Why Israeli assassinations aren't working the way they hope

Consider This from NPRMarch 22, 202610:39Alpha 8.0
geopoliticsmiddle-eastleadershipmilitary-strategyintelligence
Listen to Episode
Golden Quote
“Israel and the United States and President Trump believed that if they kill the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, as the opening shot of the war, a chain reaction would be created — the Iranian masses would rush to the streets and topple the government. This war began as a big gamble, and the chips are now not in the favor of Israel and the United States.”
5:56

Synopsis

Israel's decapitation strategy — systematically assassinating Iran's top military, political, and nuclear leaders — is backfiring, producing a grinding war of attrition instead of the regime collapse the US and Israel gambled on. According to Georgia Tech professor Jenna Jordan and Tel Aviv intelligence journalist Yossi Melman, replacement leaders are hardening rather than buckling, and killing Iran's negotiators has left Trump with no one to talk to about ending the war. For professionals tracking geopolitics or national security, Melman's on-the-ground account — Israelis waking to air raid sirens four times a night, 30% with no shelter — puts a human cost on a strategy that, nine months after Israel declared victory over Iran's nuclear program, is producing more of the same with no exit in sight.

Speakers

Adrian Ma
Yossi Melman
Podcast Guest

Episode Breakdown

This segment introduces the ongoing war between the US/Israel and Iran, highlighting President Trump's promise of freedom to Iranians and the strategy of 'decapitation strikes' against Iranian leaders, questioning their effectiveness.

No quotes extracted for this segment.

Why Israeli assassinations aren't working the way they hope | Soundbite | Soundbite