The Times of Israel Daily Briefing

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.
Israel and Jews around the world marked three years since the October 7 attacks this week.
It was a time to remember the fallen and the survivors. It was also an opportunity to take stock of Israel's conflicts and what Israel should do next.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a PhD student at Princeton and Middle East scholar, says that Israel's approach to Syria and Lebanon needs to be recalibrated.
Israel thinks it has a "panacea" in its buffer zones in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza, she argues. But it's not clear how that solves Israel's challenges, and at least in Syria, it is making Israel less safe.
She notes that Hezbollah is a badly weakened force and has lost a lot of legitimacy inside Lebanon. But the Joseph Aoun government is not about to risk domestic tension and even civil war by actually trying to disarm Hezbollah. Israel remaining in Lebanon only weakens the Aoun government further, Tsurkov argues.
In Syria, she says, decisions are made by a group of five people, led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa. They are "deeply, deeply pragmatic," says Tsurkov. They have sacrificed much to reach a position of power, and are not about to throw it away by picking a fight with Israel.
However, she warns, Israel is making a major mistake with its buffer zone in Syria. Instead of making the border safer, the IDF presence is antagonizing the locals and will eventually push some toward guerrilla warfare against Israel.
Lazar Focus is available on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and video edited by Yitzchak Ledee.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
News editor Ben Sales joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.
Following the various memorial ceremonies held this week to mark the third anniversary of October 7, Sales and Steinberg discuss the ongoing polarization in Israeli society, extending to the different days on which the Hamas massacre is commemorated.
Looking ahead to the October 27 election, Sales talks about the democratic expectation of having a mandate once the votes are in, yet knowing it will only be the day after the election when the political maneuvering will start.
As details about the lack of monitoring of foreign pilots continue to build after the flydubai attack, Sales reviews how the political opposition is using the opportunity to attack Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the election.
Finally, Sales briefly discusses some of the unexpected reactions to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's statements about October 7 during a coexistence event.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
A place ‘soaked with their dances, music and blood’: Nova victims remembered at scene of massacre
‘It’s bad’: In a polarized Israel, the likeliest election result is more uncertainty
Will the flydubai attack save Netanyahu’s struggling campaign?
‘Traitor’: Anti-Zionist protesters rage at Mamdani at Oct. 7 coexistence event
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
The country is marking the passage of three years since the onset of the multifront war on October 7, 2023. We speak about the concept of memorializing what one is living through and why this third anniversary is different.
Moving from border to border, Berman speaks about the military's operations on all fronts and whether the status on the ground is a stalemate or a new normal.
We discuss Israel's geopolitical status, comparing what we thought we knew on October 6, 2023, to what we believe is true today.
Next, we turn to the unresolved Iran arena and hear about recent Saudi alliance efforts to push back the Iran-backed Houthis from strategic ports in Yemen.
And finally, we learn about Cpt. Amir Zur, who fell in battle at Kibbutz Kfar Aza three years ago today.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
3 years of war: Data shows IDF hit 100,000 targets as 31,500 projectiles fired at Israel
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces expel Houthis from areas around key strait: officials
Cpt. Amir Zur, 23: ‘You will always be our guardian angel’
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
The copilot who attempted to carry out a terror attack on a flydubai flight on Wednesday intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion Airport, according to reports on Sunday. This is just one of the many details surfacing after the miraculous thwarting of the near-disaster that Horovitz unveils during today's program.
However, alongside the saga of in-flight heroism, we have also learned of systemic failures which have exposed travelers flying in and out of Israel for years. Alongside the ministerial buck-passing, we hear sharp criticism from leading security figures, including the former head of Israel’s National Security Council, Eyal Hulata.
The entrenched failure to protect Israelis has occurred as the nation is still mourning those who fell on October 7, 2023, and in the ensuing wars, and in the vacuum of a commission of inquiry into the breakdowns leading to the massacre of 1,200 in southern Israel.
As the nation marks three years to the onslaught, Horovitz discusses how it is coloring the current election campaign and the spirit of the people of Israel.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Most Arkia and Israir flights use planes and crews leased from foreign airlines, in arrangement okayed by PM
Flydubai terrorist said to tell investigators he intended to crash plane into Ben Gurion Airport
Former NSC head pans Netanyahu’s ‘crooked’ flydubai probe, says buck stops with him
At Oct. 7 ceremonies, PM vows to settle scores. Others urge accountability for massacre
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Yitzchak Ledee.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.
An Israeli airstrike in Gaza City overnight Friday-Saturday targeted Ali al-Amoudi, the terror group’s de facto leader in the enclave, according to the military, with Palestinian media reporting five people killed, including a number of women. This morning, a Hamas official claimed that al-Amoudi has survived the strike. Fabian fills us in.
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday said it determined that 170 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who were identified as journalists following their deaths were actually members of terror groups. We delve into the ways in which the IDF has determined these so-called journalists were linked to terror organizations and the problematic nature of reporting from the Gaza Strip.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened senior officers on Sunday for a conference on the lessons learned from the October 7 attack, three years on. During the conference, Zamir presented a certificate of appreciation to Chief Warrant Officer “Vav,” a member of the signals intelligence Unit 8200 — identified only by her first initial in Hebrew — who warned before October 7, 2023, that Hamas had a clear plan in place to attack Israel. Senior intelligence officers had dismissed and ignored her warnings. We delve into this painful saga.
The IDF has established a new military school that aims to boost the combat training of combat support soldiers, preparing them for the day when they may have to put down the clipboard and pick up a gun. The commander of the school, a lieutenant colonel, told The Times of Israel that the new program “was established as part of the lessons of October 7.” Fabian explains how this school is a totally new concept for the IDF.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF strike on Hamas’s Gaza chief kills 5, including mother and daughter; his fate unclear
IDF documents terror affiliations of 170 Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza war
IDF chief honors officer whose Hamas invasion warnings were ignored by her superiors
Lt. Col. Aryeh Amidror named as Gaza Division intel officer involved in Oct. 7 failures
IDF steps up combat training for troops behind front lines after Oct. 7 exposes gaps
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.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.