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Earlier today, Iran launched approximately 100 ballistic missiles at Israel, prompting multiple rounds of nationwide sirens. Some missiles landed in Tel Aviv and other areas in Central Israel, damaging buildings and wounding dozens of Israelis, with at least one reported fatality.

This followed Friday’s extensive Israeli Air Force attack on Iranian nuclear, military, and leadership targets. The attacks damaged nuclear enrichment sites and killed Hussein Salammi, the head of the IRGC, the Army Chief of Staff, other members of the Iranian military leadership, as well as leading nuclear scientists.

Just minutes before the evening’s sirens began, we wrapped up a conversation with Nadav Eyal, senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot and Call me Back regular, where he explained how the Israeli attack on Iran unfolded and what it took for the IDF to prepare.

These historic developments are certain to evolve over the next few days. We’ll be monitoring the situation closely, so stay tuned for more analysis.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

The Ark is Expanding

At around 8 PM New York time, the Israeli Air Force launched a historic preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, military assets and military leadership. The Israel-Iran War has begun, or at least entered a new stage. In response, the IDF Home Front Command swiftly updated its guidelines, banning all educational, social, and workplace gatherings. Israelis have been instructed to stay near bomb shelters as the nation braces for Iran’s counterstrike.

As you try to process all the fast-moving, history-making developments, we want to offer an expanded suite of voices and content from Israel.

You might have noticed that over the past few months, I’ve referred to Call me Back as an “Ark Media” podcast. After four-and-a-half years of Call me Back standing on its own, we are now building a podcast network. Ark Media is home to the topics bringing us together — Jewish life, Israel’s future, and our rapidly changing geopolitics — even when many of our guests have spirited and good faith disagreements about these issues.

About a month ago, Ark Media launched its second podcast, What’s Your Number, and today we are excited to announce that Ark Media will be joined by a third podcast - For Heaven’s Sake, co-hosted by Donniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi, of the Shalom Hartman Institute. Donniel is the Hartman Institute’s president, and Yossi, who has been a recurring guest on Call me Back, is a Senior Fellow.

I don’t always agree with Donniel’s or Yossi’s views on contentious political topics - but that's precisely the point. At Ark Media, we believe that engaging with diverse Jewish perspectives, grounded in shared values, is central to presenting the dilemmas that Israel is facing as it strives to survive and thrive in a world turned upside down. Whatever your politics, Donniel and Yossi are essential voices to consider, as we navigate the challenges facing Israel and Jews worldwide.

Starting this week, Ark Media will publish For Heaven’s Sake episodes on a weekly basis. You can find them wherever you listen to your podcasts - just don’t forget to subscribe!

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Subscribe to Ark Media’s new podcast ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/DZulpY

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

Around 3AM in Israel, a nation-wide siren awoke Israelis to the news that the Israeli Air Force was conducting extensive strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran. As far as we know so far, the strikes have targeted nuclear enrichment sites, military sites, the IRGC leadership, including Hussein Salammi, the head of the IRGC, the Army Chief of Staff, and leading nuclear scientists.

Shortly after the blitz began, the IDF Home Front Command announced immediate changes to its guidelines, prohibiting all gatherings for educational, social, and workplace purposes. Israelis have been instructed to remain near bomb shelters as they await the Iranian response.

It is an extremely tense moment for Israelis and Jews around the world. For years we’ve discussed the danger of Iran inching closer and closer to a nuclear weapon. The IDF said in a statement that in recent months it had accumulated evidence that Iran’s nuclear program was “approaching the point of no return.”

Joining us to unpack the ongoing events that are reshaping the Middle East in real time is Ronen Bergman. Ronen is a staff writer for The New York Times and Senior Correspondent for Military and Intelligence Affairs at Yedhiot Ahronot. Ronen is the recipient of a Pulitzer price for his reporting on the Israel-Hamas war.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Subscribe to Ark Media’s new podcast ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/DZulpY

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

Since the beginning of the war, 20 months ago, politicians and public figures have referred to ‘total victory’ and a complete defeat of Hamas to define the war’s objectives. But what exactly does that mean? And at what cost to Israeli society?

Today’s guest, Dr. Tal Becker, has been exploring what it means to actually “win” the war. What does it look like? How to measure it?

Tal recently served as the Legal Advisor of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and currently serves as Vice President of the Shalom Hartman Institute. He is a veteran member of successive Israeli peace negotiation teams and played an instrumental role in negotiating and drafting the historic Abraham Accords. Tal earned his doctorate from Columbia University in New York, and is the recipient of numerous scholarly awards, including the Guggenheim Prize for best international law book for his book "Terrorism and the State".

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Subscribe to Ark Media’s new podcast ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/DZulpY

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: www.instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

Following the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel, Brett McGurk was a lead negotiator for the U.S. Government in every round of hostage/ceasefire negotiations in 2023, 2024, and January 2025.

In today’s episode, which we recorded before a live audience at the Manhattan JCC last week, Brett sat down for his first long-form/on-the-record conversation on his lessons learned, including how these lessons inform the current (on-again/off-gain) negotiations over the Witkoff Plan.

Brett McGurk has held senior national security posts across the Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations.

Most recently, he served as President Biden’s White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. In this role, he spearheaded U.S. Government efforts across the region to secure the release of Israeli hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza and he coordinated international support for Israel’s defense against Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

As Special Presidential Envoy for both President Obama and President Trump, McGurk was an architect of the global coalition of more than 80 countries together with local forces on the ground to defeat ISIS. He also led secret negotiations with Iran to secure the release of American hostages, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaein.

