- 7 weeks ago
Tensions are rising across the Middle East as military actions expand in Iran and Afghanistan. Benjamin Netanyahu said an Israeli strike near Tehran killed Iran’s de facto leader Ali Larijani and Basij commander Ghulam Reza Soleimani, following the earlier death of Ali Khamenei.
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00:02Good evening. Iran's all-powerful de facto supreme leader Ali Larijani has been killed in an airstrike on the outskirts
00:12of Tehran, claims Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
00:17It's a big claim by Israel saying the head of the octopus has been targeted. Iran has neither confirmed nor
00:26denied reports of Ali Larijani's death, though a handwritten note was put out and it is being seen as speculative
00:36proof of life.
00:38And this is a note that was put out by Ali Larijani when the bodies of those killed in the
00:44U.S. strike on an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean were brought back to Iran.
00:51So that handwritten note is being seen as proof of life. Ali Larijani, incidentally, one of the most powerful men
00:59in Iran.
01:00He was the all-powerful secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, the de facto head of the country after
01:08the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the 28th of February.
01:13Ali Larijani was the veteran of the 1980 Iran-Iraq war. He incidentally was very well connected both in the
01:22military hierarchy and the religious hierarchy of the country.
01:27He belonged to a very influential Larijani family of Iran. In fact, reports in Iran and the United States have
01:36described the Larijani family as the Kennedys of Iran.
01:40The Israeli army says it launched a wave of extensive strikes targeting key infrastructure and leaders across Tehran and other
01:50parts of Iran.
01:51The IRGC or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says they have carried out a new wave of impact-oriented targeted
02:00attacks across the region since dawn.
02:04In a statement reported by Iranian media, the IRGC said its operations were being carried out with multiple warheads, both
02:12with solid and liquid-fueled missiles and drones in action.
02:17Iran's intelligence ministry says it had seized hundreds of starlink systems which can connect to internet via a network of
02:26satellites, claiming they were smuggled into the country, both by United States and Israeli agents.
02:33Iran's Tasneem News Agency quoted the Iranian army as reporting that a targeted cyber technology centre and weapons manufacturing facilities
02:43belonging to the Israelis have also been taken down.
02:47Missiles and drone attacks continue to target the Gulf region and beyond.
02:53So, strikes have taken place in Qatar, in Saudi Arabia, in the UAE, in Kuwait.
02:58There are multiple interceptions that are being reported.
03:02UAE's defence ministry says it has intercepted 10 Iranian ballistic missiles and 45 drones just today.
03:09UAE had to close down its airspace over Dubai for some time, though limited flight operations have resumed.
03:16UAE authorities in Qatar have said they have sent out an elevated security threat, telling residents to remain indoors and
03:24remain in safe places.
03:25Iran's foreign minister, Sayyad Abbas Araki, says the situation in the Strait of Hormuz cannot be considered in isolation because
03:33of the disruption to shipping.
03:35is a result of the war imposed by the United States and by Israel.
03:41I'll get you much more on the story.
03:43But first, on day 18 of operations, let me get you the situation report, the ground report of all developments
03:50today.
04:03A dramatic new twist in the escalating war between the United States, Israel and Iran.
04:12Israel is now claiming it has eliminated one of Iran's most powerful leaders.
04:17Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says that Ali Larijani, the head of the regime's National Security Council, was killed in
04:25an Israeli airstrike inside Iran.
04:27Tehran has neither confirmed nor denied the claim.
04:30Israel has also released a photograph showing Benjamin Netanyahu in what appears to be a wartime command meeting.
04:39I have just been updated by the chief of staff that the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Larijani,
04:46and the head of Basij, Iran's central repression apparatus,
04:49who is responsible for the massacre of protesters, were eliminated last night and have joined the head of the annihilation
04:55programme, Khamenei,
04:57along with all those eliminated from the axis of evil in the depths of hell.
05:03After Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's death, Larijani emerged as a key figure in Tehran, coordinating Iran's wartime strategy.
05:10But even as Israel claims Larijani has been eliminated, a handwritten message released by his office is raising questions.
05:17The message is dated around the 16th or 17th of March, leaving it unclear whether it was written before or
05:23after the alleged Israeli strike.
05:25Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump says that he believes Iran wants to make a deal to end the war,
05:30but it is unclear as to who exactly is leading the country.
