Podcasts about assad

To help Bebe Cyrus go to:https://www.gofundme.com/f/Bebe-cyrus-needs-your-help-------------------------Chahriar Assad is back on the show to talk about politics, kids, and how to control your reactions in the face of life changing moments. This is part 2 of our conversation.-------------------------To learn more about psychedelic therapy go to my brother Mehran's page at: https://www.mindbodyintegration.ca/ or to https://www.somaretreats.org for his next retreat.***Masty o Rasty is not responsible for, or condone, the views and opinions expressed by our guests ******مستی و راستی هیچگونه مسولیتی در برابر نظرها و عقاید مهمان‌های برنامه ندارد.***--------Support the showhttps://paypal.me/raamemamiVenmo + Revolut: @KingRaam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, its crazy lunatic government will flip out and nuke us all. Watch out for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, those guys are a bunch of maniacal antisemites who want to attack Israelis just because they're Jewish. Oh no, Putin is invading Ukraine completely unprovoked because he's a madman who hates freedom and won't stop until he's conquered all of Europe. China is building up its military because the megalomaniacal Xi Jinping wants to take over the world; all those US military bases surrounding China are just a defensive measure to contain Beijing's insanity. Assad just went nuts one day and started slaughtering his own people out of nowhere. Gaddafi is a sexual sadist who's giving Viagra to his troops to help them commit mass rapes in Libya. Saddam Hussein is so crazy and evil he's trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction to give Americans another 9/11. The North Koreans used to be far too insane to be allowed to have nuclear weapons because they'd nuke San Francisco immediately, but after they obtained nuclear weapons they were miraculously cured of this rare psychological disorder. The stories of the western empire ask us to believe that everyone who finds themselves in the imperial crosshairs is an irrational actor whose loony behavior can only be attributed to some uncontrollable defect within their own minds, or who will soon snap and do something nutty if they are not contained by force. Reading by Tim Foley.