As a senior White House official under George W. Bush, Brett was an early advocate for a change in Iraq war policy and helped develop “the surge” strategy. He also negotiated the Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, which continues to guide U.S. relations between the two countries.

He is now a Venture Partner at Lux Capital, a venture capital firm based in New York City and Silicon Valley, as well as a Special Advisor for international affairs at Cisco, and holds fellowships at both the Harvard’s Belfer Center and the Atlantic Council. He’s also a CNN Global Affairs Analyst.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

(00:00) Introduction

(05:18) Israel’s new aid program and its threat to Hamas

(18:11) Anti-Hamas protest movement

(24:22) Trump’s Gaza migration plan

(28:07) Who is Abu-Shabab?

(31:39) Enclave program in Gaza

(40:04) The day after and deradicalization in Gaza

(47:32) Closing

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Subscribe to Ark Media’s new podcast ‘What’s Your Number?’: https://lnk.to/DZulpY

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: http://instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

Political news has been erupting out of Israel over the past two days, as tensions simmer within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The coalition’s ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, announced they will join the opposition to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset due to its failure to pass a law exempting the ultra-orthodox from serving in the IDF. If a simple majority votes in favor of dissolving the Knesset, it would force parliamentary elections.

As if the news pouring out of Israel wasn’t enough, major developments are also taking place in Gaza. The food-aid program, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is showing signs of success in circumventing Hamas, weakening its political power of Gaza’s population. This food aid program is not just a humanitarian endeavor; it is part of a larger strategy that was developed over the past year, referred to as humanitarian bubbles, in which Hamas-free zones are intended to be administered by vetted local Palestinians unaffiliated with Hamas.

Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed today that Israel is providing weapons to an anti-Hamas militia, led by Yasser Abu-Shabab. The rise of Israel-backed Abu-Shabab, along with the weakening of Hamas’ political and military power, has prompted a conversation about whether we are witnessing the early stages of the day after Hamas in Gaza.

Our guest today is Joseph Braude. He leads the Center for Peace Communications (CPC), a nonprofit that amplifies Gazans who oppose Hamas, and has been active inside the Gaza Strip throughout the war. If you’ve seen a video of Gazans speaking out against Hamas, chances are they came to you through the CPC.

It is the first time we will be speaking with someone who has been in close contact with direct sources inside Gaza’s population. In fact, Joseph has helped us receive audio to questions that the Call me Back podcast sent directly to Gazan civilians.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

MAYA RACKOFF - Operations Director

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:

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For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

On Friday, a peaceful demonstration in Boulder, Colorado, advocating the release of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, was violently disrupted when 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, disguising himself as a gardener, attacked participants with Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower. The assault injured six elderly individuals, aged between 67 and 88 — including a survivor of the Holocaust — with at least one victim in critical condition. In Paris, vandals defaced the Holocaust Memorial, two synagogues, and a Jewish restaurant in a coordinated act of antisemitic violence. These horrific events come just over one week after Elias Rodriguez, a radical, leftist activist, murdered two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Jewish museum in Washington DC.

We have been hearing from Israelis who lived through the Intifada in Israel, as they reflect on what “Globalize the Intifada” means when it reaches our country; we hear one Israeli’s perspective in today’s episode.

Meanwhile, just as it appeared that Israel was facing increasing international pressure, it is Hamas’s position in the hostage negotiations that is weakening with time, according to U.S. officials.

Late on Wednesday, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the release of all the hostages and unhindered aid access across the enclave. Dorothy Shea, Acting US Ambassador to the UN cited the failure to condemn Hamas and calling for its disarmament as the reason for the veto.

Nadav Eyal, senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot, joins us to discuss the implications of the antisemitic terror attack in Boulder as well as the turmoil in Gaza.

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

MARIANGELES BURGOS - Additional Editing

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer

Upcoming Live Event: Call Me Back – Live Podcast recording with Special Guest Brett McGurk — June 4, 7:30 PM at the Manhattan JCC. REGISTER HERE: https://www.mmjccm.org/event/call-me-back-dan-senor-podcast

Watch Call me Back on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CallMeBackPodcast

Subscribe to Ark Media’s new podcast ‘What’s Your Number?’: lnk.to/HJI2mX

For sponsorship inquiries, please contact: callmeback@arkmedia.org

To contact us, sign up for updates, and access transcripts, visit: https://arkmedia.org/

Ark Media on Instagram: http://instagram.com/arkmediaorg

Dan on X: https://x.com/dansenor

Dan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dansenor

Today’s episode:

Terms for a new intermediary hostage-ceasefire deal appear to have been reached through direct negotiations between the US and Hamas, against the backdrop of reports that President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu it would be ‘very inappropriate’ for Israel to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities militarily.

To better understand this rapidly evolving, increasingly complex story, we are joined by Nadav Eyal, senior analyst at Yedioth Achronot and Amit Segal, senior political analyst at Channel 12.

Subscribe to Amit Segal’s newsletter here: https://www.amitsegal.net/newsletter/

CREDITS:

ILAN BENATAR - Producer & Editor

MARTIN HUERGO - Sound Editor

GABE SILVERSTEIN - Research

YUVAL SEMO - Music Composer