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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

With reports of the US building firepower in the Middle East ahead of a possible strike against Iran, Berman discusses the possible timing and latest indicators, including US President Donald Trump's characterization of the recently concluded nuclear talks in Geneva.

Berman details several of the latest locations of the US aircraft carriers, their offensive and defensive power in the region, and the ability of the US and Israel to carry out an extended campaign if necessary.

He also reports on a brief visit of right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson to Israel to interview US ambassador Mike Huckabee, following Carlson's repeated claims that Israel oppresses Christians.

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

For further reading:

White House: There are many arguments for striking Iran, they’d be wise to make a deal

Iran atomic energy chief says no country can deprive Tehran of enrichment rights

Israel, US envoy reject Tucker Carlson’s claim he was detained and interrogated at airport

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: Demonstrators wave Iranian and Hezbollah flags as one holds a poster of the late Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in Iraq in 2020, during the Muslim Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, which commemorates the Prophet Muhammad naming Ali, revered as the first Shiite imam, as his successor, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (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.

Settlements reporter Jeremy Sharon and religion reporter Rossella Tercatin join host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

On Sunday, the cabinet approved the opening of a new land registration process for Area C in the West Bank, some 60 percent of the territory, which it and critics said would enable the state to declare large swaths of land in the territory as available for public development, meaning the creation and expansion of settlements and settlement infrastructure.

Sharon weighs in on the trend of increasing Israeli civilian control of the territory, or de facto annexation, and Tercatin brings the example of legislation that would give the State of Israel control of archaeological sites in territory currently administered by the Palestinian Authority.

Yesterday, for the first time in three years, representatives of the state and the Jerusalem municipality explained to the High Court why there is a delay in implementing a 2016 government-mandated upgrade to the egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall and restoring its direct access to the wall itself.

Tercatin updates us on the ongoing saga and Sharon weighs in with the potential legal outcomes.

We finish the program with a new reading of the New Testament's cleansing of the Temple, which brings out Jesus's more human aspects.

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

For further reading:

Cabinet OKs new West Bank land registration process, critics decry ‘de-facto annexation’

Local and state government trade blame over delays upgrading Western Wall egalitarian plaza

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: Palestinians visit the Roman historical site in the West Bank town of Sebastia, November 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

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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.

The US and Iran are set to hold indirect talks in Geneva today, with little indication of potential compromise as the United States continues its economic sanctions and ramps up its military presence in the Middle East while Iran holds large-scale maritime exercises. We hear what may be on the table as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner hold negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Israel plans to afford Hamas a 60-day period to disarm, and if it does not, the Israeli military will go back to war in the Gaza Strip, according to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs on Monday. How does this align with the inaugural session of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, which is set for this Thursday? We learn which countries may be joining and what is hoped to be accomplished.

And finally, last Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that President Isaac Herzog “should be ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged fraud, bribery and breach of trust. Why were these remarks made out of the blue -- and do they actually help the Prime Minister?

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

For further reading:

Trump ally to ToI: Ayatollah staying in power would be ‘strategic victory for Iran’

Top Netanyahu aide: Hamas will have 60 days to disarm or IDF will ‘complete’ mission

Indonesia says 8,000 troops ready to deploy to Gaza by June as Trump touts progress

Sa’ar to represent Israel at inaugural Board of Peace meeting, after PM declines to attend

Trump says Herzog should be ‘ashamed of himself’ for not pardoning Netanyahu

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: A huge banner showing hands firmly holding Iranian national flags as a sign of patriotism, in Tehran, Iran, January 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

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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.

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

While the prospect of American intervention in Iran appears to be receding, Horovitz discusses the mixed signals from the US and Iran and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's repeated remarks that Israel has multiple requirements for any deal that might take shape.

As election season nears, Horovitz reviews the latest efforts by the prime minister to minimize the blame attached to him for October 7, including recasting the war in Gaza as a war of revival, with that term used on the gravestones of the fallen.

Following a Haredi riot in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak in which a mob attacked two young female soldiers visiting an ultra-Orthodox soldier, Horovitz discusses the riot, the lack of an immediate response from the police, and the idea that IDF soldiers can't move around freely in Israel.

