IDF soldiers absorb Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon push
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 5 April 2026
⏱️ 32 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.
US intelligence has assessed that around half of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers are still intact despite over a month of US and Israeli bombardment across the country. Fabian explains why this is not the measure to take of the campaign's success.
We learn about the frequency of Iranian missiles shot at Israel and the damage that is being wrought, even as the IDF says it is turning to a new phase in its operations -- Iran's economy.
Turning to Lebanon, Fabian describes the massive build-up of soldiers there, and an operation that saw the death of Sgt. First Class Guy Ludar, 21, and seriously wounded another from the Commando Brigade’s Maglan Unit. We hear what the war goals are for Lebanon, even as leaked statements from a high-ranking IDF officer indicate that it is not a total disarmament of the terrorist organization.
All is somewhat quiet on the Gaza front, says Fabian, even as many soldiers are still stationed there, as well as the West Bank. The issue of a lack of manpower in the IDF was addressed over the holiday weekend with a surprise announcement that reservists will now be required to serve nine weeks instead of six.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
US intelligence said to assess around half of Iran’s missile launchers still intact
Iran said restoring bombed missile bunkers within hours after being struck
6 wounded as Iran cluster bombs smash homes in central Israel; IDF hits Iran infrastructure
IDF says soldier killed, another seriously hurt by ‘friendly-fire’ in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah attacks damage homes in north; IDF said to destroy east Lebanon bridge
IDF official says disarming Hezbollah unrealistic, not a goal of Lebanon operation
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Gabriella Jacobs and edited by Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: IDF reservists of the 226th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on April 5, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:06.2 | Today is Sunday, April 5th. |
| 0:09.0 | I'm Amanda Borchelle, Dan, here in our Jerusalem studio with military correspondent, |
| 0:13.4 | Emmanuel Fabian. |
| 0:14.6 | Mani, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:17.0 | Amanda. |
| 0:18.0 | It's been a long holiday weekend, and so we're going to catch up and understand what's coming out of Iran and what the IDF is doing inside Iran. Then we'll switch to Lebanon as the forces are mustering there. We're going to talk about what's happening in the West Bank and also on the ground in the Gaza Strip. So all of this and more when we're back. |
| 0:46.6 | Hi, this is Nava Fryberg, diplomatic reporter at the Times of Israel. |
| 0:52.1 | Soon after the joint U.S.Israeli campaign against Iran began, |
| 0:55.0 | an Iranian ballistic missile struck an apartment building in Tel Aviv, |
| 0:59.0 | killing a woman in her 30s. |
| 1:02.0 | While most people stayed near their shelters that day, |
| 1:05.0 | I did something very unnatural. |
| 1:07.0 | I headed straight to the impact site. |
| 1:09.0 | I showed security at the site my press card and got to work, |
| 1:12.6 | sidestepping broken glass as I interviewed shocked residents and officials |
| 1:16.6 | between trips to the closest shelter as the sirens continued. |
| 1:20.6 | For most people living through a war, heading toward the danger goes against their instincts. |
| 1:28.3 | For reporters at the Times of Israel, it's what we do to ensure you get the most accurate and timely information about what's happening now, on the ground, in Israel. |
| 1:38.3 | If you value work like mine, please consider joining our Reader Support Group, the Times of Israel community. |
| 1:45.1 | Your financial support is essential to keeping real reporting like this up. |
| 1:49.7 | Just go to the Timesofisrael.com slash join. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Times of Israel, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Times of Israel and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.