Today, we look at what a new government in Syria means for the Middle East and why Israel has launched airstrikes on key military targets.

The BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent, James Landale tells Adam about the historic relationship between Syria and Israel and why Israel has decided to launch strikes now. And, BBC Monitoring’s Jihadist Media expert Mina Al-Lami explains how an opportunistic IS might seek to capitalise on abandoned weapons stashes and wider instability in the region.

Plus, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves has again warned against government waste. She’s launched a spending review, promising to identify "efficiency savings" across government departments. Chief Political Correspondent Henry Zeffman joins Adam to explain how the review might shake up the political landscape in 2025.

You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://tinyurl.com/newscastcommunityhere Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Maddie Drury. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.