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 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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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.

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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 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)

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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 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)

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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.

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)

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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.

As the US tells American citizens to evacuate the Middle East in a warning posted on X, Magid discusses the mixed messaging about the war with Iran from Trump administration officials across a range of statements and press conferences on Monday.

US President Donald Trump spoke about the need to rid the Iranian regime of its nuclear capabilities, to destroy its missiles and navy, and then bring about regime change, reports Magid, as well as mentioning possible negotiations with the successors to leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed Saturday in a strike.

Trump's stated goals were followed by comments made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, each of whom offered their own takes on the goals of the war, says Magid.

During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's interview with Fox News, the premier laughed off the idea of Washington being dragged into the war, reports Magid, insisting that Trump believed the US needed to strike Iran to address the threat posed by the regime.

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

For further reading:

‘Depart now’: US tells its citizens to urgently leave almost all Mideast countries, including Israel

As war widens, Trump says US has yet to launch largest strikes on Iran

Rubio cites planned Israeli attack as a key reason US launched strikes against Iran

Netanyahu: Iran’s nuclear program would have been ‘immune within months’ absent war

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 the Port of Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Gonzalez)

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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.

Rockets and drones launched from Lebanon set sirens blaring across northern Israel in the early hours of Monday, as the Hezbollah terror group entered the fray to assist its backer, Iran, after the killing of the supreme leader. Fabian describes how this strike from the terror group has allowed the IDF to add Hezbollah heads to an ongoing campaign to decapitate the leadership of Iran.

Nine people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a missile destroyed a Beit Shemesh synagogue and caused extensive damage to a public bomb shelter beneath it, as well as surrounding homes. Fabian explains what we know about the failure to down this missile and why the impact was so deadly.

Three American soldiers have been killed, and five have been seriously wounded in the ongoing conflict with Iran, the US Central Command said Sunday, announcing the first US casualties in the conflict. We also learn how a strike on a UK base in Cyprus has potentially changed its willingness to aid the effort against Iran.

Fabian turns back to 8:10 a.m. on Saturday and explores how the conflict began. Israeli Air Force fighter jets have dropped over 2,000 bombs in strikes against hundreds of Iranian regime targets and military sites since the start of the war with the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning. How does this compare with the June 12-day war?

And finally, as Purim is set to begin this evening for most of the Jewish world, are Israelis allowed to gather for the reading of the Book of Esther?

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

For further reading:

IDF strikes in Beirut after Hezbollah enters fray and fires rockets, drones at north

Four of the 9 victims of Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh named by authorities

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

3 American soldiers killed, 5 seriously injured in war with Iran — US military

Drone hit British military base in Cyprus, local and UK officials say

IDF: Over 2,000 bombs dropped on Iran in 30 hours, air supremacy achieved on 1st day

Trump says he’s agreed to talk to Iran’s leaders, but estimates operation will take weeks

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

IMAGE: Hezbollah supporters wave their group's flags and an Iranian national flag during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

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