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  1. hace 22 h

    FIDF LIVE BRIEFING: SFC. Kelly Odes, IDF Head of Strategy & Messaging - May 31, 2026

    Lara Krinsky hosts this IDF Live briefing with Sgt. First Class Kelly Odes from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, focusing on how the war is fought both on the battlefield and in the global information space. Kelly says the main current effort is the northern front, citing major IDF gains against Hezbollah’s command structure—including roughly 7,500 operatives eliminated since the start of the war (about 2,500 since Operation Roaring Lion began in March), plus hundreds more since the ceasefire understandings. She stresses that the threat is evolving, especially the surge in explosive drones, noting the recent death of a young female soldier, Rotem, and outlining a three-part response: better detection/interception, improved protective measures, and strikes on drone storage/production sites. On Gaza, she describes renewed activity and a string of high-level Hamas eliminations—including two successive heads of military operations—while warning Hamas is still trying to regroup and rearm despite international pressure to disarm. On Iran, she says the IDF remains on high readiness and is building contingency plans while awaiting political decisions as negotiations extend, and she argues Israel’s post–Oct. 7 doctrine is proactive: don’t wait for threats to grow. The briefing closes with a strong emphasis on morale—soldiers are fatigued but undeterred—and a call to support troops facing relentless combat and delegitimization through FIDF.

    36 min

  2. 17 may

    FIDF SPECIAL BRIEFING Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Vice President of Newsrael - 5.17.2026

    Lara Krinsky opens this briefing by noting a week of deadlines, threats, and quiet repositioning from China to Lebanon to Iran, then welcomes Dr. Mordechai Kedar to unpack the psychology driving events beneath the headlines. Kedar argues President Trump is approaching a “T-junction” on Iran—torn between domestic pressure to avoid another long war and the risk of looking weak after weeks of strikes if Iran still refuses to bend and keeps threatening the Strait of Hormuz. He says Iran’s leadership operates under a jihadist logic in which surrender is not an option, and that even major damage to air and naval capabilities doesn’t necessarily destabilize the regime because internal control depends mainly on security forces with rifles. The conversation then shifts to a provocative alternative to the traditional two-state model: Kedar advocates “emirates” in Judea and Samaria—locally clan-based city-states (Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, etc.) that could declare independence from the Palestinian Authority and potentially join a normalization framework like the Abraham Accords. He argues nationalism is a recent and fragile glue in the region and that the PA’s legitimacy relies on anti-Israel incitement, while clan structures are the durable social unit and therefore could govern without needing perpetual conflict. He closes by warning that Qatar’s money and media ecosystem (including Al Jazeera and funding of Western institutions) shapes global narratives, and Lara ends with a call to support Israel’s soldiers and security forces through FIDF.

    54 min

  3. 3 may

    FIDF LIVE BRIEFING: Brig. Gen. (Res.) Nitzan Nuriel, Counter Terrorism Expert - May 3, 2026

    Lara Krinsky opens by warning that Israel is still facing active threats on multiple fronts—Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and Judea/Samaria—and brings on Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel (ret.) to explain how terrorism and escalation are evolving in real time. Nuriel says Israel’s achievements are significant but the war is far from over, and he worries the IDF is stretched thin as exhausted reservists and under-trained active units struggle to sustain the tempo. He predicts another round of U.S.-Israel kinetic action against Iran soon and argues regime change is the only durable end state, outlining a six-part approach that combines continued strikes, empowering Iran’s regular military, mobilizing Kurdish forces, targeting IRGC leadership, pushing Gulf states to join offensively, and calling Iranians back into the streets. He warns that while Israel controls large portions of Gaza, Hamas is still regenerating by controlling aid, raising money, and recruiting new fighters, meaning Gaza remains unresolved. On Lebanon, he says Hezbollah is also fighting for survival and will try to sabotage any diplomatic opening with Beirut, and he floats a long-term regional “10-year plan” led by Saudi Arabia to rebuild trust and stability. He closes with a blunt manpower reality: reservists can’t serve 200 days a year indefinitely, frustration over unequal service burdens is rising, and without clear political end-states Israel risks running a marathon without knowing where the stadium is.