John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point, joins guest host Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, to break down Israel's high-stakes strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure and the U.S. decision to enter the fight. With Iran's terror proxy network reportedly dismantled and its nuclear program set back by years, Spencer explains how Israel achieved total air superiority, why a wider regional war never materialized, and whether the fragile ceasefire will hold. He also critiques the international media's coverage and warns of the global consequences if Iran's ambitions are left unchecked. Take Action: Take 15 seconds and urge your elected leaders to send a clear, united message: We stand with Israel. Take action now. Resources and Analysis: Israel, Iran, and a Reshaped Middle East: AJC Global Experts on What Comes Next AJC Advocacy Anywhere - U.S. Strikes in Iran and What Comes Next  Iranian Regime's War on America: Four Decades of Targeting U.S. Forces and Citizens AJC Global Forum 2025: John Spencer Breaks Down Israel's War and Media Misinformation Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  Iran's Secret Nuclear Program and What Comes Next in the Iranian Regime vs. Israel War Why Israel Had No Choice: Inside the Defensive Strike That Shook Iran's Nuclear Program Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Casey Kustin:   Hi, I'm Casey Kustin, AJC's Chief Impact and Operations Officer, and I have the pleasure of guest hosting this week's episode. As of the start of this recording on Wednesday, June 25, it's been 13 days since Israel launched precision airstrikes aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime's nuclear infrastructure and degrading its ballistic missile capabilities to help us understand what transpired and where we are now, I'm here with John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, co-director of the Urban Warfare Project and Executive Director of the Urban Warfare Institute.  John, welcome to People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Hey, Casey, it's good to see you again.  Casey Kustin:   Thanks so much for joining us. John, you described Israel's campaign as one of the most sophisticated preemptive strike campaigns in modern history, and certainly the scope and precision was impressive. What specific operational capabilities enabled Israel to dominate the Iranian airspace so completely? John Spencer:   Yeah, that's a great question, and I do believe it basically rewrote the book, much like after the 1973 Yom Kippur War, where Israel did the unthinkable, the United States military conducted 27 different studies, and it fundamentally changed the way we fight warfare. It's called Air-Land Battle. I think similarly with Operation Rising Lion, just the opening campaign rewrote what we would call, you know, Shock and Awe, Joint Forcible Entry, things like that. And the capabilities that enabled it, of course, were years of planning and preparation. Just the deep intelligence infiltration that Israel did before the first round was dropped. The Mossad agents texting the high command of the IRGC to have a meeting, all of them believing the texts. And it was a meeting about Israel. They all coming together. And then Israel blew up that meeting and killed, you know, in the opening 72 hours, killed over 25 senior commanders, nine nuclear scientists, all of that before the first bomb was dropped.  But even in the opening campaign, Israel put up over 200 aircrafts, almost the entire Israeli air force in the sky over Iran, dominating and immediately achieving what we call air supremacy. Again, through years of work, almost like a science fiction story, infiltrating drone parts and short range missiles into Iran, then having agents put those next to air defense radars and ballistic air defense missile systems. So that as soon as this was about to begin, those drones lost low cost drones and short range missiles attacked Iranian air defense capabilities to give the window for all of the Israeli F-35 Eyes that they've improved for the US military since October 7 and other aircraft.  Doing one of the longest operations, seconded only to one other mission that Israel has done in their history, to do this just paralyzing operation in the opening moment, and then they didn't stop. So it was a combination of the infiltration intelligence, the low-tech, like the drones, high-tech, advanced radar, missiles, things like that. And it was all put together and synchronized, right? So this is the really important thing that people kind of miss in military operations, is how hard it is to synchronize every bit of that, right? So the attack on the generals, the attack on the air defenses, all of that synchronized. Hundreds of assets in a matter of minutes, all working together. There's so much chance for error, but this was perfection. Casey Kustin:   So this wasn't just an operational success, it was really strategic dominance, and given that Iran failed to down a single Israeli Aircraft or cause any significant damage to any of Israel's assets. What does that tell us about the effectiveness of Iran's military capabilities, their Russian built air defenses that they have touted for so long? John Spencer:   Absolutely. And some people say, I over emphasize tactics. But of course, there's some famous sayings about this. At the strategic level, Israel, one, demonstrated their military superiority. A small nation going against a Goliath, a David against a Goliath. It penetrated the Iranian myth of invincibility. And I also failed to mention about how Israel, during this opening of the campaign, weakened Iran's ability to respond. So they targeted ballistic missile launchers and ballistic missile storages, so Iran was really weakened Iran's ability to respond. But you're right, this sent a signal around the Middle East that this paper tiger could be, not just hit, it could be dominated. And from the opening moments of the operation until the ceasefire was agreed to, Israel eventually achieved air supremacy and could dominate the skies, like you said, without losing a single aircraft, with his really historic as well. And hit what they wanted with what they wanted, all the military infrastructure, all the senior leaders. I mean, eventually they assigned a new commander of the IRGC, and Israel found that guy, despite him running around in caves and things.  It definitely had a strategic impact on the signal to the world on Israel's capabilities. And this isn't just about aircraft and airstrikes. Israel's complete dominance of Iran and the weakness, like you said. Although Israel also taught the world back when they responded to Iran's attack in April of last year, and in October of last year, is that you probably shouldn't be buying Russian air defense systems like S-300s. But Iran still, that was the backbone of their air defense capabilities, and Israel showed that that's a really bad idea. Casey Kustin:   You mentioned the component of this that was not just about going after infrastructure sites, but targeting Iranian military leadership and over 20 senior military and nuclear figures, according to public reporting. This was really a central part of this campaign as well. How does this kind of decapitation strategy alter the regime's military capability now, both in this immediate short term, but also in the long term, when you take out that kind of leadership? John Spencer:   Yeah, absolutely. I mean, much like when the United States took out Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Quds Force, who had been decades of leadership of the Quds Force, the terror proxies, which I'm sure we'll talk about, overseeing those to include the ones in Iraq, killing my soldiers. It had a ripple effect that was, it's hard to measure, but that's decades of relationships and leadership, and people following them. So there is that aspect of all of these. Now we know over 25 senior IRGC and Iranian basically leadership, because they killed a police chief in Tehran and others. Yet that, of course, will ripple across.  It paralyzed the leadership in many ways during the operation, which is the psychological element of this, right? The psychological warfare, to do that on the opening day and then keep it up. That no general could trust, much like Hezbollah, like nobody's volunteering to be the next guy, because Israel finds him and kills him. On the nuclear though, right, which all wars the pursuit of political goals. We can never forget what Israel said the political goals were – to roll back Iran's imminent breakout of a nuclear weapon, which would not only serve to destroy Israel, because that's what they said they wanted to do with it, but it also gives a nuclear umbrella, which is what they want, to their exporting of terrorism, and the Ring of Fire, the proxy networks that have all been defanged thanks to Israel. That's the reason they wanted. So in taking out these scientists.So now it's up to 15 named nuclear scientists. On top of the nuclear infrastructure and all the weaponization components. So it's not just about the three nuclear enrichment sites that we all talked about in the news, you know, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. It's about that complete, decades-long architecture of the scientists, the senior scientists at each of the factories and things like that, that does send about, and I know we're in right now, as we're talking, they're debating about how far the program was set back. It holistically sets back that definitely the timeline.  Just like they destroyed the Tehran clock. I'm sure you've heard this, which was the doomsday clock that Iran had in Tehran, which is the countdown to the destruction of Israel. Israel stopped that clock, both literally and figuratively. Could they find another clock and restart it? Absolutely. But for now, that damage to all those personnel sets everything back. Of course, they'll find new commanders. I argue that you can't find those same level of you know, an Oppenheimer or the Kahn guy in Pakistan. Like some of those guys are irreplaceable. Casey Kustin:   So a hallmark of Israeli defense policy has always been that Israel will take care of itself by itself. It never asks the United States to get involved on its behalf. And before President Trump decided to undertake US strikes, there was considerable public discussion, debate as to whether the US should transfer B2s or 30,000 pound bunker busters to Israel. From purely a military perspective, can you help us understand the calculus that would go into why the US would decide to take the action itself, rather than, say, transfer these assets to Israel to take the action? John Spencer:   Sure. It's a complex political question, but actually, from the military perspective, it's very straightforward. The B2 stealth fire fighter, one of our most advanced, only long range bomber that can do this mission right, safely under radar, all this stuff. Nobody else has it. Nobody else has a pilot that could do it. So you couldn't just loan this to Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, and let them do the operation. As well as the bomb. This is the only aircraft with the fuselage capable of carrying this side. Even the B-52 stratomaster doesn't have the ability to carry this one, although it can push big things out the back of it. So just from a logistics perspective, it wouldn't work.  And then there's the classification. And there's many issues with, like, the somebody thinking that would have been the easiest, and even if it was possible, there's no way to train an Israeli pilot, all the logistics to it, to do it. The Israel Begin Doctrine about, you know, taking into their own hands like they did in Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007, is still in full effect, and was shown to be literally, a part of Israel's survival is this ability to, look, I understand that allies are important. And I argue strongly that Israel can never go at it alone, and we should never want it to. The strength of any nation is its allies.  And the fact that even during this operation, you saw immense amounts of American military resources pushed into the Middle East to help defend Israel and US bases but Patriot systems on the ground before this operation, THAAD systems on the ground before the system. These are the advanced US army air defense systems that can take down ballistic missiles. You had Jordan knocking down drones. You had the new Assad replacement guy, it's complex, agreeing to shoot things down over their airspace. That is part of Israel's strength, is its allies.  I mean, the fact that you have, you know, all the Arab nations that have been helping and defending Israel is, I think, can't be underscored under Israel doesn't, shouldn't need to go it alone, and it will act. And that's the Begin Doctrine like this case. And I do believe that the United States had the only weapon, the only capability to deliver something that the entire world can get behind, which is nuclear proliferation, not, you know, stopping it.  So we don't want a terror regime like the Islamic regime, for so many different reasons, to have a nuclear weapon close to breakout. So United States, even the G7, the United Nations, all agree, like, you can't have a nuclear weapon. So the United States doing that limited strike and midnight hammer, I think, was more than just about capabilities. It was about leadership in saying, look, Iran's double play that the economic sanctions, or whatever, the JCPOA agreement, like all these things, have failed. Conclusively, not just the IAEA statement that they're 20 years that now they're in violation of enrichment to all the different intelligence sources. It was not working. So this operation was vital to Israel's survival, but also vital for the world and that too, really won in this operation. Casey Kustin:   Vital both in this operation, in the defense of Israel, back in April 2024 when Iran was firing missiles and we saw other countries in the region assist in shooting them down. How vital is Israel's integration into CENTCOM to making that all work? John Spencer:   Oh, I mean, it's life saving. And General Carrillo, the CENTCOM Commander, has visited Israel so much in. The last 20 months, you might as well have an apartment in Tel Aviv. It's vital, because, again, Israel is a small nation that does spend exponential amounts of its GDP in its defense. But Iran, you know this, 90 million much greater resources, just with the ballistic missile program. Why that, and why that was so critical to set that back, could overwhelm Israel's air defense systems. Could. There's so much to this, but that coordination. And from a military to military perspective, and this is where I come and get involved, like I know, it's decades long, it's very strong. It's apolitical on purpose. It's hidden. Most people don't know it, but it's vital to the survival of our greatest ally in the Middle East. So it meets American interest, and, of course, meets Israel's interest. Casey Kustin:   Can you help us understand the Iranian response targeting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, because this seemed like a very deliberate way for the regime to save face and then de-escalate. But if the ceasefire falls apart, what are the vulnerabilities for us, troops and assets in the region. How well positioned are our bases in Qatar, Al Dhafra in the UAE, our naval assets in Bahrain, our bases in Iraq? How well positioned are we to absorb and deter a real retaliatory response? John Spencer:   Yeah, it's a great question. I mean, first and foremost, you know, there is a bit of active defense. So, of course, all of our US bases are heavily defended. A lot of times, you can see things are about to happen, and you can, just like they did, they moved to naval aircraft that would have been even vulnerable in some of these locations, out to sea, so they can't be touched. Heavily defended. But really, active defense is absolutely important, but really deterrence is the greatest protection. So that has to be demonstrated by the capability, right? So the capability to defend, but also the capability to attack and the willingness to use it.  This is why I think that supposedly symbolic to the 14 bunker busters that the United States dropped during Operation Midnight Hammer. Iran sent 14 missiles. President Trump says, thanks for the heads up. You know, all of it was evacuated, very symbolic, clearly, to save face and they had a parade, I guess, to say they won something. It's ludicrous, but sometimes you can't get inside the heads of irrational actors who are just doing things for their own population.  Our bases, the force protection is heavy. I mean, there's never 100% just like we saw with all the air defenses of Israel, still about 5% or if not less, of the ballistic missiles got through one one drone out of 1000 got through. You can never be 100% but it is the deterrence, and I think that's what people miss in this operation. It set a new doctrine for everyone, for the United States, that we will use force with limited objectives, to send an immense amount of strength.  And when somebody says there's a red line now that you should believe that, like if you would have injured a single American in the Middle East, Iran would have felt immense amount of American power against that, and they were very careful not to so clearly, they're deterred. This also sent a new red line for Israel, like Israel will act just like it did in other cases against even Iran, if they start to rebuild the program. War is the pursuit of political objectives, but you always have to look at the strategic on down. Casey Kustin:   On that last point, do you think we have entered a new phase in Israeli military doctrine, where, instead of sort of a more covert shadow war with Iran, we will now see open confrontation going forward, if necessary? John Spencer:   Well, you always hope that it will not be necessary, but absolutely this event will create, creates a new doctrine. You can see, see almost everything since October 7, and really there were just things that were unconceivable. Having studied and talked to Israeil senior leaders from the beginning of this. Everybody thought, if you attacked Hezbollah, Iran, was going to attack and cause immense amounts of destruction in Israel. Even when Israel started this operation, their estimates of what the damage they would incur was immense. And that it didn't is a miracle, but it's a miracle built in alliances and friendships with the United States and capabilities built in Israel.  Of course, Israel has learned a lot since October 7 that will fundamentally change everything about not just the military doctrine, but also intelligence services and many aspects that are still happening as they're fighting, still to this day in Gaza to achieve the realistic, measurable goal there. Yes, it absolutely has set forth that the old ways of doing things are gone, the you know, having these terror armies, the ring of fire that Israel has defanged, if not for Hamas dismantled and destroyed.  It sets a new complete peace in the Middle East. But also a doctrine of, Israel is adapting. I mean, there's still some elements about the reserve forces, the reigning doctrine, that are evolving based on the magnitude of the war since October 7. But absolutely you're right about they will, which has been the doctrine, but now they've demonstrated the capability to do it to any threat, to include the great, you know, myth of Iran. Casey Kustin:   So when you talk about this defanging of the Iranian proxy network obviously, Israel undertook significant operations against Hezbollah. Over the last year, they've been in active conflict with the Houthis. How does this operation now alter the way that Iran interacts with those proxies and its capacity to wage war against Israel through these proxies? John Spencer:   Yeah, cripples it, right? So Iran's nuclear ambition and its terror campaign are literally in ruins right now, both literally and figuratively. Hezbollah was defanged, the leadership, even taking out Nasrallah was believed to have caused catastrophic consequences, and it didn't. So, absolutely for Iran, also during this operation, is sniffing because all of his proxies were silent. I think the Houthis launched two missiles because thanks to Israel and the United States, the Houthi capabilities that should never have been allowed to amass, you know, this pirate terror empire. They didn't make those greatest shore to sea arsenal out of falafels. It got it straight from Iran, and that pipeline has already been cut off, let alone the capabilities.  Same thing with Hezbollah, which relied heavily on pipelines and infrastructure of missiles and everything being fed to it by Iran. That's been cut. The Assad regime being the drug empire, support of Hezbollah to rule basically, in Lebanon, has been cut. Hezbollah couldn't come to the aid of Assad. All of these variables. And of course, Hamas will never be able to do anything again, period. It all causes Iran to have to rethink everything. From, you know, not only their own national defense, right air defense capabilities and all this, but their terror campaign, it isn't just in ruins. There's a new doctrine, like it's not acceptable.  Now, of course, that's going to be hard to fully reign in. You have Shia backed groups in Iraq, you have a lot of bad things going on, but the Quds Force, which is its job, it's all shattered. Of course, they'll try to rebuild it. But the fact that these terror proxies were already so weakened by Israel that they couldn't do anything and remain silent. Hezbollah just was silent basically during this, is very significant to the peace going forward. I mean, there, there's still a lot of war here, but Israel and the United States have rewritten the map of the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   in the hours days that followed the US deciding to engage here. A lot of the conversation focused on the possibility of triggering now broader regional escalation, but we didn't see that, and it sort of shattered that myth that if Israel or the US were to go after Iran, that it would spiral into a broader Middle East conflict. Why did we not see that happen? Why did this remain so controlled? John Spencer:   So many reasons that really go back a few months, if not years? Mean going back to the first the Abraham Accords, President Trump's recent tour of the Gulf states and his story. Turic financial deals Israel's like we talked about with the Arab nations that were part of protecting it, the fact that the so on, that very geopolitical aspect. And we saw Iran turn to Russia, because there's always geopolitical considerations. Iran turned to Russia. Said, you're going to help us out. We signed this security agreement last year. We've been helping you in Ukraine do the awful things you're doing there.  And Russia said, No, that's not what we said. And it called called President Trump. President Trump says, how about you worry about mediating a ceasefire in Ukraine? And well, so they turned to China and the fact that there was nobody again, and that all the work that had been done with all the people that also disagree, nation states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, all those others. Those are many of the contributing factors.  But war also, I wrote this piece about, this isn't Iraq, this isn't Afghanistan, this isn't Libya. I really hate the lazy comparisons. This was contained and not able to spill out by constant communication from day one of what the goals were. Limited objective to roll back a threat to the world nuclear program and the ballistic program as well. That prevents the ability for even the Islamic regime to say, you know, my survival is at risk, I need to escalate this, right? So, being clear, having strategic clarity from Israel, and when the United States assisted, from the United States. You know, war is a contest of wills, not just between the military is fighting it, but the political element and the population element. So, you know, being able to communicate to the population in Israel and like, what's the goal here? Like, how long are we gonna have to do this? And to the United States. Like, what are our interests? Keeping it the goal limited, which all parties did.  And even, in fact, you had the G7 meeting during this and they signed an agreement, we agree Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That is a big part of how you permit the spill out. But it does have many contextual elements of the broader, this isn't black and white between Israel and Iran. It's much bigger than that. And that, and we saw all that work that has been done to show strength through peace, or peace through strength, in all the forms of national power that have been rallied against what is chaos that the Islamic regime wants in the Middle East. Casey Kustin:   So now that we've had a few days to begin to assess the impact of both the US and the Israeli strikes based on what's publicly available. I think you wrote that the nuclear timeline has been pushed back years. We saw some reporting in the New York Times yesterday saying it's only set back months. It seems this morning, the US is concurring with the Israeli assessment that it's been set back years. A lot of talk about where certain Where did certain stockpiles of enriched uranium, and how confident can we be at this point in any of these assessments? John Spencer:   So yes, as we're talking, people are trying to make it political. This should be a non partisan, non political issue. I'm an objective analyst of war. If you just write down all the things that Israel destroyed, validated by satellite imagery. then the fact that somebody And even the spinning of words where like we saw with that leaked report, which was the preliminary thoughts about something, it isn't comprehensive, right?  So one, BDA has never come that fast. Two, we do know, and Iran has validated, like all these scientists dead, all these generals dead, all these components of the nuclear program, damaged or destroyed. The idea that somebody would say, well, you only set it back a couple months to me, it's just anti-intellectual. Look, Natanz, Esfahan, Fordo, we can debate about how much stuff is inside of that mountain that was destroyed, although 14 of the world's best bunker buster munitions, 30,000 pounds punching through.  I just think, it's not a silly argument, because this is very serious. And yes, there could be, you know, hundreds of pounds of enriched uranium up there, a certain percentage that got floated around. That's not the, the things that set the timeline of breakout. Breakout included all the components of the knowledge and capability to reach breakout and then weaponization of a nuclear bomb. There's nobody, I think, who can comprehensively, without nuancing the words say that Israel wasn't very effective, and the United States assistance in only what the United States could do, at setting this program back and actually stopping the immediate danger. Of course, Iran is still a danger. The program is still a danger, but I just think it's so political that they're trying to say that, well, you only said it back a couple months. That's like, that's ridiculous. Casey Kustin:   So as an objective analyst of war, but also as someone who's really been a voice of moral clarity and has called out the international media over the last 18 months for a lot of this disinformation, misinformation, bias reporting. Before we go, John, what is one consequence of this operation that the international media is just missing? John Spencer:   One is that, I think the international media who are debating whether Iran was literally using an opposing opinion against global thought that Iran was close to a nuclear bomb, they missed that completely and tried to politicize it to where, just giving disinformation agents that tidbit of a headline that they need. I do believe in journalistic standards, fact checking, those elements and holding those people accountable. I live in the world of experts. People on the platform X who think they're experts.  But when you have national media running headlines for sensationalism, for clicks, for you know, struggling for opposition to just political administration, we should learn to really question a single report as valid when there's overwhelming opposition. I don't know how to put that succinctly, but you think we would learn over the last, you know, 20 months of this lies, disinformation, statistical warfare, the things like that that, yeah, it's just crazy that that somebody would think in any way this wasn't an overwhelming success for the world, that this program was set back and a new doctrine for treating the program was established. Casey Kustin:   Finally, John, before we wrap up here, the question on everyone's mind: can the ceasefire really hold? John Spencer:   So, you know, I don't do predictions, because I understand wars uncertainty. It's human. It's political. It looks by all signs, because of how Iran was dominated, and how the United States showed that if it isn't contained, then immense amounts of force and of course, Israel's superiority, I believe that the ceasefire will hold. It was normal. And I made some some posts about the historical examples of wars coming to an end, from the Korean War, to the Yom Kippur war, Bosnia War, where you had this transition period where you're rolling back forces and everything. But the by the fact that Iran has said, Yeah, we agreed. We have stopped our operation. All signs for me are saying that this ceasefire will hold, and now the world's in a better place. Casey Kustin:   John, thank you so much for the insight, for, as I said, your moral clarity that you bring to this conversation. We appreciate you joining us today on People of the Pod. John Spencer:   Thank you so much.   

