FIDF Live

Lara Krinsky opens the briefing by framing the last two weeks as a major diplomatic pivot, with military pressure giving way to negotiations involving Iran, Lebanon, the U.S., and regional intermediaries. Gadi Ezra explains that two parallel tracks are now shaping the region: U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and stabilizing the broader conflict, and Israel-...

Lara Krinsky opens this briefing by framing the moment as fast-moving and unstable, with Israel facing pressure to accept deals even as Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas continue testing red lines. Jonathan Schanzer explains that the recent “ceasefire war” exposed Iran’s attempt to fold Lebanon into the Iran ceasefire, while Hezbollah kept attacking Israel with rockets and FPV drones until Israel finally...

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 (abo...

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...

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-t...

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—whil...

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 an...

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...

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 I...

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...

Lara Krinsky opens the briefing by saying the headlines only capture a fraction of what’s really happening, then brings on Dr. Mordechai Kedar to explain why Iran’s behavior in the fourth week of the war looks increasingly irrational. He argues Iran is deliberately widening the conflict beyond Israel and the U.S.—hitting Gulf states and other regional targets—because the regime is driven by an apo...

In this week's FIDF briefing, host Lara Krinsky, FIDF Director of Content and Production, welcomes Jonathan Schanzer (FDD), Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense Democracies, to discuss the ongoing war between Israel, the United States, and Iran. Jonathan provides a detailed analysis about the unprecedented military collaboration between the U.S. and Israel, the potential outcomes o...

In this FIDF briefing, host Laura Krinsky interviews former Israeli public diplomacy chief Gadi Levi about where the war stands and what may come next. He argues Hamas is not dismantled—still armed, still controlling large parts of Gaza outside Israel’s “Yellow Line”—and warns that “postwar” structures could simply rebrand Hamas control under the optics of Palestinian sovereignty. He says the key...

In this FIDF IDF Live briefing, host Laura Krinsky speaks with Sgt. First Class Kelly Kobani from the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit about the “eighth front”: the media, legitimacy, and narrative war surrounding the fighting. Kobani describes a “post-truth” environment where false claims can reach millions within minutes, forcing a constant tradeoff between speed and accuracy as informa...

In this week's FIDF briefing, host Lara Krinsky, FIDF Director of Content and Production, welcomes Jonathan Schanzer (FDD), Executive Director of the Foundation for Defense Democracies, who maps the IDF's “strategic chessboard." Schanzer argues the region is nearing a peak moment in a conflict driven by Iran and its proxies, pointing to renewed unrest inside Iran amid economic freefal...

This briefing kicks off FIDF’s first episode of 2026 with host Laura speaking to Maj. Gen. Nadav Hadad about a volatile, “historic year already unfolding” and what it means for Israel’s security. They start with Iran’s unrest—women protesting, economic collapse, and signs of broader labor participation—while Hadad cautions that the regime’s layered security forces make an actual overthrow hard to...

This FIDF briefing frames Hanukkah as a moment of both joy and deep pain, then brings on Dr. Mordechai Kedar to place the current moment in a larger historical and ideological context. He argues that the core Hanukkah “miracle” is really Jewish resistance and survival, and he uses that lens to describe Israel’s resilience after Oct. 7 and its recent military campaigns as part of an ongoing, almost...

This FIDF Live briefing features Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani , the international spokesperson for the IDF, who shares personal reflections on the war and the role of the IDF. Shoshani describes the emotional toll of the conflict and the intense responsibility of speaking to international media while soldiers and commanders fight on the ground. He emphasizes that many soldiers ask if the worl...

FIDF Director of Content and Production Lara Krinsky is joined by Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the international spokesperson for the IDF, who shares insights from his frontline communications role during the ongoing conflict. Shoshani opens by acknowledging the mental and emotional toll of the past two years — both for soldiers and Israeli society — and expresses deep gratitude to FIDF supporters for...

Jackie Cherkas, VP of the FIDF LA Young Leadership Board and VP of Sales at Vizer, is joined by FIDF CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan to discuss Jackie’s personal journey as a first-generation American and her passion for supporting the IDF and Jewish community. Major General (Res.) Nadav Padan shares insight into Israel’s strategic and social challenges during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. He...

FIDF CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan is joined by Former Head of the National Security Council of Israel Maj. Gen. (Res.) Giora Eiland to discuss the implications of the recently signed ceasefire agreement in Gaza and its strategic consequences. He outlines three main themes: the current ceasefire phase, the more complicated upcoming phase, and the broader regional dynamics. The first phase invol...

FIDF CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nadav Padan is joined by Homefront Command’s Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Liron Donnell, who provides an overview of the Homefront Command, a unique branch of the IDF tasked with civil defense and emergency response inside Israel during wartime. She explains that unlike U.S. agencies like FEMA or Homeland Security, the Homefront Command is both military and civilian...

FIDF CEO Nadav Padan is joined by LTC Former Military Diplomat, Foreign Relations Expert and International Spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, who provided a strategic overview of Israel’s military situation and international posture. He stresses that while Israel has achieved operational success against Hamas in Gaza, it is losing the global public relations battle, which could have long-term diploma...

FIDF CEO Nadav Padan is joined by LTC Yotam Shefer, Head of International Relations Branch for CogAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), a unit within the Israeli Defense Ministry and IDF, responsible for civil and humanitarian coordination in Gaza, the West Bank, and surrounding areas. He explains that CogAT plays a central role in facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza, c...

FIDF CEO Nadav Padan is joined by Maj. Gen. (Res.) Tamir Hayman, Executive Director of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), to provide an overview of Israel’s strategic situation across multiple fronts. He begins by stating that Iran's nuclear program has been set back significantly due to recent Israeli operations, requiring at least 1–2 years for Iran to rebuild its capabiliti...