jerusalem audio tour

Every blade of grass has an angel

Jerusalem Audio

Jerusalem Old City Tours Mobile Apps Audio tours available:

The Jewish Quarter The Herodian Quarter Ramparts Walk, Northern Section Ramparts Walk, Southern Section Via Dolorosa Tour The Temple Mount Compound From Mount Zion Gate to Jaffa Gate Jerusalem in the First and Second Temple periods Via Dolorosa – Accessible Tour Marketplaces in the Old City The Jewish Quarter – Accessible Tour The Temple Mount Compound – Accessible Tour Mount Zion Gate to Jaffa Gate – Accessible Tour Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period – Accessible Tour In the Footsteps of Christian Sects

Links to audio mobile tour Apps:

Audio Walking Guides of the Old City – For Apple Devices

Audio Walking Guides of the Old City – For Android Devices

If want more than just the audio recordings, the site also offers a downloadable text document and map for every tour.

Your browser is ancient! Upgrade to a different browser or install Google Chrome Frame to experience this site.

Self Guided Audio Tours

Jerusalem panoramic audio tour, get a feel for jerusalem’s beauty by touring its lookout points.

Tour at your own pace – you can complete all stations in one day or tailor the trip to your needs

Just get to the selected lookout point and listen to the CD or MP3 files

Most lookout points are accessible to people with disabilities

The set includes a CD and a map of the route

Hear a sample track

Ein Karem Village

List of stops

The map displays the route and stations

The back of the map shows all lookout points

Video of the tour

The CD contains:

• 56 minutes of voice in 15 sound tracks
• A folder with 15 MP3 files
• A video preview of the tour
• A folder with 100 digital postcards of Jerusalem

Includes personal delivery to any location in Jerusalem or standard mail abroad (to be purchased with any  international credit card)

Includes mail delivery in Israel (to be purchased only with credit cards issued in Israel)

  00-972-77-916-9119

[email protected]

Audio Tours in English in Israel

Tourism Entities

Order a project

All rights reserved to Tour-Man© | Michael Halpern | Tel: 077-916-9119 | [email protected]

• Accessibility decleration

Israel and You Spaces and Places in Israel

Herodian quarter – audio walking tour in the old city of jerusalem.

Israel and You March 11, 2014 Jewish Religious Sites

A tour in the Wohl Archaeological Museum

The Wohl Museum of Archeology is a six-house compound, situated on the slope of the hill facing the Temple Mount. Part of the residential quarter, preserved from Herodian times. The findings indicate that wealthy families lived here. This excavated complex preserves a 385-foot section of the Upper City near the Temple Mount dating back 2,000 years, which also contains a complex of ritual baths or mikvaot. Most impressive are the multiple pieces of elegantly carved stone furniture and intricate, surprisingly well-preserved mosaic floors. Plaques around the museum provide detailed explanations and there is a model of one mansion.

Address: Ha-Kara’im St., Jewish Quarter of the Old City, Jerusalem

Admission: Free

Time of  tour: One hour

The Herodian Quarter

The Upper City was situated on the western hill – the location of today’s Jewish Quarter. Populated by aristocratic families and Temple priests, the homes were built on terraces, one above the other on the slope, the roof of one house forming the basement of the house above. This allowed all the homes to have an unrestricted view of the Temple.

The exhibit focuses on three houses: The Western House, the Middle Complex and the  Palatial  Mansion . These were apparently the homes of aristocratic families during the Herodian period, probably Temple priests and their families. The homes were designed in the Hellenistic/Roman style popular at the time.

Special attention was given to the quarter’s bathing rooms. The flooring was composed of colorful mosaics, and frescoes adorned the walls. The utensils, the artifacts and the luxuries revealed in the excavations, such as the decorated plates and imported wine jugs, all attest to the wealth of the residents.

The largest and most important house in the museum is known as “The Palatial Mansion”. It has a built area of 600 sq m., and its rooms were richly decorated. It also had a large balcony with a view of the Temple.

A unique find is the seven-armed menorah (candelabra) carved on one of the walls. This is the oldest explicit depiction of the menorah, and it is likely that it was carved by a person who had actually seen the original menorah, still at use at that time in the Temple.

The museum was built 15 years ago, thanks to a donation by Vivian and Morris Wohl. Restoration activities have been undertaken recently, and a new, modern and attractive presentation, incorporating advanced multimedia systems, is being planned.

Share this:

About israel and you, related articles.

Ades Synagogue *

November 10, 2020

Tomb of Samuel – Nebi Samwil *

October 1, 2020

Kiryat Sefer – Khirbet Badd ‘Isa *

September 17, 2020

Shephelah of Judah *

July 8, 2020

Benjamin Region and Jerusalem Approaches *

July 3, 2020

Jerusalem: 4000 Years in 5 Minutes *

June 18, 2020

• Things to do
• Restaurants & Cafés
• Music & Nightlife
• Arts & Culture
• City & Area Guides
• Los Angeles

Jerusalem in Apps

5 Recommended apps to help you explore the beautiful city with ease and comfort, while enjoying the most interesting places

Art Guide: The Israel Museum

• Art and design
• Neve Sha'anan

The Israel Museum's application is a digital guide to the exhibitions in the museum. The application includes tours in the various permanent exhibitions in the Shrine of the Book – considered one of the more iconic structures in Israel, where the Dead Sea Scrolls, known as the oldest copy of the Bible – are displayed. You will also find in the museum permanent exhibits on art, archeology and Jewish culture, and changing exhibitions, which include unique and fascinating items. These exhibits are also accessible in the application’s digital directory. The digital guide includes audio playback of explanations about the exhibition, compound or work, and a written text.

