FIDF LIVE SPECIAL BRIEFING: Rachel Lester, Former IDF Digital Media Specialist - 9.18.2026

Lara Krinsky opens this special briefing with Rachel Lester, author and former digital media specialist in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, to explore the psychological toll nearly three years of war has taken on Israel’s soldiers and reservists. Lester describes returning to reserve duty immediately after October 7th and spending six months cataloging and communicating Hamas and Islamic Jihad atrocity footage, repeated exposure that eventually led to nightmares, severe trauma, difficulty functioning in civilian life, and the realization that even those far from the physical battlefield can carry deep wounds from war. She emphasizes the scale of Israel’s mental-health challenge, noting that many reservists have served hundreds of days while carrying trauma and that outside organizations are essential because the country cannot meet the enormous need alone. Lester also reflects on her earlier work exposing Hezbollah’s cross-border tunnels during Operation Northern Shield and explains that one of Israel’s central communications challenges is remembering that international audiences often lack even basic context about Hamas, Hezbollah, and the threats Israel faces. Turning to today’s “digital battlefield,” she says Israel may never fully win the narrative war but can do much better by communicating with greater discipline and emotional openness, while individuals in the Diaspora can play an important role in explaining Israel’s story online. The briefing closes with Lester urging audiences to remember the human beings behind the uniform—often young people fighting for their homes and families—and with Lara stressing that caring for soldiers physically, emotionally, and psychologically must be part of the promise made to those repeatedly asked to defend Israel.

Lara Krinsky opens the briefing by saying the war has not ended but shifted, with the U.S. striking Iran again, Iran retaliating, sanctions tightening around Tehran, and Hezbollah adapting into smaller guerrilla formations. Jonathan Schanzer says the U.S. is now enforcing a tougher economic campaign against Iran, targeting places where sanctions were previously under-enforced, while Tehran responds with attacks across the Gulf and Jordan. He argues that Iran’s proxies are weakening on multiple fronts: Hamas through the Gaza “Board of Peace” plan, Hezbollah through Israel-Lebanon diplomacy backed by Israeli military pressure, and Shiite militias in Iraq through political negotiations. Schanzer also warns that the Houthis remain one of the most dangerous unresolved threats, especially because of their ballistic missiles, ability to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb, and emerging ties with al-Shabab. A major focus is the new Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani “Mecca Defense Agreement,” which Schanzer sees not only as a response to Iran but as a potentially dangerous alternative alliance structure that could undermine the Abraham Accords-aligned regional vision. The briefing closes with Schanzer saying Israel and the U.S. have made real strategic gains against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, but Lara emphasizes that every enemy is trying to adapt and rebuild, leaving IDF soldiers and reservists to carry the burden nearly three years into the war.

Lara Krinsky opens the briefing by introducing Dr. Mordechai Kedar as a veteran Israeli military intelligence expert whose focus is understanding the cultures, ideologies, rivalries, and psychology behind Middle Eastern actors, not just their surface-level statements. Kedar begins with Turkey, arguing that Israel’s strike on the Abaza airbase in northern Syria was a direct warning to Erdogan after Israeli intelligence saw preparations for a deeper Turkish military move into Syria, closer to Damascus and therefore closer to Israel. He frames Erdogan’s worldview as neo-Ottoman and Muslim Brotherhood-influenced, saying Turkey sees former Ottoman lands—including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Israel—as part of its historical sphere, while also supporting Hamas and presenting a growing strategic challenge to Israel. Kedar says Israel’s post–October 7 doctrine is to deal with threats while they are still “small,” explaining that Israel’s actions against Turkey, Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas are part of a broader message that Israeli security now comes before every other consideration. He also argues that new regional alignments—especially between Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia—reflect fear that the U.S. may eventually pull back before Iran is defeated, leaving Sunni states exposed to Iranian revenge and destabilization. The conversation closes with Kedar warning that Western leaders often misread the Middle East because they apply Western assumptions to a region shaped by religion, tribalism, deception, and jihadist ideology, while Lara ends by reminding viewers that Israel’s soldiers must be ready for whatever comes next and urging support for their humanitarian and well-being needs.

Lara Krinsky opens this IDF Live briefing by introducing Jonny Daniels—activist, social media journalist, former senior advisor to Israel’s Deputy Minister of Defense, and founder of From the Depths—as a trusted voice helping audiences separate facts from noise during a fast-moving war. Daniels begins by stressing his personal connection to the IDF as a former paratrooper and says the region is in a waiting period, with Iran under heavy economic pressure even if the expected kinetic action has not yet materialized. On Gaza, he is skeptical that any “Board of Peace” arrangement will truly resolve the Hamas problem, arguing that Hamas may play for time or tactical advantage but that no Israeli government will allow it to return to its pre–October 7 position. He also warns audiences to be careful in the information space, saying misinformation spreads from anti-Israel sources and even irresponsible Jewish outlets, and that people should rely on verified sources rather than doom-scrolling or chasing unconfirmed reports. Looking at the Diaspora, Daniels says Jews around the world are facing more fear and antisemitism, including in the UK, France, Canada, and Australia, but he also sees many becoming more willing to speak up publicly for Israel. He closes by describing IDF morale as very high because Israelis are literally fighting for their homeland, while emphasizing that prolonged war still takes a psychological toll and that FIDF’s support for soldiers’ well-being, PTSD care, rehabilitation, and families is essential.

