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Daily Briefing July 22: IDF Lebanon pullout takes shape as Gaza peace plan stalls
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 Nava Freiberg joins host Gabriella Jacobs for today’s episode.
WATCH the full episode here:
Following an 11th consecutive night of US strikes on Iran and Iranian strikes on its Arab neighbors in the Gulf and elsewhere, Freiberg offers possible paths forward in the war.
Freiberg analyzes US President Donald Trump’s claim Tuesday that the US will be striking Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain “probably pretty soon,” amid reports that Tehran has moved nuclear centrifuges, and possibly even enriched uranium, to the secretive underground enrichment site. Is this bombastic threat just part of Trump’s strategy to keep Iran guessing or could the US be prepping a ground invasion?
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington, where Aoun declared that his country will permanently end hostilities with Israel. Freiberg comments on Trump’s remark at the meeting that he is open to speaking directly with Hezbollah — if Beirut asked — after Aoun requested backing in his efforts to disarm the Iran-backed terror group.
In the second half, we move on to discuss Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which nine months ago was hailed as an end to the war in the Strip and the beginning of Gaza’s reconstruction. Freiberg explains why the framework is only moving forward in “baby steps.”
The episode closes with a special visitor, Sarah Tuttle-Singer, curator of the Peoples of Israel project, who introduces us to her work and the project’s goals.
Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump claims US will strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain ‘probably pretty soon’
Meeting Trump in DC, Aoun says Lebanon will end hostility with Israel ‘forever’
Israel remains on sidelines of US-Iran fight, which for Jerusalem is just fine for now
Slowed by Hamas’s grip and Israeli politics, Gaza plan advancing in ‘baby steps,’ officials say
Tova Saul, the cat rescuer of Jerusalem
Avi Goldberger, pub owner who brings everyone together
Batya Ezri, the ‘time traveler’ of Jerusalem
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.
Check out yesterday’s episode here:
