THE MOSSAD FILES with Dan Raviv

Dan offers a review, with comments, of the news report that says Prime Minister Netanyahu had prior warning of a major Hamas attack -- before October 7, 2023 -- and did nothing about it. Netanyahu calls it "fake news." The United Arab Emirates neither confirms nor denies...Dan then interviews Marc Schulman -- founder of HistoryCentral.com -- who has written a new book: "Between Hope & Fear: Israel From Oslo to October 7." There was a lot of optimism about peace with the Palestinians at the time of the Oslo Accords in 1993, but October 7 (2023) shattered all positive dreams.Marc Schulman's work can be seen on his Substack -- Tel Aviv Diary.This is the 84th consecutive weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan reviews some espionage-related angles in the latest Middle East news -- and then turns to Danny Citrinowicz, a 25-year veteran of the Israeli military's intelligence directorate (Aman) where he was head of the Iran analysis team.The regime hasn't been toppled. The nuclear potential still exists. Iran's missiles can hit Israel. Trump held back Israel from pursuing its goals in Iran.Citrinowicz adds details, and offers his impression that the results of the October 27 election in Israel will not bring needed changes in policy toward Iran, toward Lebanon, and (above all) toward the Palestinians.This is the 83rd consecutive weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan highlights the highly produced video from U.S. Central Command, claiming the Strait of Hormuz has been opened for oil shipments from America's Arab allies -- despite Iran's claims.Then he discusses, with Jonathan Schanzer, Turkey's aggressive ambitions in the wide Middle East -- including the recent, surprising defense pact grouping Turkey with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.Schanzer is executive director of the Washington-based think tank FDD (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies) and author of "State of Failure," a 2013 book claiming the Palestinian Authority isn't ready to run a peaceful, stable independent state.  Schanzer now says that if Hamas is disarmed and "long in the tooth" PA President Mahmoud Abbas is replaced, there could possibly be positive change for the Palestinian people.Dan -- in this 82nd episode of The Mossad Files weekly audio podcast -- reminds listeners that change may come to Israel, when that country has its election on October 27.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan starts by assessing President Trump's declaration of economic war against Iran -- rather than ordering massive airstrikes.  For now.Then we turn to Gaza, almost a year since the deal that freed the surviving Israeli hostages and started a flawed ceasefire.Jared Kushner leading America's negotiations with Hamas, the terrorist rulers of a much-reduced section of the Gaza Strip -- That's something strongly rejected by Israeli strategic expert Kobi Michael.Professor Michael -- senior researcher at INSS (Institute for National Security Studies) and the Misgav Institute -- says both Hamas and Iran's regime will have to be "destroyed."   You'll hear that he quickly clarifies it doesn't mean killing everyone, but choking them economically so they can't be a threat.This is the 81st weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

On this 80th weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv, Beni Sabti -- a top expert on Iran's culture and politics, during years of service in the Israeli military intelligence agency Aman -- insists that Iran's Islamic regime has been greatly weakened this year.Sabti also says millions of Iranians would be happy to work for the Mossad, against their country's Islamic government.You'll also hear Yossi Cohen (Mossad director, 2016 to 2021) share the best method to recruit an Iranian official to spy for Israel: Make yourself his best friend!Cohen spoke on a Times (of London) podcast, "The General and the Journalist."Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

The director of the Mossad, General Roman Gofman -- two months after taking over the spy agency -- has followed-up his firing of the deputy director with two new ousters: a man and a woman who were very senior in spying on Iran and interpreting all the data from there.Dan's longtime co-author (on 6 books), Yossi Melman, helps us interpret the firings within the Mossad.Dan's guest, Nathan Guttman, adds that it appears Prime Minister Netanyahu is recognizing the failure of the plan -- linked with the Israel-U.S. war against Iran that began February 28 -- to topple Iran's regime.Nathan Guttman also analyzes the Michigan primary results, which was a significant win for an anti-Israel Democrat, and the broader challenges facing Israel-U.S. relations -- including how to define antiSemitism.Nathan Guttman is the Washington correspondent for Kan, Israel's public broadcasting network; and he writes a column on Jewish power and politics for MomentMag.com, the website of Moment Magazine.This is the 79th weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