To help Bebe Cyrus go to:https://www.gofundme.com/f/Bebe-cyrus-needs-your-help-------------------------This episode is sponsored by https://WE-PN.com Become your own VPN provider.To get 50% off enter promo code: kingraam50support@we-pn.com-------------------------This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/MASTYORASTY and get on your way to being your best self.-------------------------Chahriar Assad is back on the show to talk about politics, kids, and how to control your reactions in the face of life changing moments. This is part 1 of our conversation.-------------------------To learn more about psychedelic therapy go to my brother Mehran's page at: https://www.mindbodyintegration.ca/ or to https://www.somaretreats.org for his next retreat.***Masty o Rasty is not responsible for, or condone, the views and opinions expressed by our guests ******مستی و راستی هیچگونه مسولیتی در برابر نظرها و عقاید مهمان‌های برنامه ندارد.***--------Support the showhttps://paypal.me/raamemamiVenmo + Revolut: @KingRaam Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our penultimate episode of season 5 is here, continuing our journey across Syria to bring you the voices of the revolution and civil war, from all perspectives.  In the series so far, we've given you the perspectives of a Kurd from Aleppo and Afrin, we've parachuted you into the siege of Southern Damascus, we've shown you what life was like in Raqqa under ISIS - and now, we bring you another fascinating view of the civil war - that of the Druze from Suwayda, a small city in southern Syria. And it's all told through the story of our guest this week, Nour Salam. Nour is herself a Druze, and also a human rights and women's rights activist whose family are originally from Suwayda, where she has been living since fleeing there in 2013. Through the war she worked as a field coordinator for Syrian civil society groups, and she is also a member of the Syrian Women's Political Movement and many Suwayda-based initiatives supporting women's rights. In this episode, Nour shares her unique perspective as a Druze woman from Suwayda, discussing her identity, the history of the Druze community, and the impact of the Syrian civil war on her life and activism. She reflects on her family's experiences under the Assad regime, and her involvement in the revolution, highlighting the complexities of Druze identity and their relationship with other communities in Syria. Thomas and Nour later explore the arrival of ISIS in Suwayda, and the subsequent rise of factional conflicts from local militias formed to protect against ISIS, who are still controversially playing their part in the ongoing instability of the region, alongside Israel, today. New Conflicted Season 5 episodes will be coming every two weeks, but if you want to have your Conflicted fix every single week, then you'll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get bonus episodes every other week, and can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up to the Conflicted Community is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/  Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you'd like to find out how we can help get your organisation's message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

La guitarrista, compositora y cantante Badi Assad firma el disco 'Acústico' con obras suyas ya grabadas anteriormente como 'Ilha das flores' y 'Do silêncio veio o som' junto a canciones de Chico César ('À primeira vista'), Caetano Veloso ('Araçã azul') o Gilberto Gil ('Se eu quiser falar com Deus'). Del disco de Keith Jarrett, 'New Vienna', grabado durante un concierto de piano solo en 2016 en la capital austriaca, 'Part VIII', 'Part II' y 'Somewhere over the rainbow'. Y, en 'Gênesis', la grabación de un concierto de João Bosco y la Orquestra de Ouro Preto con clásicos de Bosco como 'O ronco da cuíca', 'Kid cavaquinho', 'O bêbado e a equilibrista' y 'Papel maché'. Despedida con Marcos Valle y Joyce Moreno compartiendo 'Valeu'. Escuchar audio

On Saturday night, June 22, President Donald Trump's Operation Midnight Hammer sent a message to Tehran, and the world, that can't be ignored.    Seven Missouri-based B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker-busting bombs on Iran's Fordow nuclear site, while U.S. Navy vessels launched a barrage of cruise missiles at other strategic nuclear infrastructure.    Victor Davis Hanson explains what just happened—and what could come next—on today's episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”   “ [Iran] must know that people are angry. That over 50 years, nearly, they spent a trillion dollars subsidizing the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, the Assad dynasty. And for what? It's all up in smoke. And then they probably lost another trillion dollars, over 50 years, through sanctions and oil embargoes. For what? It's up in smoke.   “ Right now the ball is in the court of Iran. Trump has said to them, you can come back and negotiate. But, what would they negotiate over? Their one card was that we have the specter of a nuclear bomb. So, you better come to us and talk. They don't have that anymore. At least not for the foreseeable future. The only negotiable item is whether they survive or not.”   (0:00) Trump's Bold Military Move in the Middle East (0:57) Historical Context of U.S. Actions in the Middle East (2:23) Details of the Recent Military Operation (4:34) Potential Repercussions and Future Speculations (5:55) Iran's Next Move and Global Reactions (6:39) Israel and U.S. Stature Post-Operation  

Situación en Medio Oriente

One of the most difficult tests in life is when a person achieves something through effort, wisdom, and strength—and is then told not to attribute the success to himself, but to Hashem. Most people feel proud of their accomplishments, their clever strategies, or their brilliant ideas. But the pasuk reminds us כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל , and the Targum explains, that even our ideas—every single thought that passes through our minds—are gifts from Hashem. It's natural to feel proud after a major achievement, but it is up to each of us to pause and recognize that it was all from Hashem. So often, we fail to see the broader picture—how Hashem orchestrated every detail in advance, setting the stage for us to succeed in a way that appears seamless and "strategic." Recently, the world has witnessed Israel's remarkable military achievements, particularly in the face of Iranian threats. From eliminating key leaders and scientists to achieving aerial dominance, the successes have been astonishing. Add to that America's undetected, precision strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, and one could easily fall into the trap of thinking it's all the result of human intelligence and power. But here, too, we must remember: " לא בחיל ולא בכח כי אם ברוחי אמר ה׳ " —victory does not come through strength or power, but through the spirit of Hashem. All wars are fought and won by Hashem— and only by Hashem . For decades, Israel has known about Iran's nuclear ambitions, yet was unable to act, as Iran lies over a thousand miles away. The logistics of such an operation seemed impossible. Israeli fighter jets could not pass through Jordan, Syria, or Iraq without being shot down. The southern route through Saudi Arabia was blocked, and the northern route through Turkey was a non-starter. But then Hashem changed everything. In December 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown, ending his family's 50-year regime. Hashem opened the Syrian skies. Jordan didn't just permit the use of its airspace—it actively helped shoot down Iranian missiles during the April attack, when Iran launched 300 ballistic missiles toward Israel. Iraq no longer has the capabilities to shoot down planes. Every obstacle was removed—by Hashem. Iran had feared this moment. For years, they armed Hezbollah and Hamas so that if Israel ever struck, they could retaliate from multiple fronts. But over the past year, Hashem gave Israel the strength and intelligence to neutralize the missile capabilities of both Hezbollah and Hamas. And when the moment came to strike Iran, there was no one left to respond. We should be proud of Israel's accomplishments—with the clear understanding that they are Hashem's accomplishments . America's support? Also orchestrated by Hashem, as it says: " לב מלכים ביד ה׳ " —the hearts of kings and leaders are in the hands of Hashem. Hashem can eliminate our enemies without a single soldier taking action. We saw this just a year ago, when the president of Iran and other officials were killed in a helicopter crash—without any military involvement. We saw it when a Turkish legislator who was publicly condemning Israel suddenly collapsed and died of a heart attack. " ה׳ איש מלחמה " —Hashem is a Man of War. He fights—and wins—our battles. The current operation has been referred to as " כִּלְבִיא יָקוּם " , and the Chatam Sofer once explained the word כִּלְבִיא spells out the passuk : כִּ י לֹ א בְ כֹחַ יִ גְבַּר אִ ישׁ - it is not by human strength that wars are won, but through Hashem alone. May Hashem continue to protect His people and bring the final geulah with Mashiach speedily in our days. Amen.

durée : 00:15:19 - Journal de 8 h - Un attentat suicide a fait au moins 22 morts dimanche, dans une église chrétienne à Damas. Cette attaque est la première de ce type dans la capitale syrienne depuis que des forces dirigées par des islamistes radicaux ont renversé l'ex-président Bachar al-Assad le 8 décembre 2024.

Có it nhất 20 người chết và hơn 50 người khác bị thương khi nhà thờ đang trong buổi lễ sáng Chủ Nhật. Vụ đáng bom làm dấy lên nỗi sợ hãi về tình hình an ninh mong manh của Syria sau thời Assad. Vụ tấn công, được cho là do một chiến binh I-S thực hiện ngay lúc nhà thờ có khoảng 350 tín đồ hiện diện. Vụ nổ gây ra một cảnh tượng tan thương và làm dấy lên câu hỏi về khả năng bảo vệ các nhóm tôn giáo thiểu số của chính phủ mới.

A suicide bombing at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus has killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 50, shattering Sunday Mass and reigniting fears over Syria's fragile post-Assad security. The attack, reportedly carried out by an IS militant, struck a congregation of 350 worshippers, leaving scenes of devastation and raising questions about the new government's ability to protect religious minorities.

durée : 00:15:19 - Journal de 8 h - Un attentat suicide a fait au moins 22 morts dimanche, dans une église chrétienne à Damas. Cette attaque est la première de ce type dans la capitale syrienne depuis que des forces dirigées par des islamistes radicaux ont renversé l'ex-président Bachar al-Assad le 8 décembre 2024.

A suicide bombing at a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus has killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 50, shattering Sunday Mass and reigniting fears over Syria's fragile post-Assad security. The attack, reportedly carried out by an I-S militant, struck a congregation of 350 worshippers, leaving scenes of devastation and raising questions about the new government's ability to protect religious minorities. And a warning – some listeners may find this content distressing. Click on play to listen to the interview. Click on play to listen to the report.

durée : 00:15:19 - Journal de 8 h - Un attentat suicide a fait au moins 22 morts dimanche, dans une église chrétienne à Damas. Cette attaque est la première de ce type dans la capitale syrienne depuis que des forces dirigées par des islamistes radicaux ont renversé l'ex-président Bachar al-Assad le 8 décembre 2024.

