1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: In recent months, Iran has taken steps that it has 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: never taken before, steps to weaponize this enriched Uradia. If 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: not stopped, Iuran could produce a nuclear weapon in a 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: very short time. It could be a year, it could 5 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: be within a few months, less than a year. This 6 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: is a clear and present danger. This will's Verius Vinment. 7 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 2: This is a forty seven Morning Update special edition with 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 2: Ben Fergus. 9 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 3: Good Friday morning. It's so nice to have you with 10 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 3: us on the forty seven Morning Update. And we have 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 3: one big major story that we're covering and all aspects 12 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 3: of it, and that is the strike on Iran from Israel. 13 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 3: So who was hit, who was killed, what sites were hit, 14 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 3: and what comes next. Will have all of that for you, 15 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 3: Plus you're gonna hear from the Israeli Prime Minister net Yahoo. 16 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 3: It's the forty seven Morning Update and it starts right now. 17 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: Story number one. 18 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 3: We start with the big breaking news and that is 19 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 3: coming out of Israel. Israel has struck Iran and Iran 20 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:09,120 Speaker 3: is now confirming that the IRGC terar chief Salami has 21 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 3: also been eliminated. Benjamin Nettnahu announcing the operation as well, 22 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,320 Speaker 3: talking about what this means and we also have found 23 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 3: out that not only did Iran state run Islamic Republic 24 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,200 Speaker 3: News agency confirm in the early hours of Friday morning 25 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 3: that the Israeli airstrike on targets in the country eliminated 26 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 3: the Major General Slami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. 27 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 3: Other arms of Iran state news apparatus also confirmed this 28 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 3: several high profile regime members, including not one, but two 29 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 3: of their top nuclear scientists. Now this is obviously massive 30 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 3: because if you want to take out their nuclear program, 31 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 3: taking out the scientists behind it is huge. It's very 32 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,480 Speaker 3: hard to get nuclear scientists to effect and come to Iran, 33 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 3: so taking them out could put back their program literally years. 34 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 3: They were killed in these strikes, and that is again massive. Now, 35 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 3: Islami may be by far one of the highest ranking 36 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 3: Iranian regime officials who have been targeted successfully in the operation. 37 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 3: He is one of those that was important to take out, 38 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 3: and Israel had planned this for quite some time and 39 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 3: they were able to do it. Salami had to stay 40 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 3: in a place. As one of the most prominent and 41 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 3: also belligerent senior leaders in the Iranian Islamic regime. He 42 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 3: regularly threatened attacks on America and Israel, and what was 43 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 3: perhaps his final public appearance on Thursday, Salami declared that 44 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:52,120 Speaker 3: his forces were quote war tested and experienced, prepared for 45 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 3: war against its enemies. Now that was just twenty four 46 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 3: hours ago. He said that publicly now, the IRGC is 47 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 3: both a US designated terrorist organization he was in charge 48 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 3: of it, and a formal wing of the Iranian Armed Forces. 49 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 3: Among its chief operations is to sustain relations between the 50 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 3: Iranian terror state and its Jihadis proxies. Who does That 51 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 3: include the Huthis and Yemen, the Lebanese Hezbolah, and with 52 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 3: fellow rogue states such as Venezuela and Cuba. The IRNA 53 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 3: confirmed Solami's death and a brief message that offered no 54 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 3: details on the occurrence. It just confirmed that Salami died 55 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 3: in Tehran and claimed him a victim of assassination their 56 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 3: words now. Also in a separate report, the state news 57 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,240 Speaker 3: outlet confirmed a barrage of air strikes over the capital 58 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 3: city by the Israeli Air Force. Another Iranian state media outlet, 59 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 3: press TV, reported early Friday that the strikes had martyred 60 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:01,320 Speaker 3: several other senior IRGC commanders and new scientists. So we're 61 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 3: getting lots of confirmation about how deadly and how surgical 62 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 3: these strikes were on the top leadership in Iran veteran 63 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 3: nuclear scientists, two of them, in fact, they, as they 64 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 3: described it, were martyred in the attack. Press TV reported, 65 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 3: adding confirmation from now that at least one Iranian military leader, 66 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 3: the chief of the Iranian Armed Forces also a major 67 00:04:25,839 --> 00:04:30,559 Speaker 3: general bag Herring, is still alive and in Iran's war 68 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 3: room quote plotting the nation's response. Now, The Times of Israel, 69 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 3: citing Iranian state television, reported that Israel apparently also bombed 70 