Good to know: the app is accessible in different languages: Hebrew, English, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French and more, and is compatible with all smart devices.

A Personal Tour Guide: Voice Tours in Jerusalem

Do you want a guided tour of the Old City without paying a guide? The Jerusalem Development Authority application will help you experience the Old City with a voice guide that is especially suited for independent tourists. The app includes 23 recommended routes that make your smartphone a "personal tour guide" leading you to many intriguing sites: the Herodian Quarter, the Northern and Southern Walls Promenades, the Jerusalem Park, children and family tours and more. All the tours are accompanied with GPS-based maps for easy orientation, illustrative images and precise voice guidance. Some routes are accessible to travelers with various disabilities and offer alternative routes and complete audio transcription for the hearing impaired. In addition, the app provides important information on traffic and parking, location of public services, hotels, restaurants and more.

Good to know: the app can be downloaded for free (an internet connection is required), it is suited for all smartphones, and the tours are offered in Hebrew, English, French and Russian. Once downloaded, you can use the app without an Internet connection.

Following Flavors: BiteMojo

If during your trip you find yourselves unable to decide where to eat, you should download the BiteMojo app, which offers food tours in which you can travel and taste a variety of local dishes. On the app, you choose your preferred route, pay (and accumulate points for further tastings) and set off at your own pace. In Jerusalem, for example, for NIS 105 per person, you can go on a tour called “Eat the Mahane Yehuda Market", which goes through nine different points of interest and offers six delicious and prime (kosher) tastings: stuffed vine leaves, angus beef patty on the plancha, a healthy juice, half a cookie cream and more.

Good to know: the app is in Hebrew, you can download it for free to all devices, and it also offers food tours in other cities, such as Barcelona, New York, Madrid, Singapore and more.

For the Independent Traveler: Abraham Tours

This is a unique app that will accompany you on your trips in Jerusalem. The app is perfect for the independent traveler who wants to explore the city at his or her own pace. The app recommends routes in Jerusalem (but not only) for travelers of all types (on bicycles, cars, etc). Each route details the most important things: the nature of the tour, how long it lasts, recommended stopping points on the way, historical points of interest, information about each and further details. You can see the route on the map, hear an explanation and be alerted when approaching a stopping point.

Good to know: navigating the app is possible in different languages: Hebrew, English, Japanese, Norwegian, Russian, Romanian and more. The app is suitable for all smartphones.

Nightlife Ramblers: JLM NIGHTGUIDE

Although Tel Aviv is nicknamed the city that doesn’t stop, Jerusalem is not without its own lively nightlife. A quick look at the JLM NIGHTGUIDE app reveals the many bars, events and attractions offered by Jerusalem's colorful nightlife. In fact, it is an upgraded search engine for bars and nightlife places in Jerusalem. Next to each bar is written everything you need to know about: address, opening hours, if it’s open on Shabbat, interesting deals, performances and more. There is also a regular list of special offers such as happy hours and a designated driver.

Good to know: you can choose a language, Hebrew or English. Suitable for smartphones of all kinds.

[image] [title]

Discover Time Out original video

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

• Privacy policy
• Website terms of use
• Time Out Group
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies

Time Out products

• Mobile applications
• Time Out travel
• Time Out worldwide

• Jerusalem Tourism
• Jerusalem Hotels
• Jerusalem Bed and Breakfast
• Jerusalem Vacation Rentals
• Flights to Jerusalem
• Jerusalem Restaurants
• Things to Do in Jerusalem
• Jerusalem Travel Forum
• Jerusalem Photos
• Jerusalem Map
• All Jerusalem Hotels
• Jerusalem Hotel Deals
• Last Minute Hotels in Jerusalem
• Things to Do
• Restaurants
• Vacation Rentals
• Travel Stories
• Rental Cars
• Add a Place
• Travel Forum
• Travelers' Choice
• Help Center

MP3 audio tour guides - Jerusalem Forum

• Middle East    
• Israel    
• Jerusalem District    
• Jerusalem    

MP3 audio tour guides

• United States Forums
• Europe Forums
• Canada Forums
• Asia Forums
• Central America Forums
• Africa Forums
• Caribbean Forums
• Mexico Forums
• South Pacific Forums
• South America Forums
• Middle East Forums
• Honeymoons and Romance
• Business Travel
• Train Travel
• Traveling With Disabilities
• Tripadvisor Support
• Solo Travel
• Bargain Travel
• Timeshares / Vacation Rentals
• Jerusalem District forums
• Jerusalem forum

I found the following:

http://www.tourcaster.com/TourDetails.aspx?TourId=648

http://www.rabbiwein.com/Streets-of-Jerusalem--5-Lectures-P112.html#lectures

Any comments? Do you know of any other sites?

http://www.jerusalemp3.com/

Does anyone know how good they are? Are they easy to follow?

The JerusalemMP3 ones are free... You just need to give them your email address and name in order to download them. You can even stream individual stops online to decide if you like it or not.

Thanks for sharing those...that looks great!

I've never heard Rabbi Wein speak, but my mother says he's very good, and she goes to all his lectures, which are usually packed full, with people trying to listen from the stairwell.

If his streets-of-jerusalem is as good as his lectures, I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity.

