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Honestly with Bari Weiss

Naftali Bennett and Michael Oren: Israel and Iran at War

Honestly with Bari Weiss

The Free Press

News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 7.8K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the early hours of Friday morning, Israel pulled off a historic strike on Iran. As I record these lines, Iran is reporting a “massive explosion” in Isfahan, in a province that is home to several nuclear facilities. In Israel, where Shabbat has begun, the government has ordered all synagogues to shut down—and for citizens to remain close to bomb shelters as they brace for a retaliatory strike. It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this operation. Israel has taken out much of Iran’s military leadership and some of its top nuclear scientists and hit nuclear facilities across the country. And it is still going. Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to do whatever it takes in order to prevent a nuclear holocaust. Meanwhile, the X account for Iran’s military  has threatened that “our response will be lethal.” And the country’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has tweeted: “The Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see.” Donald Trump, for his part, is using this as an opening to push Iran into a nuclear deal. This is a historic juncture for the region—not just for the state of Israel, but for the West. So last night, just as the news of these attacks broke, I sat down with former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren and former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett to discuss all of it: the strikes, what they accomplished, how Israel defied conventional wisdom and seemed to pull off the impossible, what we can expect in the days ahead, and—perhaps most importantly to many of our listeners—whether or not America is supporting Israel in its efforts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

From the free press, this is honestly, and I'm Barry Weiss.

0:04.0

In the early hours of Friday morning,

0:06.6

Israel pulled off a historic strike against Iran.

0:09.7

Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion,

0:14.1

a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat

0:18.6

to Israel's very survival.

0:26.1

This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.

0:27.7

That strike is still unfolding.

0:31.4

As I record these lines on Friday, New York time,

0:35.7

Iran is reporting a massive explosion in Isfahan,

0:39.7

a major city in the center of the country. It's also a province that's home to several nuclear facilities. We are hearing tonight from Israel's Prime Minister

0:44.4

Benjamin Netanyahu, who confirmed these strikes took place with dozens of Israeli jets in the

0:51.2

skies over Iran. The prime minister is saying that the Natanz nuclear facility,

0:56.0

this is the main enrichment site for Iran's nuclear program,

1:00.0

was targeted in these strikes, along with a number of other locations.

1:04.0

In Israel, where Shabbat has just begun,

1:07.0

the government has ordered all synagogues in the country to shut down and for citizens to remain close to their safe rooms and bomb shelters

1:14.7

as the country girds for a retaliatory strike.

1:18.6

It is hard to overstate the magnitude of this operation.

1:23.5

Israel, in one fell swoop, has taken out Iran's military leadership.

1:27.8

Chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Major General Mohammed Bakery, and Hussein Salamin,

1:34.2

the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

...

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