Tussen Israël en Iran woedt een heftige strijd van luchtmacht, raketten, cyberoorlog en speciale eenheden. Maar deze oorlog kon niemand verrassen en was eigenlijk al jaren gaande.Hoe begrijpen we wat hier gebeurt; wat in Iran en de dictatuur van de ayatollahs gaande is en in Israël en de complexe politieke verhoudingen en cultuur daar? Jaap Jansen PG Kroeger kijken naar de gruwelijke en vaak eeuwenoude context van dit conflict.***Deze aflevering is mede mogelijk gemaakt door Saxo. Beleggen doe je bij Saxo.En met donaties van luisteraars die we hiervoor hartelijk danken. Word ook vriend van de show!Heb je belangstelling om in onze podcast te adverteren of ons te sponsoren? Zend een mailtje naar adverteren@dagennacht.nl en wij zoeken contact.Op sommige podcast-apps kun je niet alles lezen. De complete tekst plus linkjes en een overzicht van al onze eerdere afleveringen vind je hier***Al vele jaren is onderhuids en af en toe opflakkerend sprake van deze oorlog. Israël zette zijn uiterst doeltreffende hightech en geheime diensten in, Iran gebruikte terreurorganisaties en andere verlengde armen om Israël continu te bedreigen. Met cyberaanvallen op ondergrondse nucleaire installaties en aanslagen op kerngeleerden en militaire commandanten maakte Israël duidelijk dat in Iran niemand zich veilig kon voelen voor zijn macht.De aanval van Hamas op 7 oktober 2023 was onderdeel van deze oorlog waarin het regime in Teheran Israël op een reeks fronten tegelijk wilde destabiliseren. Omdat Benjamin Netanyahu besefte dat hij niet meer kon rekenen op de volledige steun van de Verenigde Staten - zeker niet nadat Donald Trump het kernwapen-akkoord met Teheran eenzijdig ongedaan maakte – ging hij uiteindelijk zijn eigen gang.Zo werden de handlangers van ayatollah Ali Khamenei het eerste doelwit. Hezbollah, Houthi's in Yemen, milities in Irak en Hamas in Gaza zijn met grof geweld aangepakt. Het regime in Teheran werd bovendien verder geïsoleerd en ingesnoerd door samenwerking van Trump met Arabische heersers, die hem aan zich bonden door zijn zucht naar 'deals'.De cruciale wijziging in de machtsverhoudingen kwam met de instorting van de belangrijkste bondgenoot van Iran en Rusland, het gruwelijke bewind van Bashar al-Assad in Syrië. Voor zowel het Kremlin als de ayatollahs was dit een funeste nederlaag. Teheran stond geheel alleen. Bovendien blijkt nu dat de Russische militaire technologie tegenover die van Israël onmachtig is. Duidelijk is dat vele lessen uit Oekraïne hier worden toegepast.Netanyahu wil Iran militair voor decennia verzwakken en de nucleaire capaciteit maximaal reduceren. Voor dat laatste zou Amerika weleens nodig moeten zijn. Maar voor Trump is regimewisseling geen doel op zich. De VS hebben in Irak hun lesje geleerd.Onder de buurstaten ziet vooral Turkije zijn positie nog machtiger worden en verliest Rusland na Syrië nóg een cruciale bondgenoot.Veel pleit er dan ook voor om beter te leren begrijpen hoe landen als Iran en Syrië zich historisch, cultureel en politiek van binnenuit hebben ontwikkeld. Zeker zo complex is trouwens ook Israël. Al in de memoires van Obama en Merkel was duidelijk: zij beseften dat het een misverstand was om Netanyahu en de Israëlische politieke cultuur als ‘westers' te beschouwen.Het land van Netanyahu is al lang niet meer de bijna Westeuropese sociaaldemocratie van Golda Meïr, Yitzhak Rabin en Shimon Peres. De demografische en cultureel-etnische diversiteit zijn enorm, eigenlijk zoals overal elders in het Midden-Oosten. Regeringen zijn permanent wisselende samenraapsels van kleine groeperingen en sekten rond een sterke man als vast ankerpunt. Ook voor de gunsten uit de overheidskassen. Netanyahu regeert in allianties waarin loyaliteit en wederzijds verraad elkaar ongeremd afwisselen. Israël lijkt nu veel meer op zijn buren dan op een EU-lidstaat.Misschien vertelt dit ook wel waarom Geert Wilders dit zo bewondert. Netanyahu is immers een sterke, bijna autocratische 'baas' met om zich heen nooit écht loyale vazallen die voor hun positie, status en levensonderhoud van hem afhankelijk zijn. Dat deze ook nog de alles beheersende centrale machtsfiguur van de natie is, maakt hem nog meer een voorbeeld.***Verder luisteren377 - Golda Meïr, Israël, triomf en tragiek315 - Vrouw, leven, vrijheid: oorzaken en achtergronden van het straatprotest in Iran. En: de rijke Perzische cultuur76 - Rudi Vranckx: Het Midden-Oosten is het Vietnam van onze tijd508 – De NAVO-top in Den Haag moet de onvoorspelbare Trump vooral niet gaan vervelen339 – De geopolitiek van de 19e eeuw is terug. De eeuw van Bismarck510 - Brezjnev, Poetin en hun rampzalige oorlog. Lessen voor nu uit 1980311 - De wereld volgens Simon Sebag Montefiore467 - De twee levens van Angela Merkel150 - De memoires van Barack Obama***Tijdlijn00:00:00 – Deel 100:05:00 – Deel 200:34:44 – Deel 300:51:55 – Deel 401:12:17 – Einde Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Trumped pooped the bed at the G7 then waddled away. The internet has theorized the weird bulges in Shitler's suit indicate catheters and leg braces, lol! The leader of Canada played the rambling man-baby offstage at the G7. The Trump administration probably blathered lies when they said he departed the G7 to deal with Israel/ Iran conflict but  some news orgs lapped it up like good little bootlickers. Americans were warned to leave Iran. The orange rapist in the White House ripped former Fox's second string anchor Hegseth for the tone of lame military parade. Possibly the worst cabinet member, Assad-sucking Tulsi Gabbard, may get booted. Comedian Dave Smith and former Trump fellator had a miraculous epiphany about Trump's Nazi regime and thinks we should be impressed. Former Fox lode Tucker Carlson took human cosplayer Ted Cruz to task over his ignorance of Iran. The Ambassador to Israel and Relaxium spokesperson Mike Huckabee penned a cringe worthy text to White House Daddy where the former Governor of Arkansas figuratively bent over and presented starfish. CEO of all prophets, MAGAT Hank Kunneman revises his visions. mid-spew.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad last December did not erase the deep-rooted prejudices within Syrian society. Identity and political divisions remain vivid, and since January, sectarian clashes have been increasing. In a country as fragmented as Syria, old grudges are simmering, with many taking justice into their own hands – driven by a thirst for revenge against those they view as traitors or internal enemies. Amid this escalating violence, the authorities insist they are committed to holding those responsible accountable. Meanwhile, civil society is doing what it can to keep hope alive by calling for dialogue and pushing for national unity. Our correspondent in Syria, Jenna Le Bras, reports.

Door de Israëlisch-Iraanse oorlog worden Trump en Poetin een beetje in een hoek gedrukt die ze krampachtig hebben vermeden. Trump heeft het, door zijn steun aan Israël, voor het eerst aan de stok met de extreme MAGA-vleugel van zijn partij. Poetin is, na het verlies van Hezbollah en Syrië, ook het ernstig gehavende Iran kwijt als bondgenoot en steunpilaar. Trump zit in een spagaat. Het is inmiddels duidelijk dat hij niet alleen het Israëlische aanvalsplan heeft gefiatteerd, maar ook dat zijn krijgsmacht helpt met het neerhalen van Iraanse raketten. Een grote meerderheid van de Amerikanen steunt dat, en dat geldt ook voor Republikeinse Congresleden. Zo wordt hij aangemoedigd door de invloedrijke, conservatieve senator Lindsey Graham, die Trump oproept er met gestrekt been in te gaan. Maar belangrijke MAGA-roeptoeters als TV-presentator Tucker Carlson en het altijd luidruchtige Congreslid Marjorie-Taylor Greene spreken van ‘verraad’, omdat hij de kiezers had beloofd Amerika voortaan buiten kostbare en eindeloze oorlogen te houden. Laat hij zijn B2 bommenwerpers uitrukken, de enige toestellen die de beruchte ‘bunker buster’ kunnen afwerpen, en daarmee een genadeklap leveren aan het Iraanse nucleaire programma? Dat zou best kunnen. Door actieve deelname aan de Israëlische defensie, kannibaliseert Amerika enigszins de eigen voorraden, wat een ernstig probleem wordt voor Oekraïne. Trump, die toch al tegen wapensteun aan Oekraïne is, zal het schaarsteargument graag oppakken. Bovendien blijft Trump flirten met Poetin. Op de G7 in Canada, na zijn overhaaste vertrek gereduceerd tot G6, pleitte hij voor het herstel van de G8, de periode tot 2014, toen Rusland nog deel uitmaakte. En hij prees Poetin ook aan als een prima onderhandelaar tussen Iran, een Russische bondgenoot, en Israël, waarmee Rusland goed relaties heeft. Wat ons brengt op de zorgen die Poetin heeft. Als Iran omvalt, is hij zijn laatste bondgenoot in het Midden-Oosten kwijt. Kennelijk is hij daar al zo van overtuigd dat hij geen gevechtsvliegtuigen of luchtafweer meer aan Iran levert. Dat is de reden waarom de Israëliërs nu heer en meester zijn in het Iraanse luchtruim. Het is ook een herhaling van wat er in Syrië is gebeurd: toen het regime-Assad viel was de Russische luchtmacht, die Assad jarenlang steunde, in geen velden of wegen te bekennen. Trump steunt de oorlog tegen Iran, Poetin laat bondgenoot Iran vallen. Al met al goed nieuws voor Israël.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Entre más dura la operación militar israelí, más crece la sensación de que Rusia tiene mucho que perder en esta región tras la caída de Bashar al Assad en Siria.