• Birthday Dinner Near The Orient Hotel Apr 16, 2024
• Jerusalem bus to Dead Sea and Masada Apr 12, 2024
• Old City to Allenby Apr 06, 2024
• Russian trying to book a hotel in Jerusalem Mar 17, 2024
• Army Surplus store in Jerusalem Feb 28, 2024
• Trip just outside jerusalem Feb 04, 2024
• Is it safe now to visit Jericho? Jan 02, 2024
• Jerusalem to Bethlehem Dec 09, 2023
• a scam? - Israel VAT refund asks for bank account info Dec 01, 2023
• Finding all the latest reviews Nov 16, 2023
• Renting a Car in Israel from Expedia Nov 09, 2023
• Bars Oct 29, 2023
• Anything closed ? Oct 08, 2023
• Car Rental Advice Oct 06, 2023
• Best time to visit Israel 88 replies
• From Jerusalem to Dead Sea for the day -- How do we do it? 4 replies
• what is the currency used ? 15 replies
• Where to stay: Ecce Homo convent vs Franciscaines de Marie 22 replies
• Cost to take a taxi from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem 9 replies
• How far from Tel Aviv Airport 7 replies
• Dress Code for tourists 50 replies
• Getting to Petra from Jerusalem: the most efficient way? 5 replies
• TEl Aviv to Jerusalem for a day trip: train or bus? 19 replies
• Kotel tunnel tours 6 replies

Jerusalem Hotels and Places to Stay

• BE WARY OF THIS JAFFA GATE ATM
• Jerusalem restaurants
• Virtual Map of Old City of Jerusalem
• Jerusalem Discount Pass/Jerusalem Information
• Jerusalem Cultural Norms
• The Machane Yehuda visitors guide thread

Jerusalem 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven

Audio Guide

From 1000 to 1400, the medieval city of Jerusalem was home to more cultures, religions, and languages than ever before. This audio tour illuminates the key role that the Holy City played in shaping the beautiful and complex art of the period.

Al-Qazwini (1202–1283). " The Archangel Israfil ," from 'Aja'ib al-Makhluqat ( The Wonders of Creation and Oddities of Existence ), late 14th–early 15th century. Egypt or Syria. Opaque watercolor and ink on paper. British Museum, London. © The Trustees of the British Museum

Jerusalem offers free audio tours of Old City

Website with 10 ‘audio paths’ can be downloaded onto any mp3 device..

• Share full article

For more audio journalism and storytelling, download New York Times Audio , a new iOS app available for news subscribers.

Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel

A yearslong shadow war between the countries burst into the open after tehran fired hundreds of drones and missiles..

This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email [email protected] with any questions.

I’m Isabel Kershner in Jerusalem. It’s coming up to about 5:30 AM at the end of a very long and surreal night here. For the first time in Israel’s history, the country came under a direct attack from Iran.

This night started ominously, with cancellations of all educational activities for Sunday morning, then the reports on TV that the airport was closing down after midnight. And then —

[SPEAKING HEBREW]

— came the announcement that swarms of drones were actually on their way.

There were lots of diagrams on TV — how long it takes drones to arrive, how long it takes cruise missiles to arrive, how long it takes ballistic missiles to arrive. So everybody was basically up and waiting.

Sure enough, it’s about 2:00 AM, air raid sirens were going off in Jerusalem, very quickly followed by a long series of booms in the sky and flashes of light.

My apartment building woke up. It came to life. The neighbors were sitting on the stairs in the stairwell. Everybody in this country is used to incoming rocket fire.

It was a fairly relaxed atmosphere, but quite surreal and bizarre, nonetheless.

And now, dawn is just about breaking. I can hear birdsong. And we’re being told, it’s not over. There will be some kind of Israeli response. And the question is whether that will be wrapped up within a couple of days or whether we are entering into an unprecedented regional war.

From The New York Times, I’m Sabrina Tavernise, and this is “The Daily.”

Overnight on Saturday, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli soil, shooting hundreds of missiles and drones at multiple targets around the country. Today, my colleague, Eric Schmidt, on what happened and what it means for the risk of a broader war in the Middle East.

It’s Monday, April 15.

So Eric, we witnessed this extraordinary attack overnight on Saturday against Israel by Iran — missiles, drones lighting up the sky in multiple locations around the region. The whole country was really on high alert. I was watching in New York. And it really was like the whole world was holding its breath with this attack. Tell me what happened.

At around 9 o’clock Israel time, we started to get intelligence that the Iranians had launched a first wave of attack drones.

Iran has basically three buckets of weapons that they’re launching over time against Israel.

So the drones come first. They’re packed with explosives, relatively slow-moving, make a lot of noise with their buzzing. It goes on. People can actually see them.

The next wave that’s coming after this are cruise missiles. These are larger missiles, guided, that are headed toward Israel at the same time, faster-moving. Then finally, the Iranians launch as many as 100 ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles are the fastest-moving missiles. They carry a big payload. And what makes them so dangerous is that, especially if launched in large numbers, they can overwhelm defenses on the ground.

You’ve got well over 300 drones and missiles of different kinds that have been engaged. But the thing you have to know about these 300 weapons is that the vast majority of them are actually shot down, mostly by Israel, but also by allies, like the United States, Britain, and Jordan. And in the end, only a dozen or so, maybe a few more, actually impact on Israeli territory.

So where do these missiles actually hit?