Lara Krinsky opens this IDF Live briefing by framing the region as dangerously unstable, with the U.S. striking Iranian targets, Iran retaliating against Arab neighbors, Israel on high alert, and Lebanon still active despite diplomacy. Lt. Col. (res.) Or Horvitz says the immediate U.S. focus is reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but warns that Iran’s stubborn refusal to restore free navigation could trigger broader escalation between Washington, Tehran, and potentially Israel. He stresses that Israel’s urgent priority remains Iran’s roughly 500 kilos of enriched uranium, because if it is not diluted or removed, Iran could still use deception and secrecy to move toward a nuclear weapon. Horvitz argues the regime is fundamentally unstable—fragmented, financially strained, hated by much of its population, and unlikely to survive long-term—but says it will probably fall through domestic pressure rather than outside military force alone. On Lebanon, he sees a real but fragile opportunity: Hezbollah has been badly weakened, Lebanese leaders are speaking more boldly about demilitarization, and Israel should “trust but verify” while insisting on border, port, airport, and army reforms that cut off Iranian money and arms. He closes by warning that Gaza is still not solved because Hamas continues to control significant territory and ideology, and by thanking FIDF for strengthening the U.S.-Israel partnership and supporting Israeli society as a whole.

Jennifer Scher opens this IDF Live briefing by introducing Brigadier General Elad Edri, Chief of Staff for the Homefront Command, who joins from Venezuela after two major earthquakes caused historic damage and prompted a rare request for Israeli assistance despite the absence of diplomatic relations since 2009. Edri explains that, unlike past Israeli disaster missions focused on search-and-rescue, this delegation was asked to provide recovery expertise, so Israel sent a 30-person team centered on engineers trained to inspect damaged buildings and classify them as safe, repairable, or unusable. He describes the mission as both technically complex and emotionally significant: the team needed nearly four days to reach Venezuela, was warmly received by the local Jewish community, and later presented a national recovery framework to senior Venezuelan officials and the president. Edri says the delegation quickly expanded from inspecting individual buildings to helping draft a broader one-to-two-year national recovery plan for hundreds of damaged structures, drawing on lessons from Surfside, Turkey, and Israel’s own wartime home-front experience. He shares moving moments of civilians crying with relief when told their homes were safe, and says the mission has become about more than rebuilding buildings—echoing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s line that Israel came to “recover buildings” but is also helping “recover relationships between countries.” The briefing closes with gratitude for the Homefront Command team, a prayer for their safety, and a reminder that FIDF supports Israel’s soldiers wherever they are serving, whether on the front lines of war or in humanitarian missions abroad.

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-Lebanon talks under U.S. auspices focused on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s disarmament. He warns that Iran is trying to tie Lebanon into the broader U.S.-Iran framework so it can preserve influence through Hezbollah, cast Israel as the obstacle to peace, and tell its own public that it still controls the region. Ezra argues Israel must not sit back and let others design the “day after,” pointing to Gaza as a cautionary example where Qatar gained influence because Israel failed to shape the diplomatic architecture early enough. He says Israel needs to take initiative by putting forward a concrete plan for Lebanon that combines IDF enforcement, Lebanese legal and political action, and American-led economic rehabilitation. The briefing closes with Ezra stressing that the information and diplomatic battles are now as critical as the military ones, and that Israel’s soldiers ultimately carry the consequences of every negotiation, compromise, and strategic decision.

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 struck major Hezbollah targets and then hit Iran after Tehran fired ballistic missiles. He argues Israel established an important deterrent message: Iran does not get to dictate what Israel can do in Lebanon, and attacks on Israel will be answered more painfully than they were delivered. Schanzer says President Trump’s push for a deal reflects real constraints—finite U.S. munitions, air-defense burdens, domestic politics, oil prices, and pressure from Gulf states—but that Iran’s downing of a U.S. helicopter appears to have reinforced the lesson that weakness invites more aggression. He outlines a possible path that does not require a full renewed hot war: sustained economic pressure, a blockade on Iranian oil exports, targeted strikes when necessary, and continued messaging to the Iranian people until the regime buckles. The briefing closes by warning that Turkey may be the next major regional threat if Iran weakens, while also noting real IDF progress in Gaza, where Israel has expanded its control beyond the original “yellow line” and significantly reduced Hamas’s ability to threaten southern Israel.

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 (about 2,500 since Operation Roaring Lion began in March), plus hundreds more since the ceasefire understandings. She stresses that the threat is evolving, especially the surge in explosive drones, noting the recent death of a young female soldier, Rotem, and outlining a three-part response: better detection/interception, improved protective measures, and strikes on drone storage/production sites. On Gaza, she describes renewed activity and a string of high-level Hamas eliminations—including two successive heads of military operations—while warning Hamas is still trying to regroup and rearm despite international pressure to disarm. On Iran, she says the IDF remains on high readiness and is building contingency plans while awaiting political decisions as negotiations extend, and she argues Israel’s post–Oct. 7 doctrine is proactive: don’t wait for threats to grow. The briefing closes with a strong emphasis on morale—soldiers are fatigued but undeterred—and a call to support troops facing relentless combat and delegitimization through FIDF.

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 if Iran still refuses to bend and keeps threatening the Strait of Hormuz. He says Iran’s leadership operates under a jihadist logic in which surrender is not an option, and that even major damage to air and naval capabilities doesn’t necessarily destabilize the regime because internal control depends mainly on security forces with rifles. The conversation then shifts to a provocative alternative to the traditional two-state model: Kedar advocates “emirates” in Judea and Samaria—locally clan-based city-states (Hebron, Nablus, Jericho, etc.) that could declare independence from the Palestinian Authority and potentially join a normalization framework like the Abraham Accords. He argues nationalism is a recent and fragile glue in the region and that the PA’s legitimacy relies on anti-Israel incitement, while clan structures are the durable social unit and therefore could govern without needing perpetual conflict. He closes by warning that Qatar’s money and media ecosystem (including Al Jazeera and funding of Western institutions) shapes global narratives, and Lara ends with a call to support Israel’s soldiers and security forces through FIDF.