US and Iran exchange fire as IDF ramps up on Lebanon front
The Times of Israel Daily Briefing
The Times of Israel
4.5 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2026
⏱️ 28 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.
US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
US President Donald Trump indicated during a Wednesday cabinet meeting that progress in talks with Iran on a deal to end the war had slowed, departing from his assertion at the start of the week that an agreement was nearly finalized.
On Thursday, Israelis awoke to the news that the US had struck Iranian targets for a second time this week for "defensive" purposes. Later in the morning, it was reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted an American base in retaliation for US strikes on the country’s south.
At the same time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed the IDF to broaden its activities against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Magid helps us unravel where things stand in the negotiations, even as the ceasefire appears to be evermore fragile and the chances for a deal increasingly remote.
Also during the Wednesday cabinet meeting, for the second time this week, the president suggested he may not sign a deal with Iran if neighboring Gulf countries do not normalize ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Magid explains how this stance could actually blow up in the face of the US.
In the second half of our program, we turn to the leadership vacuum in the Gaza Strip. Hamas on Wednesday confirmed the death of Mohammed Odeh, the newly appointed head of the terror group’s military wing, who Israel killed in a strike in Gaza City. Whatever happened with last month's elections to appoint a new Hamas head?
And finally, we hear the scoop behind Shin Bet chief David Zini's meeting with the Palestinian Authority’s exiled former Gaza security chief Mohammed Dahlan during a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
Trump says US ‘not satisfied’ in talks with Iran, days after claiming deal imminent
Soldier killed in Hezbollah drone attack as Israel widens strikes on terror group
Hamas confirms death of military chief Mohammed Odeh; defiant funeral held in Gaza City
Shin Bet head met exiled PA Gaza security chief Dahlan in UAE — sources
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to the Times of Israel's daily briefing. |
| 0:05.0 | Today is Thursday, May 28th. |
| 0:09.0 | I'm Amanda Borchelle Dan here in Jerusalem, |
| 0:11.0 | joined by our US Bureau Chief Jacob Magid from Chicago. |
| 0:15.0 | Jacob, thank you so much for joining me today. |
| 0:17.0 | Hi Amanda, good to be with you again. |
| 0:19.0 | It is always such a pleasure. |
| 0:27.1 | Jacob, we are going to hear, first of all, about the second strike that U.S. forces have conducted on Iranian targets just overnight for us. We're going to talk about the status of the Iran |
| 0:32.9 | negotiations. And in the second half of the program, we're going to focus our lens on Palestinians. |
| 0:38.0 | We'll talk about the Hamas leadership hierarchy and also speak about Fatah. |
| 0:44.3 | So all of this and more when we're back. I'm Amanda Borchelle, Don, joined by our U.S. Bureau Chief, Jacob Magid. |
| 1:10.0 | Jacob, let's talk about the second strike on Iranian targets of this week. |
| 1:15.3 | I just have to say we started the week on Sunday with some kind of anticipation that there |
| 1:19.8 | would be a deal. |
| 1:21.1 | Suddenly, of course, I think it was Tuesday. |
| 1:23.5 | The U.S. targeted Iranian forces in different locations, mostly their military, as far as I understand it. |
| 1:30.1 | And then I woke up again this morning to news that there was a second strike. |
| 1:34.3 | So what was targeted in this second strike, Jacob? |
| 1:38.0 | So this time around the U.S. official briefing, some reporters said that the military had struck a military side. |
| 1:43.7 | It didn't get specific, but said it |
| 1:45.5 | opposed a threat to U.S. forces. And once again, the official is trying to frame these strikes |
| 1:51.2 | as defensive in nature. They're trying to make that differentiation, I guess to make sure that the |
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