Generation Jihad

Bill and Joe discuss Israel’s retaliatory strike against Houthi targets in Yemen following the Iranian-backed terror group’s drone strike in Tel Aviv, the CENTCOM Commander’s surprisingly honest letter to the Secretary of Defense, and the irony of Pakistan designating Prime Minister Netanyahu as a terrorist (congrats to him on his new villa in Abbottabad).

Bill and Behnam are joined by fellow FDD expert and friend of the show David David to talk about the drone strike in Tel Aviv — what we know so far and what it means for the broader war. 

The UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team has released its latest report on Afghanistan and the myriad of jihadist activity therein. To discuss, Bill is joined by former director of this team at the UN and longtime friend of the show Edmund Fitton-Brown. Edmund is now a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project and previously served as the UK's ambassador to Yemen.

(…and don’t walk out.) Amidst the chaos of this weekend’s assassination attempt against President Trump, the Israel Defense Forces took advantage of Hamas being on the ropes in Gaza by conducting an operation targeting two of the remaining top brass: top Hamas commander Mohammed Dief and Rafa’a Salameh, Hamas brigade commander in Khan Younis. Bill and Joe unpack the strike and discuss a lesser-known terror group inside Gaza (is it the ‘Popular Resistance Committee’ or ‘The Committee for Popular Resistance’?), and the issue of battlefield longevity with which Israel seems to be grappling.

Bill and Joe catch up on headlines related to the war in Gaza and the additional Iranian-backed conflicts at Israeli borders, including a status update on the latest round of hostage negotiations, action in the West Bank, and how Israel should handle Tehran’s noose-tightening. They also discuss the recent sighting of a top Hezbollah military official and specially designated global terrorist at the funeral of a Hezbollah commander.

Former Afghan military leader, Lieutenant General Sami Sadat, discusses America's role in Taliban's rise, Al Qaeda's presence in Afghanistan, and efforts to establish a democratic Afghanistan post-U.S. withdrawal.

Bradley Bowman, editor of 'Cognitive Combat', and Bill discuss information warfare by China, Russia, and Iran against the US, the importance of objective truth in policy decisions, NATO defense spending, evolving American politics on Israel, weapon system challenges in the Taiwan Strait conflict, and hypothetical scenarios posing risks to national security.

Bill and Will explain why Israel is not fighting an insurgency in Gaza as they unpack (and dismantle) a recent Foreign Affairs article authored by David Petraeus et al: Israel’s War of Regime Change Is Repeating America’s Mistakes: But Israel Can Still Learn From America’s Successes — wait, what successes? Israel should learn from our mistakes by repeating our mistakes? 🤔

Bill and Joe unpack recent headlines related to Israel’s defensive war in Gaza and simmering tensions in its north with Hezbollah, including the IDF chief of staff saying that Hamas brigades in Rafa have been dismantled; thousands of Iran-backed fighters offering to join Hezbollah in a battle against Israel; officials from the Islamic Republic meeting with the Taliban about taking joint action against Israel; how long Egypt will tolerate Israeli forces at its border; and why the Israeli government has yet to share a clear plan for Gaza almost 9 months into the war.

Bill and Behnam discuss new sanctions that dropped this week, including Canada’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the U.S. designation of a proxy militia in Iraq; the Houthis sinking yet another ship; and threats made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to conduct attacks in Cyprus. And an update on the Gaza floating pier because Bill.