Daily Briefing June 24: Day 262 - PM talks partial hostage deal in 1st Hebrew interview

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman discusses Netanyahu’s statements on aims of war against Hamas, fighting in north, argument with US and terrorist attack in Russia’s Dagestan

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 Jessica Steinberg for today’s episode.

Berman discusses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s first Hebrew-language media interview since October 7, on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 network, in which the prime minister spoke about the imminent end of intense fighting in Gaza, his willingness to agree to a partial hostage deal, and his insistence that the war would not end until Hamas is destroyed.

He also speaks about Netanyahu’s hopes for a diplomatic solution in the north, as well as how the prime minister deftly pointed fingers at his opponents within the government in an effort to position himself as the country’s ultimate leader.

Berman turns to the Biden administration and its ongoing spat with Netanyahu over what the prime minister claims is a slowdown in shipments of US arms. Berman suggests the low-level disagreement may all be about politics as the prime minister does not want Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, currently in DC, to lay claim to any diplomatic successes during his visit.

Berman concludes with a look at Sunday’s terror attack in two communities in Russia’s Dagestan, bordering Azerbaijan, a mostly Muslim region that has experienced jihadist terrorism in the past and was the focal point of a near-pogrom after October 7 when locals attempted to target Israeli passengers on a flight.

For more updates, please check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing live blog.