So you have some damage to this airbase in the Negev Desert. You have military targets in the Golan Heights. You have some injuries on the ground. About a dozen or so civilians are injured. And it’s unclear whether it’s from the blasts themselves or, more likely, from some of the shrapnel and debris that’s falling from the sky. There was one seven-year-old girl, for instance, who was severely wounded outside of Arad, Israel, a Bedouin Arab, but no fatalities that we know of so far and no major injuries, which is — given the scale of this attack, is really quite remarkable.

And Eric, walk me through why this Iranian attack was so clearly repelled.

Well, there are several main reasons. One is that the Israelis have a very sophisticated layer of defenses. The best-known of them is called Iron Dome. But it seems, here, it was another defense technology, called Arrow System, that shoots down ballistic missiles that was particularly effective. And in addition to Israel’s already very strong defenses, you have a number of Israel’s allies, principally the United States, that it’s engaging with their combat planes. They’ve got F-15 fighter jets up in the sky that are shooting down, we were told, more than 70 of these exploding drones.

And then you’ve got a couple of US Navy destroyers off the coast of Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. They take down as many as six of these ballistic missiles. The other thing that’s obviously important is that Iran gave everyone a lot of warning this was going to happen. And we didn’t know exactly which bases they were going to shoot at. We didn’t know exactly what part of the country was going to be attacked. But it became pretty clear in the messaging that Iran did beforehand that they weren’t going to attack major cities. That wasn’t the goal here. That wasn’t the objective. It was going to go after military targets. And the way they did it was pretty much as US officials expected the Iranians to do.

So Eric, it seems like, really, at the end of the day, this attack, despite its unprecedented nature, was actually, really, not nearly as bad as it could have been from the Israeli perspective. But why did Iran attack Israel to begin with?

Yeah, I mean, as you said, this is really, from the US and Israeli perspective — given the vast number of drones and missiles that were launched at Israel, this was a win that they were able to get out of this crisis with relatively little damage on the ground and all that. But for the Iranians, you have to understand — well, what prompted this in the first place?

The latest now from the Middle East, Syrian state media reporting that an airstrike hit Iran’s consular building in Syria today.

And what this is really all about was retaliation for a strike on April 1 that the Israelis carried out in Damascus, Syria.

Damascus has reportedly killed seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Among the dead pulled from the rubble, a high-ranking Iranian military leader.

And even though the Israelis haven’t come out and formally acknowledged this, it’s clear that Israel is behind this.

Mohammad Zahedi, one of the leaders of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a commander that was involved in the weapons shipments to groups like Hezbollah and Iran-backed Syrian Shia militias, has been targeted in an Israeli airstrike this afternoon.

These weren’t just any old Iranian officers. These were a couple of their top generals and other senior officials from a group called the Quds Force. It’s a wing of the Iranian security services that carries out covert operations across the region in places like Gaza, in places like Lebanon. These are the actors that organize the very attacks against Israel.

Israel has long targeted Iranian military installations in Syria. Monday’s attack marked the first time Iran’s embassy compound itself had been hit.

But the other important thing — these guys weren’t killed on some dusty road in a military truck in some battlefield or anything like this, they were in a diplomatic facility. This is essentially their sovereign soil in a foreign country. And if that’s violated, it’s a big deal.

So for the Iranians, it’s not just the loss of these key operatives in this covert organization that carries out some of their most sinister activities, but it’s almost as if you’re carrying out a strike on Iranian soil itself, this embassy complex. And they feel, they need to respond to this and respond in kind, respond in force.

Because carrying out an attack on Iranian soil, effectively, was really an audacious thing to do.

Absolutely. And this was so audacious that the Israelis didn’t tell their closest ally, the United States, until about five minutes before the strike is going to hit.

American officials were not happy. Not only does it create this diplomatic and security challenge, but it also — for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, it presents a very serious problem about what will the response be and what kind of threats, now, will this pose to American troops in the Middle East?

So the US does something pretty unusual right away. One is they come out and say publicly that the Israelis didn’t give them any kind of advance notice of this. And the other thing they do that’s also unusual is the United States both publicly, but very much privately, starts to signal the Iranians through back channels that the US government had nothing to do with this attack on April 1 in the Damascus embassy. They had no prior knowledge of it and were not involved in it.

And so the message to the Iranians from Washington is don’t blame us. We know Israel is our key ally. But we had no idea this was coming. We don’t want to get caught in the blowback.

Interesting. So the Americans are basically saying, look, Israel, we’re in the middle of a pretty high-stakes situation here. There’s this war in Gaza. Proxies are firing rockets into your territory. It’s all on a hair’s trigger. Taking this shot at these Iranian military officials was not a good idea. How do the Israelis respond? What is their explanation to their American allies for killing this top Iranian commander on April 1?

Well, the Israelis are saying, look, these are the people that are planning attacks on us through their proxies. And we are in a war of survival with them. And they are the root of the problem that we are facing — not just in Gaza with Hamas, but with Hezbollah, with the Houthis in Yemen, with these militias in Iraq and Syria. Iran is behind all of these groups, these partners and proxies that they have.

And they’re willing to take the risk, despite the blowback that they almost certainly know will happen once they strike these Iranians in Syria. They’re willing to take it because they just don’t get opportunities like this very often. And they feel pretty confident that they can take a step like this, as risky it is and audacious as it is, because they’ve seen it work before.

We’ll be right back.

