Day 647 - IDF seizes astronomical cache of Assad-regime weapons

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.

Military reporter Emanuel Fabian joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Five IDF divisions, made up of tens of thousands of troops, continue to operate across Gaza. Dozens of airstrikes were carried out in the past days, but one in particular has captured international attention: a strike near a Gaza water distribution point that reportedly killed several children. The IDF said Sunday that it was an accident and attributed it to a “technical malfunction.” Fabian reports on the accidental strike and compares the IDF's quick accountability of it to reports of mass deaths from humanitarian aid distribution sites.

A proposed plan to establish a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza’s Rafah continues to receive backlash. According to the plan, at least 600,000 Palestinians would be allowed into a newly rebuilt area of the city after being cleared that they are not Hamas. Some critics -- including former prime minister Ehud Olmert -- allege that it resembles the Nazi concentration camps built during World War II. Fabian talks about the plan, puts it in to the greater context of the entire Gideon's Chariots operation and explains the reported criticism from within the IDF itself.

Israeli troops found more than three tons of weapons while raiding military facilities inside Syria, including anti-tank mines, explosive devices, and rockets. The sites had been maintained by the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime. We hear about the raid and the scale of the troops' finds.

Israel’s most advanced communications satellite, dubbed Dror-1, was successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral in the United States on Sunday aboard a Falcon 9 two-stage rocket, manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Fabian was inside the Israeli control room and reports back.

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

For further reading:

IDF admits error in deadly strike on water delivery site as truce talks stay jammed

IDF said to warn against Gaza ‘humanitarian city’; ex-PM brands it ‘concentration camp’

IDF seizes 3 tons of arms from ex-Assad regime sites; violence flares in southern Syria

Israel’s most advanced communications satellite successfully launched by SpaceX

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves.

IMAGE: A former Syrian regime military site found by IDF troops in southern Syria, in an IDF handout photo released on Ju