Finally, Horovitz and Steinberg discuss some of the latest issues facing the former hostages, as some choose to share the atrocities of their captivity, others have taken to crowdfunding to raise funds for their rehabilitation, and many are staying firmly out of the public eye.

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

For further reading:

New anti-government chants reported across Iran after major rallies abroad

Trump told Netanyahu he’d back Israeli strikes on Iran if talks fail – report

2 female soldiers attacked by rioting Haredi mob in Bnei Brak, rescued by police

Former hostage couple dreams of space (travel) and time to recover and rebuild their home

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 recycle bin for papers set on fire after two female Israeli soldiers were rescued from riots that broke out while they were performing a welfare visit in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, February 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Associated Press, Oded Balilty)

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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.

A group of at least five armed Palestinian terror operatives on Saturday evening emerged from a tunnel and approached troops in the northern Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of a ceasefire line. We learn of the retaliatory strikes.

Fabian, who was embedded with IDF troops outside of Gaza City last week, describes what he saw on the ground even as the IDF is finalizing plans for a potential renewed operation. We learn about the new policy for reservists as the army faces budget cuts.

As part of “upgrading readiness for future threats” -- read: Iran -- the Defense Ministry said last week it successfully completed a series of “complex” tests with the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system. We learn the economic impact of repurposing the system.

And finally, an Israeli military reservist and a civilian were indicted last week for using classified information to place bets regarding military operations on the popular Polymarket prediction market. What is this website and how dangerous was the intel leak?

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

For further reading:

IDF strikes gunmen who approached troops in north Gaza after emerging from tunnel

Anti-Hamas militia says it is destroying terror group’s tunnels in Gaza

IDF readying new Gaza offensive to disarm Hamas by force

IDF says cutting back superfluous reservists, will reduce duty time

Eyeing future missile threats, Israel successfully completes ‘complex’ David’s Sling tests

Two indicted for using classified info to place online bets on military operations

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: Smoke and flames rise from an Israeli military strike on a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, February 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

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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.

After Borschel-Dan reads out a listener's cottage cheese-themed email, Hoffman brings us a news "Jangle" involving "Marty Supreme" actress Odessa A'zion.

Next, we hear how to pickle lemons, and then we turn to an Israeli student film, "The Butcher's Stain," that is up for an Oscar this year for Best Short Film. Hoffman weighs in on its chances.

Finally, we explore Spike Lee's 2018 "BlacKkKlansman," which has several surprisingly deeply Jewish moments.

Check out the "meh plus!" and "not bad" films 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 What Matters Now, a weekly podcast exploring key issues currently shaping Israel and the Jewish World, with host Amanda Borschel-Dan speaking with Alice Miller, the CEO of Natan Worldwide Disaster Relief.

Miller is nationally known for her landmark Supreme Court case in 1995, which opened the gates of the Israel Air Force to female fighter pilots. This decision paved the way for today's female combat soldiers and made Miller a household name.

However, that was just the start of Miller's incredible journey that has taken her around the globe -- and her work as an aeronautical engineer may even reach the moon.

Today, Miller serves as the head of an NGO that brings volunteer medical staff and therapists into international disaster zones. In the past year alone, teams have landed in Syria, Mexico and are shortly taking off for Mozambique.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught on southern Israel, the organization began work in Israel for the first time -- and eventually, also in the Gaza Strip.

We learn about the principled decision that has Israelis serving Gazans as we ask Miller, 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 Ari Schlacht.

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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.

Only 16 days before the October 7, 2023, attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took to the podium at the United Nations. As a Saudi diplomat listened intently, he said, "We are on the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough, a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”

The war that erupted with the Hamas invasion has, not surprisingly, pushed off normalization, but it was still seen as likely once the hostages came back and Hamas was beaten.

That prognosis has been replaced by alarm in recent months. The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- a close Israeli ally -- spilled out into the open in Yemen, and continues to simmer in Sudan and Libya.

Meanwhile, Riyadh's relations with Ankara and Doha continue to improve. In parallel, Saudi media and clerics launched a bitter war of words on the UAE, Israel, and even Jews.

Berman drills down into the economic, strategic, and military roots of the UAE-Saudi regional rivalry, and whether the idea of blocs in the Middle East is even accurate.

He then gives his assessment of whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is really realigning the kingdom's foreign policy, and what it means for a peace deal with Israel.

Lazar Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.

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