    50 min

  4. 26 abr

    FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING: LTC (Ret.) Or Horvitz, National Security Expert, Elsight - 4.26.2026

    Lara Krinsky opens by warning that public messaging doesn’t match the hidden “movements beneath the surface,” then speaks with Lt. Col. (Res.) Or Horovitz about a fragile window in which the Middle East could tip into either renewed war or a drawn-out stalemate. Horovitz says the key U.S. pressure point is the Strait of Hormuz—where Iran’s harassment and a U.S. maritime blockade are colliding—while the deeper, harder issues remain Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles, where he sees little “zone of agreement.” He describes Iran’s leadership as fragmented and incoherent after recent upheaval, with the IRGC potentially calling the shots and still telling itself a delusional “survival equals victory” story that makes concessions unlikely. On China, he argues Beijing’s priority is restoring steady oil flow, but warns that even “dual-use” Chinese materials could massively accelerate Iran’s missile production if not stopped through U.S. economic leverage. Horovitz says Israel’s strategic imperative is regime destabilization over time—Reagan-versus-the-Soviets style—while simultaneously preventing Iran from rebuilding nuclear and missile capabilities, and he frames removing Iran’s enriched uranium as the single most important near-term outcome. He also sees a rare opportunity in Lebanon: under U.S. “umbrella” diplomacy, Israel and Lebanese officials could move toward a peace process that steadily drains Hezbollah of Iranian money and influence, even as Hezbollah tries to sabotage talks with provocations and the region’s next looming challenge becomes Turkey as the Shiite axis weakens.

    39 min

  5. 19 abr

    FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING: Jonathan Schanzer, Foundation for Defense Democracies (FDD) - April 19, 2026

    Lara Krinsky opens the briefing by saying the week’s “pause” feels less like an ending and more like a setup, and she brings on Jonathan Schanzer (FDD) to explain the contradictory messaging and whether the ceasefires with Iran and Lebanon can hold. He argues the U.S.-Israel conventional campaign badly weakened Iran, but warns the regime is using the lull to rearm—refurbishing missile launchers and seeking Chinese inputs like drone parts and chemical precursors—raising the odds of renewed fighting. Schanzer says the bigger complication is Iran’s asymmetric “economic war” through the Strait of Hormuz, which spiked energy prices and pushed Trump toward a ceasefire to stabilize markets. He describes the U.S. response as “Operation Economic Fury,” centered on a blockade and expanded sanctions meant to choke Iran’s oil revenues—potentially costing the regime hundreds of millions per day—while leaving Israel watching from the wings. On Lebanon, he highlights a new tension point: pressure from Iran and others to fold Lebanon into the ceasefire, Trump publicly telling Israel to stop bombing, and Israel’s concern that delays benefit Hezbollah after major mobilization. He closes by saying the coming weeks hinge on whether Iran’s economic coercion forces U.S. choices, whether the Iranian people can unify if a “phase two” emerges, and whether Israel can seize a rare diplomatic opening with Lebanon without letting Hezbollah regroup.

    53 min

  6. 12 abr

    FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING - Jonathan Schanzer, Foundation for Defense Democracies - 4.12.26

    In this IDF Live briefing, Krinsky speaks with Jonathan Schanzer (FDD) about how the conflict whiplashed from full-scale attacks into a shaky ceasefire and then into “no man’s land,” with talks in Islamabad collapsing almost immediately. Schanzer says the ceasefire was never built on shared terms—Washington framed it as a conditional pause tied to opening the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran sold it domestically as a victory that would bring sanctions relief—making a durable deal unlikely from the start. He flags Pakistan’s role as a strange and shaky broker, and argues the bigger story is that all sides are using the lull to rearm, with Russia/China reportedly helping Iran while Israel worries about finite missile-defense interceptors and whether Iran can reopen “missile cities” and surge launches again. The most dangerous fuse, he warns, is the Strait of Hormuz: mines, shore-fired threats, and an emerging “toll booth” logic could revive an energy-and-markets war that forces the U.S. into hard choices—double down or leave—depending largely on Trump’s next call. He also stresses Israel is fighting a grinding multi-front war and is now pushing hard in Lebanon to clear Hezbollah away from the border and create a buffer zone, even as unprecedented direct Lebanon–Israel discussions are hinted at under U.S. auspices. The episode ends with the core uncertainty still unresolved—whether this is a pause before round two and whether U.S. and Israeli objectives remain fully aligned—followed by a reminder that “reality vs. distortion” is part of the fight and a call to support soldiers and reservists through FIDF.

