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.

It is day 195 of the war with Hamas. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode in the Jerusalem office.

The United States led a group of 48 countries at the United Nations in condemning Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel last weekend. Horovitz weighs in.

Egyptian officials tell a Qatari outlet that the US has accepted Israel’s plan for an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in return for not carrying out a large strike in Iran in response to Tehran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack. Horovitz postulates that Israel may have missed its chance for true retaliation for the Iran strike.

The New York Times is reporting that “multiple American officials” think that Israeli officials miscalculated the severity of Iran’s response to the April 1 strike on a building in Damascus in which several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders were killed. Based on previous targeted killings of key Iranian players, should Israel have anticipated Iran's large-scale potentially devastating strike?

Horovitz conducted an interview with Giora Eiland, a former IDF planning and operations chief and the former head of the National Security Council under prime minister Ariel Sharon. We hear highlights of their discussion.

For the latest updates, please see The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Live blog April 18, 2024

PM shelved pre-approved plans for immediate Iran reprisal after Biden call — report

A top ex-general’s radical strategy for tackling Iran, saving the hostages, calming the north

THOSE WE HAVE LOST: Civilians and soldiers killed in Hamas's onslaught on Israel

THOSE WE ARE MISSING: The hostages and victims whose fate is still unknown

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Check out yesterday's Daily Briefing episode:

https://omny.fm/shows/the-daily-briefing/day-194-tension-on-3-fronts-knesset-passes-1st-rea

IMAGE: An Iranian military truck carries parts of a Sayad 4-B missile past a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a military parade as part of a ceremony marking the country's annual army day in Tehran on April 17, 2024. (Atta Kenare / AFP)