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.
A group of at least five armed Palestinian terror operatives on Saturday evening emerged from a tunnel and approached troops in the northern Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of a ceasefire line. We learn of the retaliatory strikes.
Fabian, who was embedded with IDF troops outside of Gaza City last week, describes what he saw on the ground even as the IDF is finalizing plans for a potential renewed operation. We learn about the new policy for reservists as the army faces budget cuts.
As part of “upgrading readiness for future threats” -- read: Iran -- the Defense Ministry said last week it successfully completed a series of “complex” tests with the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system. We learn the economic impact of repurposing the system.
And finally, an Israeli military reservist and a civilian were indicted last week for using classified information to place bets regarding military operations on the popular Polymarket prediction market. What is this website and how dangerous was the intel leak?
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
IDF strikes gunmen who approached troops in north Gaza after emerging from tunnel
Anti-Hamas militia says it is destroying terror group’s tunnels in Gaza
IDF readying new Gaza offensive to disarm Hamas by force
IDF says cutting back superfluous reservists, will reduce duty time
Eyeing future missile threats, Israel successfully completes ‘complex’ David’s Sling tests
Two indicted for using classified info to place online bets on military operations
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: Smoke and flames rise from an Israeli military strike on a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, February 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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