IDF adds Hezbollah to decapitation campaign after it joins war
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2026
⏱️ 25 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
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.
Rockets and drones launched from Lebanon set sirens blaring across northern Israel in the early hours of Monday, as the Hezbollah terror group entered the fray to assist its backer, Iran, after the killing of the supreme leader. Fabian describes how this strike from the terror group has allowed the IDF to add Hezbollah heads to an ongoing campaign to decapitate the leadership of Iran.
Nine people were killed and more than 40 were injured when a missile destroyed a Beit Shemesh synagogue and caused extensive damage to a public bomb shelter beneath it, as well as surrounding homes. Fabian explains what we know about the failure to down this missile and why the impact was so deadly.
Three American soldiers have been killed, and five have been seriously wounded in the ongoing conflict with Iran, the US Central Command said Sunday, announcing the first US casualties in the conflict. We also learn how a strike on a UK base in Cyprus has potentially changed its willingness to aid the effort against Iran.
Fabian turns back to 8:10 a.m. on Saturday and explores how the conflict began. Israeli Air Force fighter jets have dropped over 2,000 bombs in strikes against hundreds of Iranian regime targets and military sites since the start of the war with the Islamic Republic on Saturday morning. How does this compare with the June 12-day war?
And finally, as Purim is set to begin this evening for most of the Jewish world, are Israelis allowed to gather for the reading of the Book of Esther?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF strikes in Beirut after Hezbollah enters fray and fires rockets, drones at north
Four of the 9 victims of Iranian missile strike on Beit Shemesh named by authorities
9 killed as Iranian missile destroys synagogue, smashes bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh
‘Everything is gone’: Deadly Iranian strike on Beit Shemesh leaves residents reeling
3 American soldiers killed, 5 seriously injured in war with Iran — US military
Drone hit British military base in Cyprus, local and UK officials say
IDF: Over 2,000 bombs dropped on Iran in 30 hours, air supremacy achieved on 1st day
Trump says he’s agreed to talk to Iran’s leaders, but estimates operation will take weeks
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Adina Karpuj.
IMAGE: Hezbollah supporters wave their group's flags and an Iranian national flag during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, February 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. Today's Monday, March 2nd. I'm Amanda Borchelle, Dan, |
| 0:09.8 | joined by our military correspondent, Emmanuel Fabian. Many, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:14.7 | Hi, Amanda. Good morning. Good morning. We are now in day three of the war, and we will discuss |
| 0:19.5 | all the attacks on Israel yesterday, |
| 0:21.6 | which caused several fatalities. |
| 0:23.6 | We'll also hear about U.S. soldiers who were killed. |
| 0:26.6 | And, of course, overnight, Hezbollah joined the fray. |
| 0:30.6 | So all of this and the world is fundamentally broken. |
| 0:46.3 | This is adapting the future of Jewish education. |
| 0:49.2 | Join me, Samantha Vinicor Mindrat of the Jewish Education Project and CEO David Breitman every week with an expert guest as we discuss the biggest challenges, nuances, and opportunities in Jewish education. |
| 1:00.3 | Israel is a miracle, but Israel is also a country. Here is the thing. I think Iranian Jews are the way American Jews were in the 1960s and early 70s. |
| 1:11.3 | Adapting isn't just a podcast. |
| 1:12.9 | It's where the boldest ideas for securing our Jewish future through the power of |
| 1:16.3 | education come to life. |
| 1:18.1 | Listen wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:24.1 | And we're back. |
| 1:25.1 | I'm Amanda Borsel Dan here with our military correspondent, Emmanuel Fabian. |
| 1:29.3 | Mani, let's start with the Hezbollah attacks on northern Israel last night. Of course, Israel has |
| 1:36.0 | already retaliated. So let's talk about what Hezbollah has said about their attacks and then |
| 1:41.7 | what they did. So Hezbollah issued a statement last night or overnight after launching at least six |
| 1:49.0 | rockets and two drones at northern Israel, saying that it had tried to target an Israeli |
| 1:55.0 | military facility near Haifa. |
... |
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