Iranian missile strikes during the first day, decreasing to a steady pace of 10 to 20 strikes a day on average for the rest of the war.

As the US continues to clear mines from the Strait of Hormuz, Fabian discusses conflicting reports about the waterway, which appears to be largely closed to vessel traffic.

Dozens of rockets were launched by Hezbollah at northern Israel over the weekend, notes Fabian, as the IDF continues operating in southern Lebanon to prevent attacks.

The IDF also conducted several strikes at Hamas in Gaza over the weekend, says Fabian, but it's a far quieter front than Lebanon.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

The war in numbers: 650 Iranian missiles fired; 24 killed in Israel, West Bank; 10,800 Israeli strikes

US says Navy destroyers working to de-mine Strait of Hormuz

IDF and Hezbollah trade strikes, rockets as Israel and Lebanon gear up for direct talks

Several Gazans said killed in IDF strikes; soldier seriously hurt in operational accident

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: Released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepah News on February 17, 2026, showing a rocket being fired from a boat during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Strait of Hormuz. (Sepah News/AFP)

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 Jessica Steinberg speaking with comic Shahar Cohen.

Comedian Shahar Cohen, raised in Jerusalem and living in Tel Aviv, spoofs Israeli life and society.

He dons wigs and plays a cast of mostly female characters who represent the range of Israeli society.

In a wide-ranging interview, Cohen discusses how each character represents part of him as well as what Israelis are feeling, particularly over the last two and a half years of war, first with Hamas, and now during the war with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Cohen thinks of himself as the comic who is expected to walk Israelis through war and trauma, offering a form of therapy. He talks about the need for escapism and relief following the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, when more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 people taken hostage.

With an upcoming tour in the US, and one million views and counting on his most recent videos about his Nofar character as a soldier in the IDF Home Front Command, Cohen joked, "I actually manage the war 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 Ari Schlacht.

IMAGE: Comic Shahar Cohen from 'That Girl in the Alert Room,' March 2026 (Courtesy)

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.

The fledgling ceasefire between the US and Israel on the one hand, and Iran on the other, is holding. Even before it went into effect, a pointed debate began over who won, and whether US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieved what they set out to accomplish 41 days ago.

John Spencer, chair of war studies at the Madison Policy Forum, says that it is way too early to determine the outcome of the war, as it is impossible to know what the outcome will be. Negotiations on a long-term settlement have not even begun yet.

Moreover, Spencer argues, wars should be judged based on the stated goals of the campaign. Both Trump and Netanyahu made clear on multiple occasions that, though they would love to see the regime in Tehran fall, regime change is not a goal of the campaign.

And, he says, there is no guarantee that the regime survives. It often takes time for the public to rise up and topple oppressive rulers.

Spencer also notes that Israel is clearly stronger than it was on October 6, 2023, and Iran and its axis are much weaker.

As for the Strait of Hormuz, which emerged as a central factor in the war, Spencer does not doubt that the US spent plenty of time and resources planning for the possibility that Iran would close the waterway. He recalls war-gaming such a scenario 15 years ago as a US officer, and stresses that there is a permanent task force in the Pentagon to think about keeping the Strait open.

There are plenty of possible reasons for the US to decide not to force Hormuz open at this point, including global markets, diplomatic openings, and the potential costs of an operation.

Spencer says that in his eyes, Iran's strategy failed, in that it validated all the fears about it in the region, and is likely to push Arab states further into the arms of the US and its regional alliance.

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 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.

On Tuesday night, US President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran. By Wednesday, he renewed his threat to use unprecedented force against Iran if it doesn’t comply with the terms of the ceasefire, ahead of scheduled peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

But just what the terms of the ceasefire are is in question as Israel continues its campaign in Lebanon against Hezbollah, while Iran and mediator Pakistan declare the US and Israel in breach.

Ahead of scheduled negotiations in Islamabad, Horovitz unravels some of the remaining knotty issues facing the three sides, even as each declares victory.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

Trump threatens to renew war if Iran doesn’t comply with ‘real agreement’

US and Israel set out ambitious, vital war goals; as of the ceasefire, none have been achieved

Netanyahu left with vague promises, no clear victories after another war ends without a decisive win

Netanyahu: Iran’s enriched uranium will be removed, by agreement or in resumed fighting

Vance to lead US negotiators at first round of Islamabad talks with Iran on Saturday

IDF launches largest airstrikes yet on Hezbollah; Trump: Iran truce doesn’t cover Lebanon

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.

IMAGE: Government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran, Iran, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

We start the program with two "Jangles" -- Jewish angles -- on this week's entertainment news. In a follow-up to our previous program, we hear how the comic Modi dropped out of a Passover event after finding out that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was participating. A principled stance?

And then, Hoffman pays tribute to Tzruya ‘Suki’ Lahav, who played violin with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band half a century ago, and died last weekend.

However, in honor of the end of the Passover holiday, we turn our gaze to "The Ten Commandments," which this year turns 70.

The 1956 Cecil B. DeMille "sandal epic" sees Charlton Heston as Moses going head-to-head with Yul Brynner as Rameses. The supporting cast also glitters with Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora and Debra Paget as Lilia.

Although screened annually in the US, Hoffman hadn't watched it for several decades, and this is Borschel-Dan's first time. But it's a movie that, as Hoffman puts it, "people know even if they haven't seen it."

The duo goes into the weeds with the biblical and Jewish influences on the work, including a surprise member of the tribe for Hoffman. And, while dated in its treatment of women on screen, the film also offers an insightful feminist moment.

Stick around to see if "The Ten Commandments" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze.

The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.