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 reporter Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's Daily Briefing podcast from the Jerusalem office.

We are continuing a new Friday tradition that we instituted last week and giving a deeper look into one aspect of the news. Today, we’re going to delve into Israel’s ever-evolving relationship and strategy with Syria.

We turn back the clock to the foundation of Syria and take a look at each decade of Israel’s existence vis a vis its neighbor to the north. We see how this background plays into Israel currently filling the vacuum in the buffer zone between the two countries after rebel forces decimated the Asad regime’s forces in the past week.

We learn that following a series of wars, Syria discovered that it would not win back the Golan Heights through force. Berman speaks about the decades-long peace talks between the two countries -- and what foiled them

For news updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.

Discussed articles include:

Israel rejects French call to withdraw from Syria buffer: ‘Necessary for defense’

France calls on Israel to exit Syria buffer zone as Spain, Germany urge restraint

IDF building along UN-patrolled demilitarized zone in Syria, satellite images show

Pro-Assad troops take over Golan UN post in demilitarized area on Israeli border

UN calls for armed groups to leave Golan area separating Israel-Syria forces

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand guard on a security fence gate near the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams, December 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)