    57 min

  7. 5 abr

    FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING: Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan, FIDF CEO - April 5, 2026

    Lara Krinsky opens the Passover/Easter briefing by calling the moment a live strategic shift across Iran and Lebanon, then interviews Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, a 40-year IDF veteran and FIDF CEO, on the doctrine and reality of the war. He argues war isn’t about “killing the last missile,” but about building momentum—and says U.S. and Israeli forces are fighting daily to sustain air superiority over Iran while repeatedly striking air defenses and underground ballistic-missile complexes that keep trying to regenerate. Padan lays out three endgame paths and warns that both a long war of attrition and a deal that relaxes sanctions are bad outcomes, because economic pressure is what most plausibly destabilizes the regime and limits its ability to fund proxies. He says Iran wants the fighting to stop but won’t truly capitulate, predicting the conflict is more likely to conclude in “weeks,” either through a negotiated exit or a coalition declaration that forces Iran to absorb damage and stand down. On the northern front, he describes Hezbollah as still capable of launching rockets but far weaker—struggling to pay salaries, facing Shiite public backlash and massive displacement—and he also addresses Iran’s use of cluster-style warheads and how the global media environment shapes what gets attention. Krinsky closes by spotlighting a dramatic “no one left behind” rescue of downed U.S. F-15 pilots as a symbol of operational coordination, then pivots to a call to support reservists and families—especially recovery, reintegration, and PTSD care—through FIDF.

    42 min

  8. 29 mar

    FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING: Maj. (Res) Doron Spielman, Author and Former VP, City of David - 3.29.26

    Lara Krinsky opens this IDF Live briefing by framing the moment as both ancient and immediate—a fight not only on the battlefield, but over narrative, legitimacy, and truth—then welcomes Maj. (Res.) Doron Spielman, author and former VP of the City of David. Doron argues we’re living through tectonic, WWII-scale shifts, and describes a new kind of warfare in which Israel and the U.S. are executing thousands of intelligence-grade, pinpoint strikes over 2,000 miles away to target IRGC leadership, missile infrastructure, and command networks. He stresses that Iran’s ballistic missiles are especially dangerous because they’re the delivery system for a potential nuclear warhead, and says Iran’s strategy is to wear down Israeli civilians with nightly attacks while it still can. He adds that Tehran is also trying to destabilize surrounding Arab states and weaponize the Strait of Hormuz as a global energy choke point—moves he says are backfiring by pushing regional actors closer to the U.S. and exposing Europe’s weakness and indecision. Doron frames President Trump’s “America First” posture as a paradigm shift toward confronting hostile regimes and dictating hard terms—dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, stop funding proxies, and neutralize Iran’s Hormuz leverage—while warning Israel must still build greater long-term military independence in case future U.S. politics change. Looking ahead, he says regime change in Iran could be slow and bloody but momentum is building across multiple fronts (from Lebanon’s push toward the Litani to interdicting weapons routes via Syria), and he closes by tying it to Passover’s core lesson: the Jewish people endure by telling the freedom story—and Israel may emerge from this conflict as an uncontested regional power with major new diplomatic and economic opportunities.

    1 h 6 min
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Moving stories, exclusive base visits, donor spotlights. Bringing the men and women of the IDF directly to you.

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  • Creador
    Friends of The IDF
  • Años de actividad
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodios
    154
  • Clasificación
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