Daily Briefing Jan. 8: 'Talmudic' arguments in Minister Deri's cliffhanger hearing

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Legal reporter Jeremy Sharon and military correspondent Emanuel Fabian join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today’s episode.

A report by the Beirut Observer on Saturday stated that Lebanese security officials are urging Hezbollah to prevent a Lebanon-based Hamas cell from carrying out an attack against Israel. Fabian explains why.

On Wednesday, new Justice Minister Yair Levin finally officially unveiled the government’s plans for judicial reforms. We hear what the four reforms are and how the country is reacting.

On Thursday, the High Court held a six-hour hearing on a petition against Shas head Aryeh Deri’s appointment as interior and health minister. What were the main arguments?

On Saturday, three Fatah officials came to visit the recently freed security prisoner Karim Younis in the northern Israel town of ‘Ara. Who is Younis and how did new Defense Minister Yoav Gallant respond to this entourage?