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)

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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.

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)

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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.

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)

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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.

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)

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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)

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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.

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

In improved pop-up clinics, underground parking lots converted to wards and fortified operating rooms, hospitals and health clinics around the country are once again providing services under fire since the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. Bletter tells us about the first instance that a Lebanon threat brought a Galilee hospital underground and talks about emergency preparedness.

In the second half of the program, we drill down into life in the north right now. Bletter talks about what it is like for her personally, as well as reporting on the stalwart northerners who are maintaining Israel's pioneering spirit and staying rooted on the frontline.

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

For further reading:

From fortified ORs to popup clinics, Israel’s medical centers streamline wartime operations

Under a rain of Hezbollah missiles, determined northern farmers still sow for the future

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: An Israeli artillery unit deployed at a position in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the Lebanon border, fires towards southern Lebanon on March 14, 2026. (JALAA MAREY / AFP)

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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 Einat Wilf, a former MK, author and CEO of the newly formed Oz party.

Wilf describes the potential fall of the Iranian Islamic Republic's regime as a shift in the magnitude of the fall of the Soviet Union.

We discuss the seismic ripple effects on Gaza and the Palestinian Authority. Wilf proposes that this moment is a window of opportunity for Israel to end the ideology of "Palestinianism" -- the end to the Jewish state -- that could quickly shut again.

She talks through Israel's need to create firm civil borders of its control in the West Bank and to maintain military control of the remaining areas and have what she calls, "an active occupation."  

And in the final portion of our conversation, we hear why Wilf formed her new party at this time and what it stands for.

And so this week, we ask Einat Wilf, 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: Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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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.

In today's escapism episode, movie maven Hoffman begins with a recommendation of a new, very Jewy podcast, Classical Music Happy Hour with pianist Emanuel Ax.

We then discuss the 2025 independent film, "Fantasy Life," written and directed by Matthew Shear. His directorial debut is produced by and stars Amanda Peet, Shear, and a slew of Jewish (or Jew-ish) actors, including Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin and Zosia Mamet.

Next, we turn to the classic Larry David series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which Borschel-Dan had never seen. Hoffman assigned her the iconic "Palestinian Chicken" episode. See how she liked it.

Check out who got the "oy," the "meh" and the "not bad" marks in this week's The Reel Schmooze.

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

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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. Two weeks into the war against Iran, the Islamic Republic has made good on its threats and attacked all the Gulf Arab states. But while the focus on reporting has been on those countries, players on Iran's northern border are also under fire. Iran has fired two missiles at Turkey, a major regional power; has hit targets in Azerbaijan; continues to pound Iraqi Kurdistan; and Iran's proxy Hezbollah even attacked British zones in Cyprus. The northern theater should not be overlooked. Each of these actors has a complex relationship not only with Iran, but also with Israel. Some, like Cyprus and Azerbaijan, are close allies, while Turkey has turned into a leading adversary and a backer of Hamas. Gallia Lindenstrauss, a leading Turkey expert, examines how each is reacting to the outbreak of war, and what might lie ahead in their ties with Israel. Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Ari Schlacht.

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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.

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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