This week we talk about tit-for-tat warfare, conflict off-ramps, and Israel's renewed attacks on Iran's nuclear program.We also discuss the Iron Dome, the Iran-Iraq War, and regime change.Recommended Book: How Much is Enough? by Robert and Edward SkidelskyTranscriptIn late-October of 2024, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against targets in Iran and Syria. These strikes were code-named Operation Days of Repentance, and it marked the largest such attack on Iran by Israel since the 1980s, during the height of the Iran-Iraq War.Operation Days of Repentance was ostensibly a response to Iran's attack on Israel earlier than same month, that attack code-named Operation True Promise II, which involved the launch of around 200 ballistic missiles against Israeli targets. Operation True Promise II was itself a response to Israel's assassination of the leader of Hamas, the leader of Hezbollah, and the Deputy of Operations for Iran's Revolutionary Guard.If you feel like there might be a tit-for-tat pattern here, you're right. Iran and Israel have been at each other's throats since 1979, following the Islamic Revolution when Iran cut off all diplomatic relations with Israel; some backchannel relations continued between the two countries, even through part of the Iran-Iraq War, when Israel often supported Iran in that conflict, but things got tense in the early 1980s when Iran, partnering with the Syrian government, started backing Hezbollah and their effort to boot Israel out of Southern Lebanon, while also partnering with Islamist militants in Iraq and Yemen, including the Houthis, and at times Hamas in Gaza, as well.Most of these attacks have, until recently, been fairly restrained, all things considered. There's long been bravado by politicians on both sides of the mostly cold war-ish conflict, but they've generally told the other side what they would be hitting, and signaled just how far they would be going, telling them the extent of the damage they would cause, and why, which provides the other side ample opportunity to step off the escalatory ladder; everyone has the chance to posture for their constituents and then step back, finding an off-ramp and claiming victory in that specific scuffle.That back-and-forth in late-2024 largely stuck to that larger pattern, and both sides stuck with what typically works for them, in terms of doing damage: Israel flew more than 100 aircraft to just beyond or just inside Iran's borders and struck a bunch of military targets, like air defense batteries and missile production facilities, while Iran launched a few hundred far less-accurate missiles at broad portions of Israel—a type of attack that could conceivably result in a lot of civilian casualties, not just damage to military targets, which would typically be a no-no if you're trying to keep the tit-for-tat strikes regulated and avoid escalation, but because Israel has a fairly effective anti-missile system called the Iron Dome, Iran could be fairly confident that just hurling a large number of missiles in their general direction would be okay, as most of those missiles would be shot down by the Iron Dome, the rest by Israel's allies in the region, and the few that made it through or struck unoccupied land in the general vicinity would make their point.While this conflict has been fairly stable for decades, though, the tenor and tone seems to have changed substantially in 2025, and a recent wave of attacks by Israel is generally being seen as the culmination of several other efforts, and possibly an attempt by the Israeli government to change the nature of this conflict, perhaps permanently.And that's what I'd like to talk about today; Operation Rising Lion, and the implications of Israel's seeming expansion and evolution of their approach to dealing with Iran.—In mid-June of 2025, Israel's military launched early morning strikes against more than a dozen targets across Iran, most of the targets either fundamental to Iran's nuclear program or its military.The strikes were very targeted, and some were assassinations of top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists, like the Commander of the Revolutionary Guard, along with their families, including twenty children, who were presumably collateral damage. Some came from beyond Iran's borders, some were conducted by assets smuggled into Iran earlier: car bombs and drones, things like that.More attacks followed that initial wave, which resulted in the collapse of nuclear sites and airport structures, along with several residential buildings in the country's capitol, Tehran.This attack was ostensibly meant to hobble Iran's nuclear program, which the Iranian government has long claimed is for purely peaceful, energy-generation purposes, but which independent watchdog organizations, and pretty much every other non-Iranian-allied government says is probably dual-purpose, allowing Iran to produce nuclear energy, but also nuclear weapons.There was a deal on the books for a while that had Iran getting some benefits in exchange for allowing international regulators to monitor its nuclear program, but that deal, considered imperfect by many, but also relatively effective compared to having no deal at all, went away under the first Trump administration, and the nuclear program has apparently been chugging along since then with relative success; claims that Iran is just weeks from having enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon have been common for years, now, but they apparently now have enough nuclear weapons-grade materials to make several bombs, and Israel in particular is quite keen to keep them from building such a weapon, as Iran's leaders, over the years, have said they'd like to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth, and nuclear weapons would be a relatively quick and easy way to make that happen.Of course, even without using such a weapon, simply having one or more is a sort of insurance policy against conventionally armed enemies. It ups the stakes in every type of conflict, and allows the nuclear-armed belligerent to persistently raise the specter of nuclear war if anyone threatens them, which is truly terrifying because of how many nuclear-related failsafes are in place around the world: one launch or detonation potentially becoming many, all at once, because of Dr. Strangelove-like automated systems that many militaries have readied, just in case.So the possibility that Iran might be on the brink of actually, really, truly this time making a nuclear weapon is part of the impetus for this new strike by Israel.But this is also probably a continuation of the larger effort to dismantle Iran's influence across the region by the current Israeli government, which, following the sneak attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, has been trying to undermine Iran's proxies, which again, include quite a few militant organizations, the most powerful of which, in recent years, have been the trio of Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, right on Israel's border.Israel's invasion of Gaza, which has led to an absolutely catastrophic humanitarian situation for Gazan civilians, but has also led to the near-total collapse of Hamas as a functioning militant organization in the Strip, could be construed as a successful mission, if you ignore all those civilians casualties and fatalities, and the near-leveling of a good portion of the Strip.Israel was also able to take out a significant portion of Hezbollah's leadership via conventional aerial attacks and ground-assaults, and a bizarrely effective asymmetric attack using bombs installed in the pagers used by the organization, and it's been able to significantly decrease the Houthis' ability to menace ships passing through the Red Sea, using their own military, but also through their relationship with the US, which has significant naval assets in the area.Iran has long projected power in the region through its relationship with these proxies, providing them training and weapons and money in exchange for their flanking of Israel. That flanking was meant to keep Israel perpetually off-balance with the knowledge that if they ever do anything too serious, beyond the bounds of the controllable tit-for-tat, Cold War-style conflict in which they were engaged with Iran, they could suffer significant damage at home, from the north via Lebanon, from their southwestern flank via Gaza, or from a little ways to the south and via their coast from Yemen.Those proxies now largely hobbled, though, Israel found itself suddenly freed-up to do something more significant, and this attack is being seen by analysts as the initial stages of what might be a more substantial, perhaps permanent solution to the Iran problem. Rather than being a show of force or a tit-for-tat play, these might be the beginning days of an assault that's meant to enact not just a dismantling of Iran's nuclear program, but full-on regime change in Iran.And regime change means exactly what it sounds like: Iran's government is Islamist, meaning that it wants to enforce a fairly brutal, repressive version of Islam globally, and it already does so against its people. There have periodically been successful protests against these measures by Iranian citizens, especially by severely repressed women and minority groups in the country, including folks of different religions and LGBTQ identifying folks, among others, almost always these protests, and any other attempts to attain more rights and equality for people who aren't strictly Islamist men, generally result in violence, the black-bagging of protest leaders, extrajudicial killings and lifetime imprisonment and torture; a whole lot of really authoritarian, generally just villain-scale behavior by the Iranian government against anyone who steps out of line.So the Iranian government is pretty monstrous by most modern, democratic standards, and the Israeli government's seeming desire to crush it—to cry false on the regime's projection of strength, and create the circumstances for revolution, if that is indeed what they're doing—could be construed as a fairly noble goal.It perhaps serves the purposes of Israel, as again, Iran has said, over and over, that they want to destroy Israel and would totally do so, given the chance. But it arguably also serves the purpose of democratic-leaning people, and perhaps even more so folks who are suffering under the current Iranian regime, and maybe even other, similar regimes in the region. Which again, in terms of spreading democracy and human rights, sounds pretty good to some ears.That said, Israel is killing a lot of Iranian civilians alongside military targets, and its efforts in Gaza have led to accusations that it's committing genocide in the region. Israeli leaders have themselves been accused of anti-democratic actions, basically doubling-down on the nation's furthest-right, most militant, and most authoritarian and theocratic impulses, which makes any claims of moral superiority a little tricky for them to make, at this point.There's a chance, of course, that all this speculation and analysis ends up being completely off-base, and Israel is really, truly just trying to hobble Iran a bit, taking out some of their missile launchers and missile- and drone-manufacturing capacity, while also pushing back their acquisition of nuclear weapons by some meaningful amount of time; that amount of time currently unknown, as initial reports, at least, indicate that many of the attacks on Iran's most vital nuclear research and development facilities were perhaps not as effective as Israel had hoped. There's a chance that if enough overall damage is done, Iran's government will enthusiastically return to the negotiating table and perhaps be convinced to set their nuclear program aside willingly, but at the moment both Iran and Israel seem committed to hurting each other, physically.On that note, so far, as of the day I'm recording this, Iran has launched around 100 missiles, killed a few dozen Israelis, and injured more than 500 of the same. The Iranian government has said Israel's strikes have killed at least 224 people and wounded more than 1,200; though a human rights group says the death toll in Iran could be quite a bit higher than official government numbers, with more than 400 people killed, around half of them civilians, so far.It's been nearly a week of this, and it looks likely that these strikes will continue for at least another few days, though many analysts are now saying they expect this to go one for at least a few weeks, if indeed Israel is trying to knock out some of Iran's more hardened nuclear program-related targets; several of which are buried deep down in the ground, thus requiring bunker-buster-style missiles to reach and destroy, and Israel doesn't have such weapons in their arsenal.Neutralizing those targets would therefore mean either getting those kinds of weapons from the US or other allies, taking them out via some other means, which would probably take more time and entail more risk, or doing enough damage quickly than Iran's government is forced to the negotiation table.And if that ends up being the case, if Israel is really just gunning for the nuclear program and nothing else, this could be remembered as a significant strike, but one that mostly maintains the current status quo; same Iranian leadership, same perpetual conflict between these two nations, but Israel boasting even more of an upper-hand than before, with less to worry about in terms of serious damage from Iran or its proxies for the next several years, minimum.It does seem like a good moment to undertake regime change in Iran, though, as doing so could help Israel polish up its reputation, at least a little, following the reputational drubbing it has taken because of its actions in Gaza. I doubt people who have really turned on Israel would be convinced, as doing away with an abusive, extremist regime, while doing abusive, extremist regime stuff yourself the homefront, probably won't be an argument that convinces many Palestinian liberation-oriented people; there's a chance some of those people will even take up the cause of Iranian civilians, which is true to a point, as many Iranian civilians are suffering and will continue to suffer under Israel's attacks—though of course that leaves out the part about them also suffering, for much longer, under their current government.That said, taking Iran out of the geopolitical equation would serve a lot of international interests, including those of the US—which has long hated Iran—and Ukraine, the latter of which because Russia has allied itself with the Iranian government, and buys a lot of drones, among other weapons, from Iran. That regime falling could make life more difficult for Russia, at least in the short term, and it would mean another ally lost in the region, following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in late-2024.There's a chance that these same geopolitical variables could pull other players into this conflict, though: Russia could help Iran, for instance, directly or indirectly, by sending supplies, taking out Israeli missiles and drones, maybe, while the US could help Israel (more directly, that is, as it's apparently already helping them by shooting down some of Iran's counterstrike projectiles) by providing bunker-buster weapons, or striking vital military targets from a distance.Such an escalation, on either side, would probably be pretty bad for everyone except possibly Iran, though Israel has said it wants the US to join in on its side, as that would likely result in a much quicker victory and far fewer casualties on its side.The US government is pretty keen to keep out of foreign conflicts right now, though, at least directly, and Russia is pretty bogged down by its invasion of Ukraine; there's a chance other regional powers, even smaller ones, could act as proxies for these larger, outside forces—the Saudis taking the opportunity to score some damage on their long-time rival, Iran, for instance, by helping out Israel—but any such acts would expand the scope of the conflict, and it's seldom politically expedient to do anything that might require your people make any kind of sacrifice, so most everyone will probably stay out of this as long as they can, unless there are serious benefits to doing so.Show Noteshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2025_Israeli_strikes_on_Iranhttps://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/06/13/israel-iran-regime-attack-goal-column-00405153https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/real-threat-iran-tehran-most-dangerous-option-responding-israelhttps://www.twz.com/news-features/could-iran-carry-out-its-threat-to-shut-the-strait-of-hormuzhttps://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-857713https://kyivindependent.com/israel-asks-us-to-join-strikes-on-irans-nuclear-sites-officials-told-axios/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-15-2025/https://www.twz.com/air/israel-escalates-to-attacking-iranian-energy-targets-after-ballistic-missiles-hit-tel-avivhttps://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-strikes-news-06-14-25https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-confirms-irgc-air-force-chief-top-echelon-killed-in-israeli-strike/https://time.com/7294186/israel-warns-tehran-will-burn-deadly-strikes-traded-nuclear-program/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/14/world/israel-iran-newshttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/opinion/israel-iran-strikes.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/drones-smuggled-israel-iran-ukraine-russia.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/15/world/iran-israel-nuclearhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/world/middleeast/iran-military-leaders-killed.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/14/world/europe/israel-iron-dome-defense.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/israel-iran-missile-attack.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/14/world/middleeast/iran-israel-energy-facility-strikes-tehran.htmlhttps://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-strikes-news-06-15-25https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/was-israel-s-strike-on-iran-a-good-idea--four-questions-to-askhttps://apnews.com/article/israel-iran-missile-attacks-nuclear-news-06-16-2025-c98074e62ce5afd4c3f6d33edaffa069https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/world/middleeast/iran-israel-war-off-ramp.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2024_Iranian_strikes_on_Israelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_2024_Israeli_strikes_on_Iranhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_Resistancehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Lebanon_electronic_device_attacks This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit letsknowthings.substack.com/subscribe

It's time for Leila Fadel at NPR to receive another award for her reporting. Last December, her stories from Syria after the fall of Assad were essential listening. And, as Rob notes in this episode of Sound School, her writing was top-notch. 