So Eric, why were the Israelis so confident that engaging with Iran in this risky way was something they were willing to gamble on? I mean, it resulted in this historic Iranian attack. So why risk something like that?

So the Israelis had been involved in a shadow war with Iran for years, where each side took shots at some of their senior military people or other operatives. But it’s always been below the radar, if you will. The Israelis’ strike on April 1 that precipitated this attack from Iran was a clear departure from that shadow war.

And I think one reason why Israel had that change in approach was because it was looking to a specific American action against Iran as a kind of a model.

In January 2020, the United States under President Trump made an extraordinary move. He went after a guy named Major General Qasem Soleimani.

Soleimani at the time was Iran’s most powerful security and intelligence commander. And he worked closely with Iraqi and Lebanese allies. He nurtured proxy forces to form a kind of Shiite axis of power throughout the whole region. Many in Iran lauded him as a hero, somebody who was essentially untouchable to the West.

And he was almost too big to kill. However, he’d also been long designated as a terrorist by the United States. And because many of his forces had been fighting against the United States after the United States invasion of Iraq. So Trump orders a strike to kill General Soleimani. He was on a visit to Iraq. And while he’s at the Baghdad airport, they take him out. And it’s just stunning.

I remember this strike because it was — everybody was saying, this is going to be the beginning of the end. I mean, this guy is the most important guy in many ways in Iran. And the United States just killed him.

Yeah. Yeah. Well, Trump said, he was plotting imminent and sinister attacks against American interests. That was his reasoning after the strike. But everybody was just waiting and holding their breath for what’s going to happen next. What will be Iran’s response to the death of their top general?

And sure enough, five days later, Iran responded. They launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at Al-Asad airbase, a major American base in western Iraq, where hundreds of US service members are stationed.

The response was important, in Iran’s view. This is a major attack, again, using a very sophisticated weapon against an American base in Iraq. More than 100 Americans suffered brain injuries, but no one was killed. Given Soleimani’s position and the influence he had over covert operations, the Iranian attack could have been much worse.

In fact, the Iranians come out looking kind of restrained in the response.

Iran did not want a full-scale war with the United States at this point, despite their public remarks, despite the loss of this revered general. When push came to shove, at that point, they did not want to cross that line.

So what is the lesson in the Soleimani example for what we saw this past weekend, Eric? I mean, is it fair to say that, perhaps, the Israelis were right in their assumptions, that what we saw in how Iran prosecuted this attack on Saturday — the advanced warning, the slow rollout, the targeting of remote bases rather than urban centers — that all of this seems to have been done to send a signal and that that signal was that Iran is only willing to go so far?

Yes. They’re essentially maneuvering themselves to give them a way out. It’s an off ramp here by basically saying, OK, look, we’re done for these strikes for now. This has been a defensive measure. That’s how they’re calling it. That’s how they’re casting it. And basically, unless you Israelis want to ramp this thing up, we’re done. We’re done for now. And that seems to be where Iran wants to leave it.

And so the ball is in Israel’s court right now as to what the response will be next.

OK. So what do we know about what Israel’s thinking? What’s going to be Israel’s response?

So that’s the question everyone is asking right now. Israel’s closest and strongest ally, the United States, is pushing Israel to basically stop here President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu and told him, hey, you got everything you wanted. You killed the generals. You staved off this massive Iranian attack. This basically could not have worked out any better for you. Take the out the Iranians are giving you. And let this be the end of it for now.

Look, we came to your aid when you were in need. We put our planes and our ships in harm’s way and helped knock down these missiles and drones. But we will not help you retaliate against Iran if that’s the decision you decide to make.

Eric, this strikes me as a pretty tricky moment for President Biden. Because he’s asking Netanyahu not to escalate. But at the end of the day, Netanyahu has lots of constituencies he’s dealing with. He’s under lots of pressure. And now that Iran has attacked like this directly, it’s going to be harder for Biden to use his leverage against Israel. So I guess the next question, then, is will Netanyahu actually take the win, as the Americans are advising him to do?

Well, and that’s the open question. You’ve got — in one ear, the Americans are telling him, stop, take the win. Don’t make this any worse. But in the other ear, you’ve got the far-right cabinet members saying, you cannot let this stand. You must strike aggressively back. You cannot do this. And so what you see in at least the early statements from — the Israelis are saying, look, we will continue to defend ourselves. And we will respond at a time and place of our choosing.

It’s sort of international speak for we’re going to do something, but we’re going to do it later.

That’s right.

And of course, were the hardliners in Netanyahu’s cabinet to win out, that, of course, would potentially spark the regional war that we’ve long been worrying about and have been talking to you for a long time about, Eric.

That’s right. And of course, that would have multiple effects. I mean, think about it. Just as there’s this huge debate, before all this happened, over the Israeli operation in Rafah and southern Gaza now, well, Israel’s ability already is so difficult to do that.

But can you imagine having to try and prosecute its mission of dismantling the last stronghold of Hamas in Gaza and having to fight some other kind of broader second or third front at the same time? As a whole, it would upset the stability of the entire region if this happens. And any escalation here would open the door to a much wider regional war.

So the question is will Israel bring us into one or will Iran lose patience and bring us into one from that side?

Yes. In the United States and Iran, they’re saying here, is this the line we’re willing to walk up to? And the question is whether Israel is willing to set that line or go further. You seem to have, in this case, the Iranians and the Americans, in a weird way, are kind of aligned in this, like, enough, enough already. And the Israelis — everybody’s leaning forward and saying, OK, now what? Is this going to get worse? And that’s what we just don’t know yet.