05:36They're negotiating, and we always talk.
05:39You know, somebody said, well, would you talk, why would you even talk to them?
05:42I talk to everybody, because sometimes good things come out of it.
05:46But I don't know if they're ready yet.
05:52They're taking a pounding.
05:54I don't know if they're ready yet.
05:56And we don't even know their leaders.
05:57Look, all of their leaders are dead, as far as we know.
06:03But they're all dead.
06:05We don't know who we're dealing with.
06:06We knocked out the first group.
06:09Then the second group met, 88 met, to pick the leader, because the first group was all dead.
06:17And the second group got knocked out.
06:19They're all dead.
06:21Then the third group met.
06:23I would think they're a little nervous about meeting.
06:25I don't know if they're nervous.
06:27Maybe they're not.
06:28Maybe they're crazy.
06:29If they're not nervous, then they're crazy.
06:31But we met with the next group.
06:34But we don't know who their leader is.
06:37We have people wanting to negotiate.
06:39We have no idea who they are.
06:43The United States Central Command has also released video strikes on Iranian military targets.
06:50Iranian commanders warn their enemies are on the edge of a precipice.
06:59In the name of God, given the serious decline in the enemy's defensive capability and the damage to its air
07:05defense systems and radars,
07:07the enemy has reached the edge of a precipice and will no longer have an order based on its desires
07:12and whims.
07:13This is the definite will of the supreme leader of the Islamic revolution,
07:17his eminence Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei and the heroic people of Iran.
07:22And this rule has been determined by the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran,
07:27an order based on the undeniable and legitimate right of the Iranian nation.
07:35Iran also claims that it has launched new drone strikes on Israeli cyber and weapons facilities.
07:40The conflict continues to widen across the region.
07:43Missile and drone attacks have been reported across the Gulf.
07:46Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait say their air defenses have intercepted multiple incoming project lines.
08:03As claims and counterclaims continue,
08:06the war between Israel, the United States and Iran is entering an even more unpredictable phase.
08:12Key question remains unanswered.
08:13Is Iran's leadership truly decapitated or is the war only escalating further?
08:19We're a report, India Today.
08:24The strikes that we are seeing right now across Iran are what is being described by analysts,
08:31the U.S.-Israel decapitation strategy.
08:35It's a military doctrine that's focused on eliminating the leadership of the adversary.
08:40So the idea is very simple, target the enemy's top leadership first, destroy the command and control structure completely and
08:48then trigger a military, political and social collapse of the region.
08:53The assumption is if the leadership falls, the system collapses and the war could be brought to an end.
09:00Under the strategy, the focus is on eliminating the top leaders first, including Iran's supreme leader, for example,
09:07or the leadership of the IRGC, the command structure of the IRGC, the Quds force, the Basij force.
09:14The objective is to destroy the command chain.
09:17When you destroy the chain of command, then there's a leadership vacuum.
09:21You paralyze decision making and the force collapses.
09:25But the reality does appear to be very different so far.
09:30Iran's decentralized network, and we'll also explain what the Mosaic leadership is all about,
09:35that continues to operate and fight back.
09:38Several senior figures in Iran's leadership structure have been targeted at the top level.
09:43Take, for example, the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
09:47Right now, information from Israel is that even the security chief, Ali Larejani, has been taken down.
09:53The defence council secretary, Ali Khamenei, he was taken down.
09:57Now, let's talk about the military leadership.
09:58The IRGC chief, Mohamed Pakpur, he was neutralized.
10:03Armed forces chief, Abdul Rahim Mousavi, he was killed.
10:07The Basij commander, Ghulam Reza Soleimani, he was killed.
10:11The defence minister, Azir Nazirzadeh, he was killed.
10:14And some of these killings were in the very first phase.
10:16Then, of course, the second and the third phase.
10:19The American president claims he doesn't know who to talk to because most of the top leaders are dead.
10:24This is all a part of what Israel and the United States describe is a strategy to cripple Iran's command
10:32and control structure.
10:34That's part one.
10:36Let me now tell you what Iran's strategy is.
10:40Iran has built its response around what it calls is the Mosaic strategy.
10:45So, what is the Mosaic strategy?
10:47This is Iran's completely decentralized war doctrine developed by the IRGC over the past two decades.
