Daily Briefing Aug. 2 – Saudis talk Trump down from Iran strike… for now

Deputy Editor Amanda Borschel-Dan is the host of The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, What Matters Now and The Reel Schmooze podcasts, and heads up The Times of Israel’s features.

Executive Director ROPES (Regional Organization For Peace, Economics & Security); Senior non-resident fellow Atlantic Council; former member of Knesset (Hatnua)

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.

Mideast expert Ksenia Svetlova joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

US President Donald Trump said late Saturday that he had called off a major attack on Iran after being assured by Tehran and other Middle East countries that a framework for a deal to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and “end the Iran nuclear threat” had been reached. Ahead of that announcement, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a phone call with Trump in which he stressed the importance of talks and of preventing the conflict with Iran from widening.

Today, Svetlova delves into Saudi Arabia: What are its concerns during this current conflict with Iran, even as it must deal with the Iran-backed Houthis and their threats to block the Red Sea? She proposes that, despite assurances from Trump, the chances of normalization between the Jewish state and the Saudi kingdom are increasingly slim.

In the wake of the drone strike on a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta, Svetlova assesses the willingness of Egypt to join the fray against Iran and the Tehran regime’s message to the Nile nation in this attack.

We take a look at the newly announced deal that would see Hamas eventually lay down its arms. How is it being received by the Arab world?

And finally, Svetlova speaks about senior Palestinian figure Mohammad Dahlan, who has stepped into the spotlight for helping broker the Hamas disarmament. Who is he and will we soon be hearing more about him in future leadership roles?

Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

Trump says he and Israel have called off Iran attack after being assured deal is imminent

Saudis said to gear up for ground invasion against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen

Drone strikes US-owned gas tanker in Egyptian port, in possible expansion of Mideast war

Exiled Palestinian leader says Kushner told him Israel would halt Gaza strikes; deletes post

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Ari Schlacht edited this episode.

The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident – ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded – I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.

There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.

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— Stav Levaton, military reporter