Eric, thank you.

On Sunday, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting at the request of Israel, with diplomats urging restraint by all parties to prevent the conflict in the Middle East from escalating. The Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, told the Council that it was, quote, “time to step back from the brink.”

Here’s what else you should know today. On Friday, in a major turnaround, the House passed a reauthorization of a surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to gathering intelligence and fighting terrorism, and civil liberties advocates say, improperly allows warrantless surveillance of American citizens. The law, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, had stalled in the House just a few days before, when former President Donald Trump had urged lawmakers to kill it. But Republican Speaker Mike Johnson rescued it by putting forward a version that extends the law by just two years instead of the original five. That was enough to persuade hard-right Republicans, who had been blocking the bill, to vote for it.

And in Sydney, Australia, six people were killed and at least 12 others were injured in a stabbing rampage at a crowded shopping mall on Saturday. The attack was the deadliest act of mass violence in the country in years.

Today’s episode was produced by Rachelle Bonja, Alex Stern, and Luke Vander Ploeg. It was edited by Marc Georges, with help from Lisa Chow, contains original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, and Elisheba Ittoop and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly.

That’s it for “The Daily.” I’m Sabrina Tavernise. See you tomorrow.

• April 19, 2024   •   30:42 The Supreme Court Takes Up Homelessness
• April 18, 2024   •   30:07 The Opening Days of Trump’s First Criminal Trial
• April 17, 2024   •   24:52 Are ‘Forever Chemicals’ a Forever Problem?
• April 16, 2024   •   29:29 A.I.’s Original Sin
• April 15, 2024   •   24:07 Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
• April 14, 2024   •   46:17 The Sunday Read: ‘What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise’
• April 12, 2024   •   34:23 How One Family Lost $900,000 in a Timeshare Scam
• April 11, 2024   •   28:39 The Staggering Success of Trump’s Trial Delay Tactics
• April 10, 2024   •   22:49 Trump’s Abortion Dilemma
• April 9, 2024   •   30:48 How Tesla Planted the Seeds for Its Own Potential Downfall
• April 8, 2024   •   30:28 The Eclipse Chaser
• April 7, 2024 The Sunday Read: ‘What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living’

Hosted by Sabrina Tavernise

Featuring Eric Schmitt

Produced by Rachelle Bonja ,  Alex Stern and Luke Vander Ploeg

Edited by Marc Georges

With Lisa Chow

Original music by Dan Powell ,  Marion Lozano ,  Elisheba Ittoop and Corey Schreppel

Engineered by Chris Wood

Listen and follow The Daily Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music

Overnight on Saturday, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israeli soil, shooting hundreds of missiles and drones at multiple targets.

Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The Times, explains what happened and considers whether a broader war is brewing in the Middle East.

On today’s episode

Eric Schmitt , a national security correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading

Here is what we know about Iran’s attack on Israel.

The barrage made the Middle East’s new reality undeniable: Clashes are becoming harder and harder to contain .

There are a lot of ways to listen to The Daily. Here’s how.

We aim to make transcripts available the next workday after an episode’s publication. You can find them at the top of the page.

The Daily is made by Rachel Quester, Lynsea Garrison, Clare Toeniskoetter, Paige Cowett, Michael Simon Johnson, Brad Fisher, Chris Wood, Jessica Cheung, Stella Tan, Alexandra Leigh Young, Lisa Chow, Eric Krupke, Marc Georges, Luke Vander Ploeg, M.J. Davis Lin, Dan Powell, Sydney Harper, Mike Benoist, Liz O. Baylen, Asthaa Chaturvedi, Rachelle Bonja, Diana Nguyen, Marion Lozano, Corey Schreppel, Rob Szypko, Elisheba Ittoop, Mooj Zadie, Patricia Willens, Rowan Niemisto, Jody Becker, Rikki Novetsky, John Ketchum, Nina Feldman, Will Reid, Carlos Prieto, Ben Calhoun, Susan Lee, Lexie Diao, Mary Wilson, Alex Stern, Dan Farrell, Sophia Lanman, Shannon Lin, Diane Wong, Devon Taylor, Alyssa Moxley, Summer Thomad, Olivia Natt, Daniel Ramirez and Brendan Klinkenberg.

Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsverk of Wonderly. Special thanks to Sam Dolnick, Paula Szuchman, Lisa Tobin, Larissa Anderson, Julia Simon, Sofia Milan, Mahima Chablani, Elizabeth Davis-Moorer, Jeffrey Miranda, Renan Borelli, Maddy Masiello, Isabella Anderson and Nina Lassam.

Eric Schmitt is a national security correspondent for The Times, focusing on U.S. military affairs and counterterrorism issues overseas, topics he has reported on for more than three decades. More about Eric Schmitt

Luke Vander Ploeg is a senior producer on “The Daily” and a reporter for the National Desk covering the Midwest. More about Luke Vander Ploeg

Corey Schreppel leads the technical team that supports all Times audio shows, including “The Daily,” “Hard Fork,” “The Run-Up,” and “Modern Love.” More about Corey Schreppel

Advertisement

Advertisement

What might Iran do next: The short game and the long game

Copy the code below to embed the wbur audio player on your site.

<iframe width="100%" height="124" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" src="https://player.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/04/18/iran-israel-attack"></iframe>

The U.S. announced more sanctions against Iran after it attacked Israel. Israel is weighing its options for retaliation as government leaders in Iran send warnings that any new attack will spark a powerful response from the Islamic Republic.

