Scott Detro, Host:

The second night of the anti -an anti -anthral missile strike from Iran is now going on against Israel. Last night, three people were killed and dozens were injured inside Israel. In the last few days, Israel has launched a wave of an airstrike inside Iran, a air strike targeting nuclear sites and scientists along with the country’s top military commanders. Iran’s United Nations Ambassador says 78 people were killed in Israeli attacks, a death toll that is expected to grow. In Tel Aviv, people took shelters to bomb, and the entire city could hear loud explosions and siren sounds.

(Siren’s soundbite)

Detrow: This is the most important battle between the two countries in decades. There is no sign of decalation on both sides yet. To understand the goals of Israel and why this growth is now increasing, we have called Chak Freelich. He is a former Deputy National Security Advisor for the National Security Council of Israel and now involves me from Tel Aviv. Welcome.

Chak Freelich: Thanks.

Detrow: What is Israel’s strategy here? Why launch these initial attacks? What is the goal?

Freilich: Okay, first of all, it is something that has now been in creating too much 30 years. Iran, since the Islamic Republic was established in 1979, has been continuously called for the destruction of Israel and has been chasing a nuclear program in the early 90s. Many attempts have been made over the years to get them to stop the program, postponing the program. The attacks of sabotage have been vandalized. Diplomacy is done. And here we are 30 years later, and Iran is very close to the bomb, and today it is considered a threshold state. And in recent months, it is known that they have moved towards weapons.

Detrow: You talked about 30 years in making. This has always been talked about as a possibility, but in the context of incredible risk, what was the fact that Israel could not be able to achieve all uranium or whether it would provoke Iran or lead a full -scale war between the country. Why do you think at this moment, professionals defeated the opposition from Israeli’s point of view?

Freilich: Okay, Iran is not weak at any point in the last 30 years. And it took Israeli yesterday and perhaps to compulsorily complete the process of eliminating any effective Iranian ability to interfere with the Israeli aircraft in the Iranian space this morning. I believe that the Trump has strong support from the administration. There were recently such reports about the tension between Israel and the US about this. I think they were over. They can also be intentional. In any incident, the President has been strongly revealed in favor. And I think there is a feeling in Israel that the job has to be done in a way or another because diplomacy does not work.

Detrow: i – You are in Tel Aviv. I think you spent some time in a bomb shelter today. Do you think this attack makes Israel safe, in the short term?

Freilich: Well, in the short term, not clearly, but we are not only working with short term. Iran is seen by Israel – I mean, this is what I was saying earlier, endless calls for the destruction of Israel. This is not just rhetoric. It is a lot of money and a lot of money – the Arabs that Iranians have put in it – nuclear programs, ballistic missiles, Hamas, Hizbullah and support for other proxy organizations. There is a feeling in Israel that Iran simply pose an existential threat, and if you are going to eliminate the danger of an existence or do it greatly, then you are ready to pay important prices to that end.

Detrow: You saw President Trump in recent times saying that it would probably bring Iran back to the conversation table. Do you think that there is any world about the future of this promotion program at this time where there is any diplomatic agreement about the future of this enhancement program?

Freilich: Okay, I think in the end, there should be some kind of diplomatic resolution for it because a military strike, no matter how right it is, and even if the United States does this – it can only buy time. So if America does this, it’s a little longer than Israel, but we are not talking a lot. So a diplomatic result is, of course, always, but of course here is the favorite option here. I think since Iran has rejected efforts to reach a diplomatic solution – there is a possibility that they may be forced to come back to the table and give concessions that they would not have made otherwise.

Detrow: Okay, which leads to a comprehensive question to eliminate it. I mean, do you think there is military capacity – and separately, do you think there is widespread political will for another war at this point, looking at the last few years?

Freilich: First, it is not seen as another war. It is actually seen as the continuity of the existing one. It is an extension, an increase, certain, but it is part of it. Remember, Iran is a supporter of Hamas and Hizbullah, and they were part of the Prever plan. We today have documents that this objective was not only a massacre of October 7, but it is the destruction of Israel, literally. And we know that they have been thinking about it since then and are trying more in it. So yes, I mean, can Israel do this? Obviously, in the context of Israel society, the international standing of Israel, in terms of all kinds of things, is the price to be paid at a variety of levels in the context of Israeli society. But in the end, the commitment of survival sees any other idea.

Detrow: This is in former Israeli sub -National Security Advisor Chak Freelich Tel Aviv. Thank you very much for talking to us.

Freilich: Thanks.

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