In an action-packed audio half-hour, Dan analyzes Donald Trump's claim of a breakthrough on Gaza -- and we hear a Palestinian-American who claims to know Hamas well say that the group really is willing to disarm, to stop Israel's targeted assassinations!Also -- various angles on the Trump-Netanyahu summit at the White House, where the men didn't appear together, but perhaps they were plotting something big. We hear them, and also Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid in Washington, saying the decline in U.S. public support for Israel can be "reversed."And Harlan Ullman -- U.S. Navy veteran and strategic advisor to governments and corporations -- famous for the "Shock and Awe" strategy of launching a war -- tells Dan that the U.S. seems headed for failure in the Iran conflict.Pressed by Dan, Harlan Ullman casts doubt on U.S. willingness to cooperate with Israel's military and intelligence in the future.This is the 78th consecutive weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Longtime Israeli official and diplomat Nimrod Novik -- a senior advisor to the late prime minister Shimon Peres -- tells Dan he sees major changes ahead in Israel, if any combination of the five political party leaders running against Benjamin Netanyahu are successful.  Israel's election will be held October 27.Novik believes steps would be taken toward creative diplomacy -- rather than the use of force to solve Israel's challenges. He explains a credible investigation of the failures of Oct. 7, 2023, would likely occur.  The abusive violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank might be curbed, and the IDF might be pulled out of Syria and Lebanon (where Netanyahu boasts that Israel has "security belts" inside the neighboring countries' territories).Important for West Bank stability -- and also for pressing ahead with "Trump's 20 Points" plan for Gaza -- Novik says a new leader would likely try to work with the Palestinian Authority, however flawed the P.A. is, in order to weaken the murderous Hamas faction.You'll also hear Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as Dan analyzes the U.S. administration's stand on continuing to bomb Iran, and on the nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that might be heading nowhere.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan examines new information on the Mossad's efforts to recruit a hostile former Iranian president -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad -- as an agent for Israel.  Mossad veterans have said they make the "impossible" possible.  But really?A former head of research in the Mossad, Sima Shine, speaks about the Ahmadinejad caper -- a brief excerpt from The Telegraph's video podcast hosted by Roland Oliphant.Then Dan drills down mow deeply with a 29-year veteran of the CIA -- Marc Polymeropoulos: trying to explain Donald Trump's constantly changing goals and methods in the Iran war ... analyzing Mossad strategies, based on his experience working with the Israelis ... and wondering how much of a change in strategy may emerge if Prime Minister Netanyahu loses the October 27 election in Israel.Also: J.D. Vance.  America's vice president is sending our some mightily unfriendly vibes toward Israel -- and the Mossad. You'll hear Vance excerpts from the Joe Rogan Experience.This is the 76th weekly episode of The Mossad Files.  Search on YouTube for video extras.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