Here & Now 's Scott Tong talks with Iran expert and New Yorker contributor Robin Wright .

This segment aired on April 18, 2024.

More from Here & Now

Russian weapons help Iran harden defenses against Israeli airstrike

Intelligence officials say tehran’s growing partnership with moscow is strengthening the capabilities of both countries.

Last March, a Russian arms maker invited a delegation of Iranians to a VIP shopping tour of its weapons factories. The 17 visitors were treated to lunches and cultural shows and, on the final day, toured a plant that makes products long coveted by Tehran: advanced Russian air defense systems for shooting down enemy planes.

The factory, NPP Start, in the city of Yekaterinburg, is under U.S. sanctions for supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. Among its wares are mobile launchers and other components for antiaircraft batteries — including Russia’s S-400, which military analysts assess to be capable of detecting and destroying stealth fighter jets flown by Israel and the United States.

A leaked Russian document, part of stolen Iranian emails posted online in February by a hacker group, described the tour as a showcase for “scientific and technical potential and production capabilities” that Russia could offer Iran.

Whether the visit led directly to a purchase is unknown. But the trip is emblematic of what intelligence officials describe as a deepening strategic partnership between Moscow and Tehran in the two years since Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine — an alliance that could emerge as a significant factor as Israeli leaders weigh possible military strikes in retaliation for the hundreds of drones and missiles launched against Israel over the weekend.

Iran opened a dangerous new chapter in its relations with Russia by agreeing in 2022 to supply thousands of battlefield drones and missiles to aid Moscow in its war against Ukraine. The expanded ties have now helped cement agreements between Moscow and Tehran, including a pledge by Russia to provide its ally with advanced fighter jets and air defense technology, assets that could help Tehran harden its defenses against any future airstrike by Israel or the United States, according to U.S., European and Middle Eastern intelligence officials and weapons experts. The officials, like several others interviewed for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

It is not known how many of the systems have been provided and deployed, but Russian technology could turn Iran into a far more formidable adversary, with an enhanced ability to shoot down planes and missiles, the officials and experts said.

The weapons deals, some details of which have not been reported previously, are part of a broader collaboration that includes co-production of military drones inside Russia, the sharing of anti-jamming technology, and real-time battlefield assessments of weapons deployed against NATO-equipped forces in Ukraine, the intelligence officials and weapons experts said. The cooperation is reaping substantial benefits for both countries, while elevating Iran’s status from junior ally to strategic partner, they said.

“It’s no longer the patron-client dynamic, where Russia holds all the leverage,” said Hanna Notte, director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. “The Iranians are accruing benefits from this change. The nature of their relationship has gone beyond just getting things. There’s knowledge transfer, there’s intangible gains.”

Intelligence officials described Russia as “advancing” agreements negotiated in secret to supply Iran with Su-35s, one of Russia’s most capable fighter-bombers and a potentially dramatic upgrade for an Iranian air force that consists mainly of rebuilt U.S. and Soviet aircraft dating from before 1979. Russia also pledged to provide technical help with Iranian spy satellites as well as assistance in building rockets to put more satellites into space, the officials said.

There is no public evidence that Su-35s have been delivered; the holdup may be a delay by Iran in paying for the planes, according to a U.S. and a Middle Eastern intelligence official with detailed knowledge of the deal.

On the defensive side of the ledger, Iran has long sought Russia’s top-of-the-line antiaircraft missile batteries to protect its nuclear and military facilities against a possible U.S. or Israeli strike. In 2007, Tehran cut a deal to purchase Russia’s S-300 antiaircraft system, but Moscow delayed supplying the weapons amid pressure from the United States and European powers. The self-imposed ban ended in 2016, and Iranian S-300s became operational in 2019.

Iran has since sought to purchase Russia’s more capable S-400 system, although whether Moscow has moved to provide S-400 batteries is not publicly known.

Some variants of the S-400 are equipped with radars that can defeat stealth technology used by modern warplanes. Russia has deployed the S-400 to protect its military bases in Syria, and the batteries constitute a potentially lethal threat to U.S. and Israeli military aircraft that occasionally operate in Syrian airspace.

An Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1 killed two Iranian generals and led directly to Iran’s decision to launch drones and missiles against Israel over the weekend.

Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, said Monday that Iran’s attack “will be met with a response.”

If delivered, the new Russian antiaircraft missiles and anti-stealth systems, deployed to protect underground bases carved in rocky mountains , would assuredly make Iranian airspace “a more dangerous place,” said Can Kasapoglu, a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.

“This is important at a time when the regime is fast and unchecked moving toward a bomb,” Kasapoglu said. In addition, he said, “any engagement [with Israel] will take place in the Iranian airspace, where Tehran will hold the advantage of playing at home.”

Moscow also is reaping benefits from the collaboration, intelligence officials said. In addition to thousands of drones procured from Iran, Russia agreed late last year to purchase about $2 billion worth of additional military goods, including anti-drone defensive systems that have become a top priority for Russian generals in Ukraine, according to two intelligence officials with detailed knowledge of the deal.

Iran has separately agreed to sell Russia surface-to-surface missiles for use in Ukraine and, according to a new intelligence assessment, is expected to begin transfer of the weapons imminently. Spy agencies have seen no evidence so far that the missiles have been delivered, the officials said.

