Yossi Alpher is a former Mossad operative and analyst, now in his eighties. His daughter Daniella is a Tel Aviv tech executive. In their bi-monthly podcast, Daniella interviews Yossi on Middle East issues of the day, with emphasis on the strategic dimension and the occasional anecdote from Yossi's Mossad days.
flydubai, October 7 and the Warnings Israel Ignored
Over Yossi Alpher's desk hangs a parchment the Mossad gave him, quoting Ezekiel: if the watchman sees the sword coming and doesn't blow the trumpet, he answers for the blood. Why do surprise attacks succeed when the warnings are already there? Daniella and Yossi Alpher trace the pattern from Pearl Harbor and the Yom Kippur War of 1973, to October 7 and the flydubai co-pilot who attacked his captain on the way to Tel Aviv. Yossi, who worked on early warning in the Mossad, explains why 99 percent of what reaches an analyst is noise, how the belief that Qatari money had bought off Hamas drowned out the signal, and why Golda Meir acknowledged King Hussein's warning in 1973 while Netanyahu says he was never warned about October 7.
26 Sept 2026
From the Romans to October 7, Nobody Comes Out of This Looking Good
Yossi Alpher is a Mossad veteran, and he doesn't spare Israel. He says the mistake of 1967 was not the conquest but staying, that Jerusalem was never really reunited, and that Netanyahu's government has backed settlers who push Palestinians off their land. He is just as blunt about the Arab rejection of partition in 1947, about Hamas, and about what "from the river to the sea" means when either side says it. Answering a listener who asked for the basics, Daniella and Yossi Alpher also cover why the land is called Palestine, Areas A, B and C, Gaza, and end on Yossi's bottom line: the land has to be divided, and neither side is ready.
13 Sept 2026
Everyone Has a Base at Bab al-Mandeb
The Houthis now control Bab al-Mandeb, which means they control whether Saudi oil leaves the Red Sea. Yossi Alpher has stood on that coastline. In 1981 he traveled through Somalia, visited Hargeisa and the port of Berbera, and interviewed President Siad Barre in his courtyard, where Barre, freshly abandoned by the Soviet Union, asked him what a country with no friends should do next.
In this episode: why the strait matters more than the headlines suggest, what it costs Egypt, why Israel has taken an interest in Somaliland, and the music Yossi bought on cassette in Mogadishu.
Then the other story of the week: the call from Abu Dhabi that warned Netanyahu ten days before October 7, the denial, and why a commission of inquiry depends on the October 27 Israeli election.
Somali music clip is "Sharero 75" by Sharero Band, composed by Axmed Naaji, from Light & Sound of Mogadishu (Afro7 Records). Used with permission. https://afro7.net/lightandsound. (https://afro7.net/lightandsound/)
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
Contact Middle East Shitshow - MESS
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
