On razor's edge: Iran and US continue strikes

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 correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

For the second straight day, the United States struck Iran late Wednesday and into early Thursday morning after hitting Iranian targets a day earlier in retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic responded by attacking sites in Kuwait and Bahrain, but not yet Israel. Berman assesses the causes for the current flare-up and where things may go from here.

Although Israel did all it could to convince the White House not to provide Turkey with advanced military hardware that would drastically improve its air force, US President Donald Trump seems keen on pushing for Turkey's rejoining the F-35 program. Berman breaks down why the country was initially ejected from the program and what Israel's objections are.

During the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump informed his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa that he had decided to remove the country from the US list of designated state sponsors of terrorism. During this same meetup, Trump touted his decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and spoke to Turkey's influence in Syria. Berman puts the pieces together.

Israel-Jordan relations are at a nadir as the Jewish state decided not to renew a 2021 "goodwill" agreement that would see Israel doubling its required water allotment to its parched neighbor. We learn how we got here -- and how the relationship could soon be improved.

Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US launches 2nd night of strikes against Iran, as Israel said bracing for war to restart

NATO summit and Trump’s support for F-35s sale boost Turkey’s standing, as slumping Israel sees clout erode

US to delist Syria as state sponsor of terror, in new boost to Sharaa

Parched Jordan fuming at Israeli refusal to renew expired water deal – report

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.

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