The production of battlefield drones, meanwhile, has evolved into a joint venture between the two countries, intelligence officials said. Initially, Iran’s provision of drones to Russia was an attempt by Tehran to help its ally plug a hole in its military campaign against Ukraine. Russia, which possessed few battlefield drones at the start of the war, began using two types of Iranian-made Shahed drones in the fall of 2022: the long-range, sweptwing Shahed-131 and the Shahed-136.

By midsummer 2023, Russia was beginning to manufacture Iranian-designed Shahed-136 drones indigenously, at factory in Alabuga, a town in Russia’s Tatarstan region, about 500 miles east of Moscow. Russian documents obtained by The Washington Post last year described plans to manufacture 6,000 drones by summer 2025 to use in its campaign of strikes against Ukrainian forces as well as electricity plants and other vital infrastructure.

Concerned about Russia’s domestic production, the Ukrainian military launched a drone attack of its own against the Alabuga complex on April 2.

More recently, Moscow and Tehran have begun working cooperatively on new kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, according to intelligence officials and leaked documents. The trove of Russian and Iranian emails and records released by the hacking group Prana Network were purportedly stolen from an Iranian server linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier this year.

Among the documents were details of visits by Iranian and Russian delegations to tour weapons facilities in both countries. The Iranians’ trip to the NPP Start factory was described in a Russian “program” for the visit that listed tours of defense facilities in five cities. The document was signed by officials of Technodinamika JSC, which operates NPP Start, as well as the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Post could not independently verify the documents, but two Biden administration officials acknowledged that U.S. intelligence agencies have closely studied the leaked materials and do not dispute their authenticity. Neither Russia nor Iran has publicly responded to the leak.

Several documents describe an April 2023 trip to Iran by a delegation of Russian engineers to watch a demonstration of a new jet-powered drone as well as a line of hunter-killer UAVs designed to destroy enemy drones. Both appeared to impress the visitors.

Variants of the jet-powered drone, dubbed the MS-237, Shahed-238 and Shahed-236, were described as having a maximum speed of about 400 mph — about three times faster than previous iterations of Iranian drones. Tehran revealed the existence of the new drone at an air show in November.

In the demonstration, the jet drone — code-named “motorboat” in the Russians’ internal communications — “successfully took off, accomplished the tasks … and successfully landed by parachute,” a leaked Russian report said. “Given its high speed, the boat is essentially a cruise missile.”

The test apparently helped cement an agreement to acquire more than 600 of the Iranian-designed jet drones, with most of them built on Russian soil with Iranian parts and help, according to the leaked emails. The documents also describe protracted negotiations over how Russia would pay for the drones. At least two installments were to come in the form of gold bullion valued at about $140 million, the documents show.

In January, photos of the remains of a jet-powered drone that appears identical to the MS-237 were posted by Ukraine bloggers after the aircraft reportedly was shot down somewhere over central Ukraine. It is not yet known whether any of the jet drones were launched against Israel in the recent Iranian attack.

“It’s faster, which means it is more difficult to intercept,” said Fabian Hinz, a defense analyst and expert on UAVs and missile systems with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank. But, he said, the jet drones are “probably also substantially more expensive, because these types of jet engines are tricky to build.”

Producing the drones as a joint production offers substantial benefits for Iran, including the ability to evaluate their performance on Ukrainian battlefields. David Albright, an expert on Iran’s weapon systems and president of the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington nonprofit, noted that the leaked documents show evidence of Russian engineers incorporating design improvements on Iranian drones.

“Mistakes and flaws in the designs were identified and fixed,” he said, “and Iran would benefit from that.”

Even if Russian systems such as the S-400 have not already been sold to Iran and deployed there, Albright said the sharing of design information and technological expertise could quietly bolster Iran’s capabilities without triggering alarms in the West.

“You might not see anything,” he said.

Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region .

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival . (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded ). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948 .

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars , killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “ famine-like conditions. ” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave .

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians , including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons , funds aid packages , and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 . Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip .

• Why did Iran attack Israel? What to know about the strikes, U.S. response. April 15, 2024 Why did Iran attack Israel? What to know about the strikes, U.S. response. April 15, 2024
• Mapping the wide-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks April 14, 2024 Mapping the wide-scale Iranian drone and missile attacks April 14, 2024
• Homes burned, animals killed: Palestinians describe Israeli settler rampage April 16, 2024 Homes burned, animals killed: Palestinians describe Israeli settler rampage April 16, 2024

AUDIO : Iconic Priscilla pink tour bus found

• X (formerly Twitter)

Priscilla the tour bus has recently been found after 30 years. It will now be restored and eventually be displayed at the National Motor Museum in Birdwood in South Australia.

Stories from ABC News

India votes in world's biggest election.

Israel-Iran conflict at dangerous stage

Fears of escalation in the Middle East

Broken Hill's union-run newspaper to close after nearly 130 years

Bringing home the Kevin Bacon

CNN 5 Things

We bring you 5 stories that will get you up to speed and on with your day. updates at 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm eastern, every weekday..

• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• iHeart Radio

Back to episodes list

The US is denying any involvement on an apparently limited Israeli attack on Iran. We'll tell you what to expect in the coming days of Donald Trump hush money trial. The Biden administration is expected to announce changes to an important civil rights law today. Former Vice President Mike Pence has a bleak warning for what Russia’s leader could do if he wins the war in Ukraine. And, last year’s record heat led to record hospital visits in parts of the US.