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.
Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
A damning Wall Street Journal report depicts US President Donald Trump as making key decisions about the war in Iran in a slapdash manner without input from his advisers, stating he was eager for a ceasefire to address rising fuel prices.
As the ostensible end of the two-week ceasefire with Iran looms, Berman assesses five points of apparent failure on the part of the joint US and Israel conflict with Iran, including the focus on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's new position there; the percentage of missiles still available to Iran; the current strength of Iran's proxies; the uptick of Iranian-linked terror abroad and the status of the Iranian nuclear program.
We then turn our gaze to the Lebanon front, where Hezbollah was granted a reprieve from the conflict with Trump's imposed ceasefire. What are Israel's concerns -- even as this could be an opportunity for direct talks between Lebanese and Israeli leadership?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF reservist killed, nine wounded by explosive in southern Lebanon amid truce
IDF reservist killed by Hezbollah explosive in Lebanon amid truce, 3 troops hurt
Iran parliament speaker touts ‘progress’ in US talks, but Strait of Hormuz still shut
Iran reimposes Hormuz closure after US maintains blockade; IRGC gunboats fire at ships
Trump: Iran ‘got a little cute’ by blocking Hormuz again, but talks going ‘really well’
Netanyahu: ‘Road to peace’ with Lebanon begins; Trump: Israel ‘PROHIBITED’ from bombing there
Amid truce with Israel, Aoun says Lebanon to now seek ‘permanent agreements’
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.
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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.
We start the program with a "Jangle" -- a Jewish angle -- on this week's entertainment news. Hoffman brings a tale of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who defends three Israelis in Times Square who are being attacked by a would-be social media influencer. Hear what transpires.
Our main feature this week is Israeli director Nadav Lapid newest film, "Yes!" The film has raised eyebrows -- and not a little amount of ire -- in Israel for its messaging, with the Minister of Culture Miki Zohar weighing in.
Now screening in the United States, the film premiered in 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on an artistic couple that is willing to do almost anything to succeed in their art, including sex work and writing a horrific anthem calling for the complete destruction of Gaza.
Stick around to see if "Yes!" 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.
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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.
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.
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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 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)
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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.
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)
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