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 Jessica Steinberg for today's episode.

As Iranian officers briefed Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, Fabian discusses assessments regarding the Iranian proxy in Lebanon attacking Israel if the US strikes Iran and Iran strikes Israel, and the concurrent uptick in IDF attacks against Hezbollah in recent weeks.

Fabian reports that the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is about to reach the region, offering another stage of readiness for a possible US strike against Iran.

After dozens of settler activists entered the closed military zone of the Gaza border on Thursday night, Fabian notes that the political action diverted the army’s attention away from defending against potential attacks.

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

For further reading:

Report: IRGC running Hezbollah, preparing it for war with Israel if US strikes Iran

Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 12, including senior Hezbollah official

Israeli officials believe US, Iran at unbridgeable impasse as they near open conflict

Dozens of settler activists, including far-right MK, illegally cross into Gaza

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: Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's grave in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

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.
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/emanuel-fabian/">Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian</a> joins&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/writers/jessica-steinberg/">host Jessica Steinberg</a> for today's episode.
As Iranian officers briefed Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, Fabian discusses assessments regarding the Iranian proxy in Lebanon attacking Israel if the US strikes Iran and Iran strikes Israel, and the concurrent uptick in IDF attacks against Hezbollah in recent weeks.
Fabian reports that the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is about to reach the region, offering another stage of readiness for a possible US strike against Iran.
After dozens of settler activists entered the closed military zone of the Gaza border on Thursday night, Fabian notes that the political action diverted the army&rsquo;s attention away from defending against potential attacks.
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-22-2026/">Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.</a>
For further reading:
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-irgc-running-hezbollah-preparing-it-for-war-with-israel-if-us-strikes-iran/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=israel-says-it-targeted-hamas-command-center-in-lebanon-strike">Report: IRGC running Hezbollah, preparing it for war with Israel if US strikes Iran</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-says-it-targeted-hamas-command-center-in-lebanon-strike/">Israeli strikes in Lebanon kill at least 12, including senior Hezbollah official</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-officials-believe-us-iran-at-unbridgeable-impasse-as-they-near-open-conflict/?utm_source=article_hpsidebar&amp;utm_medium=desktop_site&amp;utm_campaign=report-irgc-running-hezbollah-preparing-it-for-war-with-israel-if-us-strikes-iran">Israeli officials believe US, Iran at unbridgeable impasse as they near open conflict</a>
<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/settler-activists-including-far-right-mk-illegally-cross-into-gaza/">Dozens of settler activists, including far-right MK, illegally cross into Gaza</a>
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-times-of-israel-daily-briefing/id1547404042"> Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1vhvFPvN0fFn5YRHCEcxrn">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnR6FOcOvFdMbb0w1n0Ev0orcVkufgZ89">YouTube,</a> or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: Hezbollah supporters chant slogans during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Nasrallah's grave in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what’s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.

Welcome to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing: Your update on what&rsquo;s important in Israel, the Middle East and The Jewish World.