The United States and Israel are waging war on Iran, but why? What are their real goals? Ben Norton explains the imperial strategy to impose US hegemony on West Asia (aka the Middle East), destroy the Axis of Resistance, colonize Palestine, destabilize the revolutionary Iranian government, preserve the petrodollar system, prevent de-dollarization, divide BRICS, and break up the Iran-Russia-China partnership. VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwH780cEcEQ How Israel's war on Iran was made in USA: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/06/14/israel-war-iran-us-trump-support/ US pressures Saudi Arabia to sell oil in dollars, not Chinese yuan: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2023/08/10/us-saudi-arabia-sell-oil-dollars-chinese-yuan/ Topics 0:00 US support for Israeli attacks 4:38 Goals of US-Israeli war on Iran 10:13 Israel: outpost of US empire 14:35 US imperial strategy 16:28 Geopolitics of West Asia (Middle East) 17:50 Oil and gas 21:11 Geostrategic chokepoints 24:53 Axis of Resistance 28:33 Syria: Fall of Assad government 31:44 US plan to overthrow 7 countries 33:54 Iranian Revolution 35:53 Anti-colonial movements 39:14 Dedollarization 41:49 Petrodollar and OPEC oil embargo 47:05 Super Imperialism 49:36 Petrodollar challenge 52:43 BRICS 55:55 Shanghai Cooperation Organization 58:53 Iran-Russia-China partnership 1:04:05 US divide-and-conquer strategy 1:06:03 Outro

Hoe veilig of onveilig is Syrië na de val van Assad en kunnen Syriërs die hier asiel hebben aangevraagd nu teruggestuurd worden? Het demissionaire kabinet wil meer Syriërs terug naar Syrië sturen, omdat het daar na de val van het Assad-regime veiliger zou zijn. Maar in het ambtsbericht waarop dit politieke besluit gebaseerd wordt, staat juist dat de situatie heel onzeker is. Hoe zit dat? In deze podcast bladeren we samen met Henrike Schurink, asieladvocaat bij Van Schie advocaten, door het 164 pagina's lange ambtsbericht van het ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken. Wat staat daar precies in over de veiligheidssituatie in Syrie? En hoe komt het dat de conclusies die eraan verbonden worden zo verschillen? Volgens demissionair minister Van Weel kan de asielaanvraag van veel meer Syriërs afgewezen worden, maar hulporganisaties en asieladvocaten zeggen dat het te snel gaat en ook waarschijnlijk tot veel nieuwe rechtszaken gaat leiden. 'De minister lijkt vooral voor de bühne te spreken,' aldus Schurink.  Reageren? Mail dedag@nos.nl Presentatie en montage: Elisabeth Steinz Redactie (en stem van de asielstukken): Judith van de Hulsbeek

Dans le cadre du partenariat du magazine IDÉES avec la revue Esprit, Pierre-Édouard Deldique reçoit Anne-Lorraine Bujon, la directrice de la revue et l'anthropologue Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, membre de son comité de rédaction, de retour d'un voyage à Damas qu'elle raconte dans l'émission. Le dossier est dirigé par deux spécialistes de la région, Joseph Bahout, professeur à l'Université américaine de Beyrouth et Hamit Bozarslan, directeur d'études à l'École des Hautes études en Sciences sociales, spécialiste des Kurdes (son dernier livre, Histoire des Kurdes. Des origines à nos jours, Cerf, 2025), plusieurs fois invité dans IDÉES.   Dans leur introduction, ils s'interrogent sur les conséquences de la guerre de Benyamin Netanyahu à Gaza et ses interventions dans le sud-Liban contre le Hezbollah. Sur les conséquences aussi du changement de régime à Damas après la chute de Bachar al-Assad. Ils soulignent d'autre part l'importance de l'année 1975 qui vit le début de la guerre civile au Liban. La page est-elle en train de se refermer ? Au cours de l'émission, Anne-Lorraine Bujon détaille ce dossier et, en tant que spécialiste des États-Unis, revient aussi sur l'éditorial de ce numéro intitulé « Trump first » autrement le mélange des genres chez le président américain, entre affaires publiques et affaires privées. De retour de Damas, Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, évoque, quant à elle, au micro de l'émission, le voyage qu'elle vient de faire parmi la population de Damas, la capitale syrienne. Elle en fait un compte-rendu humain et plein de couleurs qui nous permet de mieux comprendre l'état d'esprit des Syriens aujourd'hui. Programmation musicale : Naïssam Jalal & Rhythms Of Resistance - Lente impatience.

Dans le cadre du partenariat du magazine IDÉES avec la revue Esprit, Pierre-Édouard Deldique reçoit Anne-Lorraine Bujon, la directrice de la revue et l'anthropologue Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, membre de son comité de rédaction, de retour d'un voyage à Damas qu'elle raconte dans l'émission. Le dossier est dirigé par deux spécialistes de la région, Joseph Bahout, professeur à l'Université américaine de Beyrouth et Hamit Bozarslan, directeur d'études à l'École des Hautes études en Sciences sociales, spécialiste des Kurdes (son dernier livre, Histoire des Kurdes. Des origines à nos jours, Cerf, 2025), plusieurs fois invité dans IDÉES.   Dans leur introduction, ils s'interrogent sur les conséquences de la guerre de Benyamin Netanyahu à Gaza et ses interventions dans le sud-Liban contre le Hezbollah. Sur les conséquences aussi du changement de régime à Damas après la chute de Bachar al-Assad. Ils soulignent d'autre part l'importance de l'année 1975 qui vit le début de la guerre civile au Liban. La page est-elle en train de se refermer ? Au cours de l'émission, Anne-Lorraine Bujon détaille ce dossier et, en tant que spécialiste des États-Unis, revient aussi sur l'éditorial de ce numéro intitulé « Trump first » autrement le mélange des genres chez le président américain, entre affaires publiques et affaires privées. De retour de Damas, Véronique Nahoum-Grappe, évoque, quant à elle, au micro de l'émission, le voyage qu'elle vient de faire parmi la population de Damas, la capitale syrienne. Elle en fait un compte-rendu humain et plein de couleurs qui nous permet de mieux comprendre l'état d'esprit des Syriens aujourd'hui. Programmation musicale : Naïssam Jalal & Rhythms Of Resistance - Lente impatience.

01:00 Israel is achieving everything it wants, Iran achieving almost nothing but survival. 03:00 FT: Iran's authoritarian friends, Russia and China, are unlikely to prop up the regime if it does start to wobble. Russia did so in Syria in 2015 and that delayed the collapse of Assad rule by a decade. But even if it wanted to, Moscow probably lacks the capacity to intervene now, given how stretched it is in Ukraine. And China is a fair-weather friend, buying Iran's oil and promising investment but with no interest in being drawn into a security role in a far-off country, beyond providing surveillance technology. https://www.ft.com/content/45bf1ab3-f3e2-4a46-80aa-6a75164d0a97 07:00 Iran wants to drive US out of ME, US has interests in ME. 17:00 Video: Top Israeli Military Strategist Unpacks Israel/Iran war & What Comes Next, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_PZs9psXBU 29:00 Michael joins, https://x.com/Michaelmvlog 32:00 Sam Harris wants a return of gatekeepers 37:00 Jordan Peterson is an atheist 1:02:00 Iran Looks Like A Paper Tiger, https://lukeford.net/blog/?p=161557 1:40:00 Bret Baier interviews Bibi Netanyahu 2:14:00 JP: War with Iran: What's working and big question marks - analysis, https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-857834 2:25:00 Will Israel deploy special forces inside Iran? https://israelradar.com/will-israel-deploy-special-forces-inside-iran/ 2:43:30 Leaders rarely try to lie to the leaders of other nations 3:12:00 The Iran Breakdown | SITREP with Mark Dubowitz feat. Barak Ravid and Nadav Eyal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WyoGsvpl3c 3:42:40 Video: Haviv Rettig Gur on the existential Israel-Iran War 3:46:00 Video: Former LA Sheriff Explains What's Behind The Riots In Los Angeles | Alex Villanueva 3:51:00 Video: INSIDE THE ATTACK ON IRAN - with Nadav Eyal, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnJL3hteNWU 4:33:30 Video: How to BE A MAN: essential and performative masculinity, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92z27GM0BnE

During the early morning hours of June 13, 2025, Israel conducted a preemptive strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, ballistic missile installations, and Iran's military and nuclear science leadership. Israel initiated this action based on intelligence it had acquired which revealed Iran is very close to closing the loop for obtaining a nuclear weapon. During this episode of the Blessors of Israel Podcast, Pastor Rich Jones joins Dr. Matthew Dodd in studio to provide the latest updates on Israel's strike against Iran along with the ramifications for the Middle East and beyond. Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, WarWWIII