After President Trump chose to return to war against Iran -- although not completely forcefully -- Iran's oil sales were again banned by U.S. sanctions.Can harsh sanctions bring down the radical regime in Tehran? When the Memorandum of Understanding that Trump's negotiators created with Iran permitted oil sales for 60 days -- and pronounced a ceasefire that hasn't totally held -- how many billions of dollars would that have given to Iran?Dan speaks with Max Meizlish about that. He's a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC, and he's a former official at the U.S. Department of Treasury's agency that enforces sanctions. It's called OFAC: the Office of Foreign Assets Control.Also: details of an article for Spytalk.co by Yossi Melman, Dan's co-author on 6 books about Israeli intelligence and security. The article reveals new details about the Mossad and CIA together plotting -- early this year -- an attempt to topple Iran's government: an invasion of Iran by Kurdish forces, with U.S. and Israeli air cover. Preparations were underway, when President Trump decided to stop the plan.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's joined by his co-author on six books about Israel -- journalist and filmmaker Yossi Melman -- who's been writing about a serious rift in relations between Israel and the United States.  The reason?  Donald Trump is wooing Iran.Also heard in this episode of The Mossad Files: former Israeli ambassador to Washington, Michael Oren; and former U.S. officials on a Carnegie Connects online discussion -- Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Mike Singh of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Alan Eyre of the Middle East Institute.This is the 74th weekly episode of The Mossad Files audio podcast.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Joel Rubin, author of "Saving Democratic Foreign Policy: How Democrats Can Earn the American People's Trust to Lead the World Once Again." Rubin was a State Department official in the Obama Administration and has a Substack, "The Briefing Book."He argues that Israel could be doing a much better job of explaining its policy goals -- its vision of how the Middle East could be better -- instead of simply defending the justice of making war on eight fronts since Oct. 7, 2023.We also hear highlights of Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent speech in English, to consider whether he's succeeding at swaying the world toward Israel's cause.  As Joel M. Rubin tells us: "It's not working!"This is the 73rd weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan examines the widely held belief that President Trump's deal with Iran -- the Memorandum of Understanding -- was bad for Israel, and therefore the country's spy agency, the Mossad, will surely go back to covert war inside Iran.  This time, the Israelis expect to be alone.Clearly the U.S. and Israel did not achieve their goals in the war that they launched on February 28.  Yossi Melman -- Dan Raviv's co-author on six Middle East books -- helps analyze what may happen next.  Yossi points out that dictatorial regimes tend to fail in the long run.Dan also turns to Yaakov Katz, author of "While Israel Slept," to explain how Israel could get along without $3.8 billion dollars of annual military aid from the U.S.  They discuss the "partnership" that would replace the one-way aid.We also hear J.D. Vance with some harsh words directed at Benjamin Netanyahu's government.This is the 72nd weekly episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.  Please subscribe and recommend or rate on the various audio podcast sites.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