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 3: one of the most prominent uranium enrichment facilities in the country, 71 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 3: the facility known as the Natanz facility, and there was 72 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 3: several hits apparently on that facility. It was scattered among 73 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 3: anonymous reports as well on social media that this had 74 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,039 Speaker 3: also happened, and we also been told that there was 75 00:05:04,080 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 3: disruptions and I ran by undercover MASAD agents. Have also 76 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 3: now surfaced that Israel has not confirmed that. I want 77 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 3: to be clear now. The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nettna, 78 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 3: who also confirmed the airstrikes during a national address on 79 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 3: Friday morning, identifying the strikes as Operation Rising Lion. I 80 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 3: want you to hear what Netnya who had to say 81 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 3: as he addressed not only the people of Israel, but 82 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:31,800 Speaker 3: also the people of the world. 83 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military 84 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel's very survival. 85 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: This operation will continue for as many days as it 86 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: takes to remove this threat. For decades, the tyrants of 87 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:56,640 Speaker 1: Tehran have brazenly openly called for Israel's destruction. They've backed 88 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: up their genocidal rhetoric with a program to develop nuclear weapons. 89 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: In recent years, Iran is produced enough highly enriched uranium 90 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: for nine atom bombs. Nine In recent months, Iran has 91 00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: taken steps that it has never taken before, steps to 92 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:20,280 Speaker 1: weaponize this enriched uranium, and if not stopped, Iran could 93 00:06:20,279 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: produce a nuclear weapon in a very short time. It 94 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: could be a year, it could be within a few months, 95 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:29,040 Speaker 1: less than a year. This is a clear and present 96 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: danger to Israel's very survival. Eighty years ago, the Jewish 97 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: people were the victims of a holocaust perpetrated by the 98 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: Nazi regime. Today, the Jewish state refuses to be a 99 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: victim of a nuclear holocaust perpetrated by the Uranian regime. Now, 100 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: as Prime Minister, I've made it clear time it again. 101 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: Israel will never allow those who call for our annihilation 102 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: to develop the means to achieve that goal. Tonight, Israel 103 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: backs those words with action. We struck at the heart 104 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,560 Speaker 1: of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart 105 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: of Iran's nuclear weaponization program. We targeted Iran's main enrichment 106 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: facility in Atans. We targeted Iran's leading nuclear scientists working 107 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: on the Iranian bomb. We also struck at the heart 108 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: of Iran's ballistic missile program. Last year, Iran fired three 109 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: hundred ballistic missiles at Israel. Each of these missiles carries 110 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: a ton of explosives and threatens the lives of hundreds 111 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: of people. Soon, those missiles could carry a nuclear payload, 112 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: threatening the lives not of hundreds, but of millions. Iran 113 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: is gearing up to produce ten thousands of those ballistic 114 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: missiles within three years. Now, just imagine imagine ten thousand 115 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: tons of T and T landing on a country the 116 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: size of New Jersey. This is an intolerable threat. It 117 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: too must be stopped Iran is now working on what 118 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: it calls the new plan to destroy Israel. You see, 119 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: the old plan failed. Iran and its proxies try to 120 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: encircle Israel with a ring of fire and to attack 121 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: us with the horrible attack of October seventh. But the 122 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,560 Speaker 1: people of Israel, the soldiers of Israel, rose like lions 123 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,640 Speaker 1: to defend our country. We crushed fromas we devastated Rizbalah, 124 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,160 Speaker 1: We hid Iranian proxies in Syria and Yemen, and when 125 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: Iran directly attacked us twice last year, we struck back 126 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: inside Iran itself. Yet in defending ourselves, we also defend others. 127 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: We defend our Arab neighbors. They too have suffered from 128 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: Iran's campaign of chaos and carnage. Our actions against Iran's 129 00:08:46,480 --> 00:08:50,079 Speaker 1: proxy Hizballah led to the establishment of a new government 130 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,280 Speaker 1: in Lebanon and the collapse of Asad's murderous regime in Syria. 131 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: The peoples of those two countries now have a chance 132 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: for different future, a better future. So too, to the 133 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: brave people of Iran, and I have a message for them. 134 00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: Our fight is not with you. Our fight is with 135 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: the brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for forty six years. 136 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 1: I believe that the day of your liberation is near, 137 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: and when that happens, the great friendship between our two 138 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 1: ancient peoples will flourish once again. I want to assure 139 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 1: the civilized world we will not let the world's most 140 00:09:29,520 --> 00:09:34,080 Speaker 1: dangerous regime get the world's most dangerous weapons. And Iran 141 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 1: plans to give those weapons nuclear weapons to its terrorist proxies. 