Why did Israel launch defensive strikes against Iran's nuclear sites — and what does this mean for regional security? AJC Jerusalem Director Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich joins from IDF reserve duty to explain Operation Rising Lion — Israel's precision military strikes aimed at dismantling Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities. Find out why Israel saw this defensive action as vital to protect millions of lives and prevent Iran's nuclear breakout. Resources: 5 Key Reasons Behind Israel's Defensive Strike on Iran's Imminent Nuclear Threat Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  What Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks' State of the Jewish World Teaches Us Today AJC's CEO Ted Deutch: Messages That Moved Me After the D.C. Tragedy Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: Manya Brachear Pashman  Late Thursday night, Israel launched a series of preemptive strikes against Iran in a military offensive dubbed Operation Rising Lion. The wave of strikes comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency censured Iran for obstructing its inspections after the revelation of a secretive nuclear site. What is happening on the ground, what's next, and what are the implications for Israel, Iran, and the broader Middle East? AJC Jerusalem director, Avital Leibovich, who also serves as Lieutenant Colonel in the IDF reserves, joins us now from reserve duty as counterattacks from Iran have begun. Avital, thank you for joining us with pleasure. Avital, negotiations for a new nuclear deal with Iran have been underway since April. There have been five rounds, maybe six, and another was going to begin on Sunday. President Trump also asked Israel to hold off on this preemptive operation. So why did Israel choose to launch these strikes? At this particular time, Avital Leibovich  Israel took a decision already to prepare for a preemptive attack on Iran. Since November, what happened in November? In November, Hezbollah lost the majority of its capabilities, of its military capabilities, and also of its leadership. Actually, a lot of his leaders, military leaders, have been eliminated, starting with Nasrallah, Hassan, Nasrallah, and going on to all the major generals of the organization. And basically the Shiite axis, as we call it here in Israel, was broken. Add to this, what happened a month later in December, when Assad's regime crashed, collapsed and was replaced by an anti Iranian man, jihadist, which jihadist background, by the name of Ahmed al Shara. So Iran was actually by on its own, really, because instead of circling Israel from the north, both from Syria and from Lebanon. Now it was circling in a very one dimension way, only from the east. So in order to do that, Iran figured out it needed to really upscale its nuclear capabilities, and for that, they sped up a few processes, for example, uranium enrichment, but not only that, also the weaponization of a potential nuclear bomb. And all of these steps actually brought us to a point that we are today, the point of no return. Iran will not be able to return to 20 years ago, 30 years ago, when it did not have those capabilities as it has today. For us in Israel, this is an issue of existence, either we exist or we don't, and that is the sole reason why the preemptive strike actually began today. This is according to Israeli intelligence, we have all the indications and data showing us this really major leap. And look the IAEA, you know, they issue reports every couple of months. It's their kind of responsibility for us. It's a matter of life and death. We cannot, you know, comply only with reports. And the reports sit on some shelf somewhere and and there's a lot of dust which is piling up on these reports for us, we needed action. So based on this very accurate intelligence, and some of this intelligence that has been accumulated for many, many years, you can see in the attack in Iran, you can see the very accurate attacks, the pinpointed strikes, which actually are directed at specific terrorists and not causing damage to uninvolved civilians, just To the locals. Yeah, Manya Brachear Pashman And how do you evaluate the Trump administration's response so far, given the diplomatic efforts underway? Well, Avital Leibovich I think that he is using the attacks to leverage and put pressure on Iran to resume the negotiation table in a few days. And as you know, there were six rounds of talks, and the best of my knowledge, there were huge gaps between the two sides, the American side and the Iranian side. I'm not sure these gaps can be bridged. We heard over and over again, President Trump say that Iran will never be able to enrich uranium. And then we heard Iranian leaders like Hamina say, this is the basic right of the Iranian people to enrich uranium. So I'm not sure how you can get you can bridge such a deep gap overall, I think that the President. Uh, has been congratulating Israel on its excellent attacks until now. But again, we are in the beginning. We're in the beginning phase of the attacks, although they're spread all over Iran. This is still the first day. We need to keep this in mind. Manya Brachear Pashman  The targets included more than nuclear sites. It included ballistic missile sites as well, and we're receiving word that Iran has fired ballistic missiles toward Israel as we speak, they fired ballistic missiles on Israel in April. If this counterattack continues, do you expect the United States to step in to defend Israel, and do you expect some of your neighbors to step in and help as well as they did in April the United Arab Emirates or Bahrain Avital Leibovich So as for the neighbors, I think that if their aerial space will be violated and breached by Iran, then of course, they have the right, like any other country, they're sovereign, to protect their own airspace. First of all, they will be protecting themselves and their people, not Israel, as for the US. This really depends on what Iran chooses to do next. The retaliation that Iran had practiced until now was launching 100 plus drones, explosive drones, to Israel. Almost all of these drones have been intercepted. This happened in the morning today. Now if Iran will decide that the ballistic missiles or the cruise missiles that it will launch here, will attack not only Israel, but also US bases across the region. Then here, there's a question, how will the US respond? Will the US retaliate as well? If that would happen, we could have even a more significant strike together the US and Israel. Manya Brachear Pashman  These attacks killed two lead scientists, IRGC commanders, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leaders. Is there a long-term goal of prompting a regime change? Avital Leibovich  So first of all, there are few types of targets in Iran, and you mentioned some of them. Physics and nuclear scientists are, of course, a critical human resource to the Iranian regime, as they rely on their long term knowledge and expertise on producing the bomb as soon as possible, as quick as possible, and by eliminating them in a way, you are removing the immediate threat. Other options are economic options. For example, really Iran relies on oil and buys it from China and maybe other countries as well. So obviously, Israel could decide to target its oil reserves, and this will be, of course, a significant economic blow. The third option is to target the government, leadership, politicians. Now, Israel, up to this moment, did not choose an economic target or a political target, but this may change in the future. The military targets, of course, are the most immediate targets that Israel is attacking, and the idea is to eliminate the immediate threat on Israel for the long range? Well, in the Middle East, in this part of the world, unfortunately, long range is something we can only put as a vision which is not bad. I'm happy to dream. I'm dreaming often Iran, which is similar to the Iran we knew before 1979 before the revolution, a moderate country, a human, loving country with values that I can share and adopt just the same. I'm looking at a different Middle East, maybe in a few years, with an expansion of the Abraham Accords, and creating an axis of moderate countries and other Shiite countries. So all of these changes that we're witnessing right now in the region and may still witness in the future, may all have an impact also on the long range outcome of the current war, which is unprecedented. Manya Brachear Pashman   I know Israel calls this a preemptive attack, but what do you say to countries who have already expressed concern about what they call an unprovoked attack? Avital Leibovich Well, I think it's enough for them just to look at the many kind of materials, which Israel and the Israeli. Army released today, showing what they have done, what Iran has done on its own soil. Now, when you follow the targets we just spoke about, you can see that these are not civilian targets. In other words, Israel is not attacking a school or a building just in the middle of Tehran for nothing. It's attacking deliberate military related sites. Actually, I think that, if I'm daring to dream again, I think that the people of Israel and the people of Iran have a lot in common. They're both people with deep heritage, with beautiful cultures. So I do envision one day a different regime in Iran, such a regime that could really bring the two countries together, opening a new page. And I think it will do a better Middle East here for all of us. Manya Brachear Pashman  We have talked about how Hamas embeds itself among the Palestinian civilians in Gaza. So no matter how precise Israel's attacks are, civilians are killed. Does Iran do the same thing? Or, I should say, does the Iranian regime do the same thing in Iran? Avital Leibovich  Obviously, Iran is not a democracy, and there is a similarity here with Hamas. We are talking about almost a fanaticist religious kind of aspect, which is also very similar to Hamas. Actually, Hamas and Iran have been connected for decades, for many, many decades, so they do share a lot of similarities. But unfortunately, the freedom of movement, freedom of speech, freedom of of culture, is not something which is of an ordinary situation in Iran. It's very unfortunate. You know, I'm sometimes following the social media in Iran, and I see how people speak about the regime. I see how they curse the regime. I see how they aspire for better lives. I see them organize parties in basements and so so the regime will not find out. I see them the women wearing jeans underneath hijabs long dresses, trying to conceal them for God forbid, so they would not be considered as not modest. So it's very unfortunate that the public is suffering in Iran, and we see that, not only in the general atmosphere, but also we see it with the standards of life, they have only electricity a couple of days of couple of hours a day. Water is scarce. The the prices of food, they are huge. Take, for example, today, one American dollar, it equals almost 1 million rials. For comparison, $1 equals three point 60 Israeli shekels. So yeah, they're suffering from many, many perspectives. Manya Brachear Pashman  Thank you so much for joining us stay safe.  Avital Leibovich   Thank you, Manya, and I'll just thank everybody for their support. I'm Israel. If Manya Brachear Pashman  you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for a special crossover episode between people of the pod and Books and Beyond, the podcast of the Rabbi Sacks legacy, Dr Tanya white, host of Books and Beyond, and Joanna benaroche, global, Chief Executive of the legacy, sit down with my colleague, Maggie wishegrad Fredman to discuss how the wisdom and perspective of the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks still endures today.  

C dans l'air du 13 juin 2025 - Israël frappe l'Iran … et ses sites nucléaires« Il est crucial d'œuvrer à la désescalade ». Mark Rutte, le secrétaire général de l'Otan, n'a pas caché son inquiétude au lendemain des bombardements d'Israël sur des installations nucléaires iraniennes. L'État hébreu, qui soupçonne l'Iran de vouloir se doter de l'arme atomique, a de surcroît tué des figures fortes du régime de Téhéran. Parmi eux : le chef d'état-major iranien, Mohammed Bagheri, puissant chef du corps des Gardiens de la Révolution.L'Iran considère cette attaque comme une « déclaration de guerre ». Sa réplique ne s'est pas fait attendre avec une centaine de drones envoyés sur Israël. À Washington, Trump, lui, appelle l'Iran à signer un accord sur son programme nucléaire, avertissant sinon d'"attaques encore plus brutales" par Israël. Le président américain semble toutefois rester à l'écart au vu de ses négociations avec la République islamique.Celle-ci ne cesse en tout cas de s'affaiblir : Chute de Bachar al-Assad, retour de Donald Trump, Israël, contestations populaires, crise économique… Les mollahs sont sous pression. L'économie inquiète notamment le régime, car si le pays reste à flot grâce à sa production d'hydrocarbures et le soutien de la Russie et de la Chine, les sanctions occidentales entravent son activité économique.Pendant ce temps, en France, l'eurodéputée insoumise a été acclamée par ses partisans, quatre jours après son arrestation en mer par l'armée israélienne. À Gaza, l'horreur continue, les yeux sont donc tournés vers Emmanuel Macron pour la reconnaissance d'un état palestinien.Alors, comment œuvrer à une désescalade entre Israël et l'Iran ? Le régime des mollahs est-il au bord du gouffre ? Emmanuel Macron va-t-il reconnaître un état palestinien ?LES EXPERTS :Agnès LEVALLOIS - Spécialiste du Moyen-Orient et vice-présidente de l'IREMMO (Institut de Recherche et d'Études Méditerranée Moyen-Orient)Alexandra SCHWARTZBROD - Directrice adjointe de la rédaction de LibérationGuillaume LAGANE - Spécialiste des questions de défense, maître de conférences à Sciences PoHéloïse FAYET - Chercheuse au centre des études de sécurité de l'Ifri –Responsable du programme de recherche Dissuasion et prolifération

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, analyses Donald Trump's decision to deploy troops to tackle protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles, examines the impact at home of Russia's war casualties in Ukraine, and looks at shocking evidence of life in Syria's prisons under former leader, Bashar al-Assad.

Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, 1.9 million Syrian refugees have headed home to Syria. After 14 years of civil war, much of the country is in ruins, while over 90 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line.Yet, Syrian refugees are not losing hope: UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has found that more than 80 per cent of the diaspora hope to return one day, a major shift compared to surveys conducted before the fall of the old regime.  There are more than six million Syrian refugees, and over seven million are internally displaced. UNHCR is committed to helping all those who want to return home.UN News' Emma Trager-Lewis spoke to agency spokesperson in Syria Céline Schmitt, who's just returned from a field visit to Dara'a, birthplace of the Syrian revolution in 2011. 

A London-bound plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after taking off from the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Officials have confirmed that there was a single survivor. The plane crashed into a hostel that houses medical students, several of whom also died. Also, in Syria, journalists are building a new media landscape in the post-Assad era. And, dinosaur bones found in Mongolia in the 1870s were recently analyzed: turns out, they're from a previously undiscovered species.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

A London-bound Air India plane with more than 200 on board has crashed in Ahmedabad. The U.S. is pulling personnel out of the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. Middle Eastern leaders and Western allies warn that Islamic State could exploit the fall of the Assad regime to stage a comeback in Syria and Iraq. An immigration raid at a meat production plant in Omaha fuels fears among undocumented workers. And the Marines will join the National Guard on the streets of Los Angeles within two days, with the authority to detain civilians.  Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter here. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast here. Find the Recommended Read here. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been fighting a seven-front war against Iran and its proxies. During this episode of the Blessors of Israel Podcast, Jonathan Hessen, the CEO and Host of TV7 Israel and Senior Fellow with the Hudson Institute provides an excellent overview of Israel's seven-front war along with insights concerning China and Russia's influence in the Middle East. Visit the Blessors of Israel Website: https://www.blessors.org/ Follow TV7 Israel: https://www.tv7israelnews.com/ Follow Jonathan Hessen on Twitter/X: https://x.com/JonathanHessenFollow TV7 Israel on Twitter/X: https://x.com/tv7israelnews Thank you for supporting Blessors of Israel. Donate Online: https://blessors.org/donate/Please Subscribe and Like our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfbl_rf8O_uwKrfzCh04jgSubscribe to our ⁠Spotify Channel⁠: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blessorsofisrael Subscribe to our Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blessors-of-israedl/id1699662615Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlessorsofIsrael/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlessorsIGettr: https://gettr.com/i/blessorsofisrael Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1670015Thank you for watching. Please like and share this video.We would love to hear your comments.Those who bless Israel will be blessed (Genesis 12:3).Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones Blessors of IsraelMatthew Dodd Blessors of IsraelBlessors of IsraelBlessers of IsraelTags:Pastor Rich JonesPastor Matthew DoddRich JonesDr. Matthew DoddRich Jones, Blessors of Israel, Rich Jones, Blessers of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessors of Israel, Matthew Dodd, Blessers of Israel, Blessers of Israel, Blessors of Israel, Two-State Solution, Palestine, Modern Palestinian Problem, Israel, Jesus Christ, Anti-Semitism, Prophecy Update, End Times Prophecy, Latter Days, Bible Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Hamas, Gaza Strip, Terrorism, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, Persia, Gog and Magog, BRICS, China, CCP, Persia, Iran, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, Yahya Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Deif, United Nations, Terrorism, Antisemitism, Syria, Bashar al Assad, HTS, Damascus, Mount Hermon, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Trump, Putin, Ceasefire, Hostages, al Jolani, al Sharaa, Holocaust Day of Remembrance, China, Egypt, Iran Nuclear Deal, Trump, Jonathan Hessen, TV7 Israel

PREVIEW: Key Details of the Rocket Attacks When: Two rockets were fired from Syria into Israel on June 3, 2025, marking the first such attack since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024 The Times of IsraelFDD. Target: The rockets were fired at the Golan Heights, landing in open areas near the community of Ramat Magshimim with no injuries reported Rockets fired from Syria for first time in a year; Israel holds Sharaa responsible | The Times of Israel. Two Terror Groups Responsible Ahmad Sharawi's FDD analysis identifies two distinct groups that claimed responsibility: 1. Mohammed Deif Brigades This group was reportedly founded on May 30, 2025, according to its Telegram channel and is named after the slain Hamas military chief Mohammad Deif, who was killed in July 2024 Syria Archives. The group first surfaced on social media just a few days before the attack Israel says rockets fired from Syria for the first time since Bashar Assad's fall - The Washington Post, with Syrian researcher Ahmed Aba Zeid noting "Until now, it's just a Telegram channel. It's not known if it is a real group" Israel says rockets fired from Syria for the first time since Bashar Assad's fall - The Washington Post. 2. Islamic Resistance Front in Syria - Awli al-Bas This is a militant faction that claims affiliation with Iran's so-called Axis of Resistance and has claimed multiple attacks against Israeli forces operating inside Syrian territory since December 2024 Syria Archives. Its logo mimics the emblem of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—a raised arm holding an AK-47—indicating alignment with Iran-linked "resistance" groups From Al-Qaeda Commander to Syrian President: Ahmad Al-Sharaa's Ascent. Israeli Response and Syrian Accountability Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa was "directly responsible for every threat and [rocket] fire toward the State of Israel" Rockets fired from Syria for first time in a year; Israel holds Sharaa responsible | The Times of Israel. Israel responded with artillery fire on the source of the rockets and carried out a series of airstrikes throughout southern Syria targeting weapons belonging to the regime Rockets fired from Syria for first time in a year; Israel holds Sharaa responsible | The Times of Israel. Analysis from Ahmad Sharawi Sharawi noted this represents "another testament to Ahmad al-Sharaa's failure to fully control all armed groups and ensure that Syrian territory will not be used as a launching point for attacks against Israel" Sharaa ‘Responsible for Every Threat': Terrorists in Syria Launch Rockets Into Israel. He emphasized that while Sharaa may not yet have full control over all armed actors, Washington should make clear that further cooperation on sanctions relief hinges on Sharaa quietly and fully cooperating with Israel to neutralize any Palestinian factions capable of launching attacks from Syrian soil Rocket Attacks on Israel Underscore Continuing Threat from Syria. The incident highlights ongoing security challenges in post-Assad Syria and the difficulty the new Syrian leadership faces in controlling various militant groups operating within its territory.