The war against Iran may be entering a new phase -- and some may call it peace. But many serious analysts in the United States and Israel call it a failure, or even "a disaster" for Israeli interests.Dennis Ross, longtime Middle East mediator for American presidents, offers hope that pressure will build for positive change in Tehran -- but, as author of "Statecraft 2.0" he suggests that good principles of statecraft have not been followed by President Trump. Where are the clear objectives and means?We also hear Danny Citrinowicz, who was a senior analyst on Iran for Israel's Military Intelligence directorate (Aman) -- highly critical of the war that began on February 28. He was speaking with former U.S. mediator Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, on a Carnegie online program.This is the 71st weekly episode of The Mossad Files -- available on all major audio podcast sites. And search YouTube and Spotify for "video extras" from us.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a book with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Yaakov Katz -- author of books on Israeli defense including "While Israel Slept" (on the failures of Oct. 7, 2023) and former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post. They discuss the new director of the Mossad spy agency, General Roman Gofman -- controversial in part for alleged failure to support a young Israeli operative in a secret operation. Gofman is a Benjamin Netanyahu loyalist, so will he stand up against some plots proposed by political leaders, as other Mossad chiefs have done?Their half-hour discussion also spotlights the high point of U.S.-Israel military and intelligence cooperation -- the joint attacks on Iran -- and how the relationship between Netanyahu and Donald Trump has disintegrated into high tension.This is the 70th weekly audio episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan gets an assist from his longtime writing partner, Yossi Melman, in analyzing the reported plot by the Mossad -- apparently with U.S. participation -- to free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from house arrest in Tehran, and help him take power in Iran. That coup, toppling the current Islamic Republic of Iran regime, would be headed by a former president who publicly hated Israel and the U.S. and denied the Holocaust.As you'll hear Yossi Melman says the idea was "ludicrous."Dan then turns to Ashriel Mahlev, a student organizer for a right-of-center grassroots political group in Israel called "Im Tirtzu" (from a Theodore Herzl statement, "If you will it, it is no dream"). He discusses the relative unimportance of the Iran war in Israeli politics -- but confirms that the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon and the unfinished war against Hamas in Gaza are both negatives, as of now, for Prime Minister Netanyahu.This is the 69th weekly episode of THE MOSSAD FILES WITH DAN RAVIV.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Professor Eitan Shamir -- who had senior roles in Israel's Defense Ministry and Strategic Affairs Ministry. He is now head of the BESA Center at Bar-Ilan University. Shamir says, about Israel having to accept Donald Trump's decisions and timetable: "When you have a senior partner, there's a cost!"Is it reasonable to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu forced Trump into attacking Iran? And if Trump doesn't analyze complicated issues the way a strategic-affairs professor would, do you trust his decisions? Shamir: "I think his strategic compass is correct," including indications that Trump feels a "personal grudge" against Iran.This is the 68th half-hour audio episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Jonathan Tobin, the prolific Editor-in-Chief of JNS -- Jewish News Syndicate. In American politics, there's no doubt that Tobin is on the Right side of the spectrum. His analysis is clear and strong, as it increasingly emerges that Israel has a problem: a sharp decline in popularity and support in the United States.Tobin argues, as many do, that the unpopularity is mostly found on the Left.Enjoy the vibrant discussion and intelligent conversation. This is the 67th weekly episode of The Mossad Files, and some of Dan's interviews may be found in video form on YouTube.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Who's in charge in Iran? Who's left, after U.S. and Israeli air strikes killed top leaders?  Is there really a chance that the Islamic Republic regime will fall?Behnam Ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at FDD (Foundation for the Defense of Deocracies) and senior director of that think tank's Iran Program, answers Dan's questions -- and sheds light on how Iran's hardline regime seems to be standing up to U.S. pressure.This episode also features Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon, insisting that Israel isn't directing this war -- it's all Donald Trump.  And retired Admiral William McRaven discusses what military experts must have told President Trump. McRaven says you can't bomb your way to victory in Iran.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan plays audio clips from the annual Ceremony of Commendations at Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, where spymaster David "Dedi" Barnea -- whose 5-year term as Director of the Mossad ends next month -- delivered hint after hint of what the spy agency has been doing in Iran and Lebanon.We then hear Elliott Abrams, longtime U.S. official in Republican administrations, analyzing the mysteries of war and peace in Iran -- including Donald Trump's communications flaws.  Mr. Abrams, now at the Council on Foreign Relations, was speaking on the ROPEScast, an interview series from the non-profit organization ROPES.The Mossad Files podcast then turns to Lebanon -- and an optimistic pundit who's originally from the Shiite Muslim villages of Southern Lebanon.  Hanin Ghaddar is now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.  She spoke with Nadine Epstein, editor in chief of Moment Magazine, on one of the many Moment zoominars that can be found at momentmag.com.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

As Israel celebrated its 78th birthday, Independence Day was preceded -- as every year -- by a somber Memorial Day in tribute to IDF soldiers killed in action and to victims of terrorism. Among the many speeches -- heard, in part, on this Mossad Files episode -- were strong statements by Mossad director David (Dedi) Barnea and his predecessor at the spy agency, Yossi Cohen.  Israel's spymasters are pointing at more warfare expected, in Iran.Dan's guest is Marc Schulman, an American-born Israeli who writes columns for Newsweek and for his own Substack, "Tel Aviv Diary." Schulman also is founder and editor-in-chief of HistoryCentral.com. Dan and Marc disagree, on Benjamin Netanyahu's chances of remaining prime minister after the Israeli election expected in October.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan Raviv interviews Joel Rubin -- a Democratic Party strategist, former State Department official, who has a Substack called "The Briefing Book," focused on the nexis between foreign affairs and U.S. politics.Rubin says his fellow Democrats aren't giving enough credit to what could be good developments in the Middle East. After all, a majority of the party wants to cut-off U.S. military aid to Israel.But Donald Trump's statements claiming deals have been reached with Iran -- and perhaps even with Lebanon's Hezbollah -- cause confusion, all around the world.Find Joel Rubin's writing and video clips at:  https://joelrubin.substack.com/Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

