Call Me Back - with Dan Senor

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How did Israel manage to eliminate Supreme Leader Khamenei and his top lieutenants within the opening strike of Operation Roaring Lion? How was the Iranian regime infiltrated? What tactical abilities were necessary to deliver the final blow? And how much of it was luck?

Ronen Bergman, senior correspondent for Yedioth Ahronoth and The New York Times Magazine, takes Dan through the story of Khamenei’s killing from plan to execution, and through the many ways in which things could have gone differently.

In this episode:

3:00 – How did Israel know where Khamenei was hiding?

8:43 – Was Iran careless?

14:50 – How did the plan to strike Khamenei take shape?

15:34 – 6am on the morning when it happened

22:01 – Sponsor break: United Hatzalah

22:57 – Immediate aftermath: What happened after the decapitation strike?

23:37 – The second and third waves of the attack

28:33 – Iran's attack on Arab states: another miscalculation?

33:25 – What's the mood in Iran?

This episode was sponsored by United Hatzalah. Donate today at IsraelRescue.org/CallMeBack. Add this number to your phone right now if you live in Israel – 1221, and for those visiting it’s 972-2-5-383838.

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

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What's the state of play after the first day of operation Roaring Lion? What tactical resources have the United States and Israel deployed and what's their division of labor? What are the operation's risks and opportunities? General David Petraeus joins Dan to examine the strategic and tactical planning and goals of the war.

General Petraeus is a retired four-star U.S. Army general and former CIA Director who led coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and is widely recognized for shaping modern U.S. counterinsurgency strategy. He's also co-author of 'Conflict' with Andrew Roberts.

In this episode:

- 1:00 – Khamenei killed: The decapitation strike

- 3:00 – Day one of the war: Epic Fury and Roaring Lion

- 5:00 – How a strike like this gets built

- 8:00 – The daylight gamble

- 12:00 – U.S. forces in position

- 16:00 – Regime change or something else?

- 20:00 – U.S.–Israel coordination

- 28:00 – What comes next for Iran

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Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

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The United States and Israel have launched coordinated strikes against Iran, and the region is now at war.

In this emergency episode of Call Me Back, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to break down the opening operation, Iran’s retaliation across the region, and the high-stakes question at the center of it all: Is this about degrading nuclear and missile capabilities, or is this the beginning of regime change?

They discuss the decapitation strategy targeting Iran’s senior leadership, the possibility that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been killed, the international response, and what comes next. As sirens sound in Israel and ballistic missiles fly across the Gulf, this is real-time analysis of a historic turning point in the Middle East.

In this episode:

- Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion: How the war began

- Iran’s regional retaliation and the widening battlefield

- Targeting the leadership: Decapitation and the Khamenei question

- Nuclear reconstitution, Pickaxe Mountain, and the missile threat

- Regime change or strategic degradation?

- International reaction and Gulf alignment

- The American message and what it signals

- How this ends and what comes next

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Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

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Rachel Goldberg-Polin joins Dan for a Purim special to explain why this is possibly the most misunderstood holiday in Jewish tradition. Rather than simply a fun masquerade for kids, Purim presents a profound meditation on hiddenness, courage, and stepping into one’s moment. Rachel walks Dan through the Book of Esther, unpacks its drama and philosophical depth, and explores why a story where God is never mentioned may be the most relevant text for a confusing, fractured age.

In this episode:

- The world of Persia and the backstory to Purim

- Vashti, Esther, and the making of a queen

- Haman, Amalek, and the logic of antisemitism

- “For such a time as this” and the Esther moment

- Where is God in a story without God?

- Masks, hiddenness, and the illusion of randomness

- Unity, generosity, and the mitzvot of Purim

- Discovering your purpose when no one summons you

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Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

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Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo

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As American military assets flow into the Middle East and Tehran prepares its response to Washington’s demands, Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to assess whether President Trump is leaning toward diplomacy or decisive military action. They break down what’s real, what’s signaling, what would be the goals and scope of an American attack, and whether Israel is preparing to take part in it.

In this episode:

3:00 - Is Trump leaning toward a strike or a deal?

3:30 - What “zero enrichment” really means and why it matters

9:30 - Pickaxe Mountain and Iran’s rebuilding nuclear infrastructure

11:00 - The scale of U.S. military deployments in the region

16:00 - Israel’s preparedness and the missile defense dilemma

22:30 - Hezbollah, Gulf states, and regional spillover risks

27:00 - Symbolic strike or regime-level operation?

39:00 - How politics, legacy, and red lines shape Trump’s decision

More Ark Media:

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Dan Senor & Saul Singer’s book, The Genius of Israel

Get in touch

Credits: Ilan Benatar, Adaam James Levin-Areddy, Brittany Cohen, Ava Weiner, Martin Huergo, Mariangeles Burgos, and Patricio Spadavecchia, Yuval Semo