Nine people have been killed and many injured in a school shooting in the southern Austrian city of Graz. The shooter also killed himself, and has been identified as a former pupil.Also, Donald Trump sends in the Marines as the president's crackdown on undocumented migrants clashes with California's policy as a Sanctuary State, Syria's jailers under President Assad speak to the BBC anonymously about what they did and those who suffered, plus good news for biodiversity and precious coral reefs in the Zanzibar archipelago, as two new Marine Protected Areas are announced.

Britain, Norway, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have announced they're sanctioning two far-right Israeli ministers for inciting extremist violence by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. London said an asset freeze and travel ban would take effect immediately against Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. We have an interview with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who called the sanctions "a shocking decision on the part of countries I consider to be allies".Also in the programme: Greenlanders' dream of international football hits reality; remarkable testimony from the men in Syria whose job it was to enforce the Assad regime of terror; and why a shortage of rice is causing such a stir in Japan.(Photo: Itamar Ben-Gvir (left) and Bezalel Smotrich are key members of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition. Credit: Getty Images)

Majd Kamalmaz was one of half a dozen Americans detained and killed in Syria by Bashar al-Assad's regime. In 2017, he traveled to Damascus to pay respects after his father-in-law's death but was detained and died in prison. Maryam Kamalmaz met with Syria's new leader to discuss not only her father, but other Americans who have disappeared there. She joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

From antiwar, Biden-backing Democrat to apologist for Assad and Putin and finally strident Trump loyalist, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's political journey has been astonishing. Her taste for strongmen and conspiracy thought makes her perfect tool for Trump's revenge on the intelligence community. The Guardian's global affairs correspondent Andrew Roth explains why Gabbard's appointment amounted to a middle finger to the security establishment, how she's embedding paranoid social media politics into the heart of government, and what motivates the woman Russian TV called “our girlfriend”.  • Listen to American Friction on the explosive Musk vs Trump argument now.  • Support us on Patreon for early episodes and more. • We are sponsored by Indeed. Go to Indeed.com/bunker to get your £100 sponsored credit.   Written and presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

FRONTLINE investigates the Assad regime's arrest, torture and execution of detainees during the Syrian war. Former prisoners, guards, soldiers and intelligence officials shed new light on atrocities carried out during Bashar al-Assad's reign.

Majd Kamalmaz was one of half a dozen Americans detained and killed in Syria by Bashar al-Assad's regime. In 2017, he traveled to Damascus to pay respects after his father-in-law's death but was detained and died in prison. Maryam Kamalmaz met with Syria's new leader to discuss not only her father, but other Americans who have disappeared there. She joined Amna Nawaz to discuss more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

For well over a decade, civil war blighted the lives of Syrians, as rebel forces battled against former President Bashar al-Assad and his brutal regime. More than 600,000 people were killed and 12 million others were forced from their homes during this time. In December last year, everything changed when Assad's dictatorship was abruptly overthrown by his opponents. We hear from a range of people living and working in Syria as they describe how life was for them under the old regime, and how they have been affected by the country's new leadership. They also discuss how the lifting of international sanctions has started to improve their ailing economy. Hoteliers describe how their hotels are now fully booked, and they are able to maintain and upgrade their buildings again. And three artists exchange views on organising performances now and their hopes for the future. Three students describe how having freedom of speech has transformed university life. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from BBC OS Conversations, bringing together people from around the world to discuss how major news stories are affecting their lives

In the wake of the Assad regime's fall in Syria, thousands of Alawites, a minority Shia sect historically linked to the former regime, have fled to Lebanon. They are seeking refuge from discrimination and sectarian violence that has left over 1,000 civilians dead, including women and children. The late Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, became the most powerful Alawite when he seized control of Syria in a coup in 1970. Under the rule of Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar - the ruling Assad's recruited heavily from the Alawite community placing them in top posts in state, security and intelligence branches. Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised to protect Syria's minorities, but has struggled to contain a wave of violence directed towards the Alawite community. Emily Wither travels to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli to meet with Syrian Alawite refugees and a new youth movement. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.

This week, Scott sat down with Lawfare's Ukraine Fellow Anastasiia Lapatina and Contributing Editors Eric Ciaramella and Alex Zerden to talk through the week's big national security and foreign policy news, including: “The Road to Damascus.” Over the past two weeks, the Trump administration has done an extraordinary about-face on U.S. policy towards Syria, installing almost universal exceptions to most existing sanctions programs and promising to end others. European and other allies seem poised to follow suit, all in an effort to forestall the feared collapse of the post-Assad transitional government being headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former terrorist leader. But will it be enough to put post-Civil War Syria on the road to recovery? And will this new policy orientation prove sustainable?“No Fly Zone.” Ukraine struck a historic blow deep into Russian territory over the weekend with a daring series of coordinated drone attacks—dubbed “Operation Spider Web”—that may have wiped out as much as a third of Moscow's strategically important long range bombers. But will the attack help drive the costs of the conflict home to Russia, or trigger another round of escalation? And how will it be received by the Trump administration, several senior members of which are skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine?“Double Taxation.” President Trump's aggressive use of tariffs suffered a pair of defeats in federal court last week, as two different courts chose to enjoin them, for two different sets of reasons. While both decisions have since been stayed, it's a discouraging sign for the viability of the legal authorities being relied on by the Trump administration. Yet President Trump has continued to threaten tariffs aggressively, including against Europe. How big a threat are these legal holdings to the Trump administration's policy agenda? And how will they impact its efforts to negotiate new bilateral trade deals, with allies and rivals alike?In Object Lessons, Eric polished off the last of The Rehearsal's Season 2 and was left in awe of the show's ability to actually become a show. Nastya returned from colder climates with a warm endorsement of all things Finland: its history, its icy stare at Russia, and its impressive ability to survive both. Speaking of war, Scott dove sword-first into fantasy, reminded of Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy after the new release of “The Devils.” And Alex kept it historical with a recommendation of “The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two,” by Steve Drummond.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Scott sat down with Lawfare's Ukraine Fellow Anastasiia Lapatina and Contributing Editors Eric Ciaramella and Alex Zerden to talk through the week's big national security and foreign policy news, including: “The Road to Damascus.” Over the past two weeks, the Trump administration has done an extraordinary about-face on U.S. policy towards Syria, installing almost universal exceptions to most existing sanctions programs and promising to end others. European and other allies seem poised to follow suit, all in an effort to forestall the feared collapse of the post-Assad transitional government being headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, himself a former terrorist leader. But will it be enough to put post-Civil War Syria on the road to recovery? And will this new policy orientation prove sustainable?“No Fly Zone.” Ukraine struck a historic blow deep into Russian territory over the weekend with a daring series of coordinated drone attacks—dubbed “Operation Spider Web”—that may have wiped out as much as a third of Moscow's strategically important long range bombers. But will the attack help drive the costs of the conflict home to Russia, or trigger another round of escalation? And how will it be received by the Trump administration, several senior members of which are skeptical of U.S. support for Ukraine?“Double Taxation.” President Trump's aggressive use of tariffs suffered a pair of defeats in federal court last week, as two different courts chose to enjoin them, for two different sets of reasons. While both decisions have since been stayed, it's a discouraging sign for the viability of the legal authorities being relied on by the Trump administration. Yet President Trump has continued to threaten tariffs aggressively, including against Europe. How big a threat are these legal holdings to the Trump administration's policy agenda? And how will they impact its efforts to negotiate new bilateral trade deals, with allies and rivals alike?In Object Lessons, Eric polished off the last of The Rehearsal's Season 2 and was left in awe of the show's ability to actually become a show. Nastya returned from colder climates with a warm endorsement of all things Finland: its history, its icy stare at Russia, and its impressive ability to survive both. Speaking of war, Scott dove sword-first into fantasy, reminded of Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy after the new release of “The Devils.” And Alex kept it historical with a recommendation of “The Watchdog: How the Truman Committee Battled Corruption and Helped Win World War Two,” by Steve Drummond.To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The former rebels who now rule Syria dismantled the old regime's security forces as soon as they came to power last December. Overnight, half a million soldiers, police and intelligence officers, and some civil defence workers lost their jobs and income. Many of those sacked were guilty of atrocities. But the majority probably were not. Tim Whewell reports on the reconciliation process which deprived servicemen of their jobs – but delayed justice. He talks to a variety of former junior members of the security forces – a civil defence worker, a policeman and an officer of the elite Republican Guard – to ask how and why they originally became servants of the regime – and find out how they are living now. War crimes investigator Kilman Abu Hawa says only 10-15% of former servicemen are guilty of crimes: the guilty should be prosecuted, and the innocent reinstated. Nanar Hawach of the International Crisis Group draws a parallel with Iraq, where the security forces were dismantled after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Many discontented former officers in Iraq eventually joined the jihadi group, ISIS. Do the mass dismissals in Syria risk provoking a similar insurgency?

The US is planning to scale down its military presence in Syria from eight bases to one. We also take a look back at survivors of chemical attacks conducted by Assad regime forces during the Syrian civil war. And, exit polls show center-left Lee Jae-Myung winning the snap election in South Korea by a wide margin. Also, as officials in the US suspend visa interviews for all international students looking to study in the country, those from Latin America may be looking at other options. Plus, Japanese American musician Tina Johnson, known as Shima, is shifting from being in a J-Pop band in Tokyo to becoming an electronic solo artist.Listen to today's Music Heard on Air. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief: Ukraine hits Russia's long-range bomber fleet in a daring drone strike that hit strategic airbases thousands of miles inside Russian territory. Hamas agrees to a partial hostage release but demands major changes to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire plan. The United States offers Iran a new nuclear deal—will Tehran take the bait, or walk away again? And in today's Back of the Brief: ISIS resurfaces with its first attacks on Syria's transitional government since Assad's fall. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Lean: Visit https://TakeLean.com & use code pb20 for 20% off Jacked Up Fitness: Go to https://GetJackedUp.comand use code BAKER at checkout to save 10% off your entire purchase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump’s family empire is dramatically expanding its wealth during his presidency. Bloomberg News’s Max Abelson joins to discuss the deals that are powering this growth and the questions they spark. The controversial U.S.- and Israeli-backed aid effort got off to a tumultuous start. CBS reports. The Assad regime’s surveillance state relied on civilians to inform on their neighbors and colleagues. Now Syrians are reckoning with who among them quietly contributed to the tyranny. The Washington Post’s Salwan Georges has more. Plus, Robert F. Kennedy Jr announced changes to COVID vaccine guidance, Marco Rubio ordered a halt to student-visa interviews, and why Trump pardoned a reality-TV couple. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.