The start of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran was sudden, on February 28. The ceasefire that may have ended the war was sudden, just when Donald Trump was threatening to destroy Iranian civilization. A 39-day war (some call it "The 40-Day War") -- Was it worth it? Israelis are asking. And, in Tel Aviv, Israel Policy Forum distinguished fellow Nimrod Novik -- longtime senior advisor to the late Prime Minister Shimon Peres -- brings his detailed, clear-headed analysis to The Mossad Files. Dan Raviv guides the conversation also to the unfinished business of the Gaza war, which Novik contends has had an Iran-like ambiguous, cloudy ending. So how can there be a return to progress on the Palestinian issue? Novik says this year's Israeli election could affect how the West Bank and Gaza are treated.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's co-author (on six books about Israeli intelligence and strategy) Yossi Melman breaks the news -- that the Mossad is no longer in charge of the overall Israeli plan for defeating Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missiles.As Israel prepared for war against Iran (with President Trump's full participation), Prime Minister Netanyahu gave the leadership to Aman -- the huge military intelligence agency, with a giant role for Unit 8200, the legendary SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) eavesdroppers.  Also in this episode: Jonathan Pollard, the Jewish American arrested in Washington DC in 1985 for spying for Israel, speaks about his visit to the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem -- saying the CIA ratted him out -- and his disdain for Netanyahu.Dan also speaks with Prof. Arie Kruglanski, a widely honored social psychologist at the University of Maryland -- expert on human motivation, terrorism, and Israeli society. They discuss why Israel felt compelled to hit hard against its enemies in Gaza and Iran, to "restore Significance" after the humiliation of October 7. Also: what it takes for a person to be a spy.  (Raviv and Kruglanski are co-authors of a book, THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE -- https://bit.ly/47E9eea)Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Steve Herman, retired Voice of America correspondent who reported from the White House.  He's the author of a new book "Behind the White House Curtain," on his career and why news coverage of the American president is so important.Together they assess the importance -- if any -- of knowing whether he's telling the truth or not: this week, whether the war the United States and Israel are waging against Iran really was about to end.  Or get bigger.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Danny Ayalon, who was Israel's ambassador in Washington in 2002-2007 and then served as Deputy Foreign Minister. They discuss how Israel is living its dream -- having full U.S. support for attacking Iran to destroy its nuclear program and its long-range missile arsenal.But could it become Israel's nightmare, if Donald Trump decides to end the war?Ambassador Ayalon offers a thorough and thought-provoking analysis, based on the history of U.S.-Israeli relations and Iran's history of supporting terrorism.Did Israel "drag" Trump into this war? That's the charge made by anti-Israel activists on both the Right and Left sides of American politics.Also, Dan discusses some Netanyahu soundbites -- with angles on the Iran war that major media may be missing.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