142 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: That would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism all too real. 143 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: The increasing range of Iran's ballistic missiles would bring that 144 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:53,120 Speaker 1: nuclear nightmare to the cities of Europe and eventually to America. 145 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 3: Now, as you heard the Israeli Prime Minister say, this 146 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 3: strike was a part of quote Operation Rising Lion. Why 147 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 3: do I say it's part of an operation, because it's 148 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 3: very clear that this was not a one and done 149 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:11,719 Speaker 3: hit on Iran. Quote from the Israeli Prime Minister, this 150 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 3: operation will continue for as many days as it takes, 151 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,719 Speaker 3: stating that Iranian officials were actively taking steps to weaponize 152 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 3: it's enriched uranium stockpile, calling Tehran a clear and present 153 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 3: danger to Israel's survival, saying quote, we are defending the 154 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 3: free world from the terrorism and barbarism that Iran fosters 155 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 3: and exports across the globe. Many around the world, even 156 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,560 Speaker 3: if they won't say so openly, know in their hearts 157 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,960 Speaker 3: thanks to our determination and courage the citizens of Israel, 158 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:46,680 Speaker 3: and thanks to the bravias of Israel's fighters, the world 159 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 3: will be safer place because of these actions. Now, Islami 160 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,480 Speaker 3: was one of the most powerful people in Iran and 161 00:10:53,559 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 3: a top military leader. His loss will have significant damage 162 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,960 Speaker 3: to Iran's military operations now. The general regularly threatened to 163 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:07,559 Speaker 3: attack neighboring Israel and celebrated the deadly activities of Iranian 164 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 3: proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah, whose brutal terrorist free 165 00:11:12,440 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 3: against Israel in October the seventh prompted Israel to cleare 166 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 3: war against Amas in its enclave in Gaza. The enemy 167 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:24,920 Speaker 3: sometimes threatens us with military action. We have always said 168 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 3: and we say today that we stand fully ready to 169 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:34,680 Speaker 3: any scenarios, situations and circumstances. So Lemani that is his 170 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,880 Speaker 3: exact words in a speech on Thursday, saying quote, we 171 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 3: are war tested and experience. We have built strength and 172 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,680 Speaker 3: developed a strategy. In our plans, we monitor the death 173 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 3: of the enemy's army and have practiced our plans. That 174 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:51,679 Speaker 3: was just twenty four hours ago from a man who's 175 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:56,719 Speaker 3: now dead because Israel acted now. The general was responding, 176 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 3: by the way, when he said this to widespread reports 177 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 3: that is Tzel was in fact preparing an attack over 178 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 3: the Iranian territory. In response to alarming reports from the 179 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 3: International Atomic Energy Agency this week indicating that Iran was 180 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 3: rapidly nearing possession of enough materials to build a nuclear weapon, now, 181 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 3: the IAEA, a UN agency, declared Iran in violation of 182 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:30,880 Speaker 3: several non proliferation commitments in a resolution that was passed 183 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:35,559 Speaker 3: on Thursday, and again this is coming from a UN agency. 184 00:12:36,120 --> 00:12:42,160 Speaker 3: They expressed particular concern regarding evidence of rapidly accelerating uranium 185 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 3: enrichment activities. The resolution also followed a report by the 186 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,000 Speaker 3: head of the agency on Monday that warned Iran was 187 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 3: maintaining illicit enrichment sites an attempted to sanitize them when caught, 188 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 3: meaning the IAEA could not credibly verify whether the activity 189 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 3: occurring there was consistent with the nation's nuclear commitments or not. 190 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 3: Now Finally, the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran responded to 191 00:13:13,679 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 3: the iia's condemnation on Thursday by announcing the debut of 192 00:13:17,280 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 3: yet another uranium enrichment facility to be built in the 193 00:13:20,760 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 3: near future. And that is exactly why Israel was forced 194 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 3: to act now, so make no mistake about it. This 195 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 3: was because of Iran's actions and Israel had no other 196 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 3: option but to respond. And let's be honest, the world 197 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 3: owes a debt of gratitude to Israel for standing up 198 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:45,679 Speaker 3: to this terish regime. 199 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the forty seven Morning Update 200 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:52,760 Speaker 2: with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever 201 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 2: you're listening to this podcast right now and for more 202 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:59,599 Speaker 2: in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson podcast 203 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,680 Speaker 2: and we will see you back here tomorrow