Prime minister says serious morbidity likely to further climb but warns lockdowns 'destroying the future of the country, and will only be used as a 'last line of defense'

David Horovitz updates listeners on the third day of destructive blazes and on the COVID vaccine campaign; Zman Yisrael editor Biranit Goren explores the new sugary drink tax

Monday's tally is highest in current wave; 13 deaths recorded overnight; Labor MK Gilad Kariv hospitalized and getting oxygen at Sheba Medical Center

Sources say US could join Israel this week in administering 3rd dose in attempt to stave of ultra-infectious Delta strain

Neophyte PM vowed he'd do better than Netanyahu, notably in the fight against the virus. He even wrote a book about it. Then came reality, the Delta variant and a lockdown dilemma

Figures said to offer good news in government's bid to outrace Delta variant with vaccine booster campaign: Recipients 2.5 times more protected than those who only got two shots

Political correspondent Tal Schneider fills us in on why the Likud lawmaker is making headlines; senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur assesses how Israelis view Afghanistan's collapse

41 deaths in 24 hours; 531 serious cases; positive test rate highest since February; 500 at-risk kids age 5-11 vaccinated, with mild or no side effects; new travel rules start

PM pushes back on calls for 'destructive' lockdown to stem surging morbidity as serious COVID cases near 500

Israeli travelers to the EU country will need to quarantine unless they are vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19; Berlin also adds US, Turkey, Montenegro and Vietnam to list