This is no 6-Day War -- no lightning victory when the enemy is large, stubborn, radical Iran.  On the weekly audio podcast, hear Jonathan Conricus -- a Lt.Col. in the IDF reserves and the Israeli military's former international spokesman -- talk about the threat of Iran-backed terrorism worldwide as attempted retaliation.Conricus is optimistic about countering that, and (you will hear) he is upbeat about the positive possibilities for the Middle East if Islamic Iran is defeated.[Conricus is heard, courtesy of the international educational organization "Stand With Us" (standwithus.com) that supports Israel and combats antisemitism.]Also, Dan speaks with a Mossad veteran -- former head of the agency's counter-terrorism division -- about the challenges this war poses.  He says if the Iranian regime doesn't collapse, then the whole war was for nothing!Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest is Jason Pack, an American global-affairs analyst based in London.  Pack is author of Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder, and he's the host of a podcast, "Disorder."The U.S. and Israel together attacked Iran on February 28 and have not masked their goal of regime change.We praise the excellent intelligence that made the "decapitation strike" possible at the start of the war in Iran -- killing the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and many Iranian officials and commanders -- similar to what the Israelis accomplished last June.Once again, early victories were enabled by years of intelligence harvested inside Iran by the Mossad -- Israel's foreign intelligence service.  In this war, they are working closely with the CIA.But who is wise and well-informed enough to guide events toward something beneficial for the United States, Israel, and their partners in the Arabian Gulf and in Europe?Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Dan's guest expert is Sarit Zehavi, a retired lieutenant-colonel in the IDF (Israel's army) -- mostly in Military Intelligence.  She founded and directs a non-profit think tank in northern Israel -- The Alma Research and Education Center -- that specializes in gathering and explaining information about Lebanon and Syria.In this conversation recorded Feb. 24 (80 hours before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran), Zehavi analyzed what might prompt Hezbollah to join Iran in retaliating against Israel. As a close watcher of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia and political faction in Lebanon, she said the key was what Tehran might order, if Tehran's leaders were to feel desperate.Zehavi reflects the political and strategic culture of the Middle East, when she said that President Trump had to come through -- having pledged support for the anti-regime protesters in Iran -- or America would lose credibility in the eyes of the region.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

While the world awaited his decision on whether to strike Iran, Donald Trump convened his Board of Peace with a focus mostly on Gaza.Our guest is a Palestinian expert who's been an American analyst of the Middle East for many years: Ghaith al-Omari of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.Al-Omari says donation pledges and plans for Gaza prosperity are far from convincing -- are they realistic, when Hamas hasn't been disarmed? -- but Trump's Board of Peace has elements of introducing a better Palestinian leadership: a more professional and less corrupt alternative to Hamas and to the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.Dan and Ghaith discuss the positives and the negatives -- and conclude that, whatever more skeptical analysts may say -- the Board of Peace is an innovative idea not to be ignored.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

No foreign leader has had talks with President Trump more often than Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.  After their nearly invisible meeting at the White House, their written statements signaled disagreement -- over Trump's insistence on negotiating with Iran.Dan is joined by Joel Rubin -- a former State Department official, a strategist for Democratic campaigns, and a foreign affairs analyst -- in considering if the disagreement is real, or a repeat of the plot that led to Israel and the United States attacking Iran's nuclear facilities in June 2025.Rubin, who publishes on Substack as "The Briefing Book," also talks about the impact of Iran and Gaza events on the elections coming this year in the U.S. and in Israel.You'll also hear President Trump saying he'll give the talks with Iran one month; and that he'd like to see "regime change" in Iran; and that he's angry at Israel's president for refusing (so far) to pardon Netanyahu.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.

Our expert guest is Gidi Grinstein, who has served on Israel's negotiating team in U.S.-sponsored talks with Palestinians -- and now is busy with two organizations he created: the Re'ut Group (which combats antisemitism and tries to foster leadership skills in Israel) and TOM (Tikkun Olam Makers), working on programs to help needy people worldwide.  As he closely examines the deal that ended the hottest, most violent part of the Gaza war, Grinstein contends that the Trump-sponsored 20-point plan was a brilliant mix of prior ideas and important principals.Together, Dan and Gidi wonder if the Israeli government can persist in its stated refusal to let the Palestinian Authority - based in the West Bank - participate in the future governance of the West Bank.  And, will Hamas really give up its weapons?This is, of course, against the background of pressure -- and perhaps imminent violence -- between Iran and the United States.  Israel is certain to be affected.Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program."  For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).  AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj (You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.