Day 628 - For Iranian regime, does survival equal victory?

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.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.

Over the 12 days of war, Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel claimed the lives of 28 people — all but one of them civilians — and wounded over 3,000 people.
More than 9,000 people in Israel have been displaced from their homes, dozens of which were damaged or destroyed by the Iranian attacks.
We begin the program by discussing the mood in the country, even as Israelis woke to the news of seven soldiers killed in Gaza.

A preliminary US intelligence assessment has determined that US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities have set back Tehran’s program by only a matter of months. Rettig Gur sifts through the pieces and tries to discern, did Israel meet its goals? Was there a victor here? And if so, who?

In a video statement on Tuesday summing up the war against Iran, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel “achieved a historic victory” that would “abide for generations” following the US-brokered ceasefire to end the 12-day conflict. Is this just pre-campaign-trail rhetoric?

And finally, we discuss why, in this potential window of opportunity, did the people of Iran not rise up and attempt to overthrow the oppressive regime.

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

For further reading:

7 Israeli soldiers killed when armored vehicle hit by explosive in southern Gaza

American strikes only set Iran’s nuclear program back by months — US intel report

Netanyahu claims ‘historic victory,’ says ‘we sent Iran’s nuclear program down the drain’

Iran says 700 arrested for wartime ties with Israel; 3 alleged Mossad agents hanged

The Israel-Iran war by the numbers, after 12 days of fighting

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: Iranians chant slogans and wave national flags as they celebrate a ceasefire between Iran and Israel at Enghlab Square in the capital Tehran on June 24, 2025. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

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