10:55Because they saw what the Americans had done in 2003 after the shock and awe in the Gulf War campaign
11:012003.
11:02Once Saddam Hussein was taken down, Iraq collapsed.
11:06The army was dismissed.
11:07It's a different matter that most of those who were dismissed joined, as many argue, terrorist organizations, including the Islamic
11:16State.
11:17So, Iran learnt its lessons very well.
11:19It had decades to work on a strategy that even if the top leadership is taken down,
11:24the command and control structure is so decentralized that all the 31 provinces then operate independently.
11:31And if the top is taken down, there's an automatic number 2 replacing him.
11:35When the number 2 is taken down, number 3 replaces him and so on.
11:39But it brings us to a very important question.
11:41The experience that the top leadership has, the younger leadership may not have either that experience or that acumen
11:49and they may then take rash decisions.
11:52So, there is no single command center to destroy right now.
11:56There are local units that operate independently.
11:58They ensure the system continues to function even if the senior-most leaders are eliminated.
12:04So, at the core are Iran's main military pillars.
12:08Power clearly comes from the barrel of the gun.
12:10So, you have the IRGC.
12:12Of course, you also have the regular army.
12:15And you have the Basij militia.
12:17You have the Quds Force.
12:19These forces are then supported by other units.
12:22You have the missile units, the drone units, the naval forces.
12:25And every force keeps an eye on the other force.
12:29The religious units are the strongest.
12:32Or those that report directly to the Ayatollah or the Supreme Leader.
12:37So, Basij, Quds Force, IRGC, they remain the strongest.
12:42All of this is linked to regional command centers that then feed into semi-autonomous war cells across the country.
12:49The result, a distributed network where each node can continue fighting as long as they have weapons, systems and ammunitions.
12:58Even if the command and control node is destroyed.
13:02Now, this has two key ideas.
13:05First, avoid fighting the enemy's strongest war.
13:08Meaning, Iran does not confront the United States air power directly.
13:11Second, make the war last as long as possible.
13:15Make it as costly as possible.
13:16Continue retaliation through missiles, drones and proxy forces.
13:20The aim is to exhaust the enemy politically and militarily.
13:25Which means, killing top commanders may not end the conflict.
13:29Iran can still continue to fight launch missiles, drones and proxy attacks.
13:33In a sense, analysts say this is a war model clearly without a center.
13:47And joining me now on India First is Ambassador John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor in the first
13:54Trump tenure.
13:54And before that, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
13:57Ambassador, welcome on India Today.
14:01Glad to be with you.
14:02Thanks for having me.
14:03Ambassador, Israel claims they've killed Ali Larejani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council,
14:11and Ghulam Reza Soleimani, the commander of Iran's besiege forces.
14:16Sir, in your view, is the decapitation strategy working to achieve U.S. war aims?
14:22Well, I think that it is.
14:24I think there's still a long way to go.
14:27But in addition to the Supreme Leader, hundreds of other top Iranian officials, military and civilian, have been killed.
14:35I suspect the number is even greater than that.
14:38And extraordinary damage has been done to the Revolutionary Guard, to the besieged militia, to the Quds Force.
14:44There's still a long way to go.
14:46The autocracy built up over 47 years in Iran is a massive weapon of repression of its own people and
14:55threat to its neighbors.
14:56So we're just at the beginning of the third week of this.
14:59There's a long way to go.
15:00I think we need to understand that.
15:03But I do think the combined U.S.-Israeli operation is having one success after another.
15:11So when you say a long way to go, would you want to hazard a guess how long are these
15:17operations likely to last to achieve their aim?
15:20Because 18 days into this conflict, more than 6,000 combat missions targeting missiles, missile launch sites, storage, manufacturing capabilities,
15:30leaders, basiege, IRGC, Al-Quds Force, as you pointed out.
15:34Is the regime becoming weaker?
15:38When will people rise?
15:40And in your view, sir, is this the best strategy to adopt?
15:44Well, I think the strategy is that the more you strike at the institutions of Iranian state power that threaten
15:53Israel, threaten the Gulf Arab states, threaten the U.S., and that also repress their own people, the more you
16:00demonstrate that the regime can't protect itself.
16:03And that alone is a tremendously destabilizing force.
16:07Additionally, eliminating hundreds, maybe thousands of leaders destabilizes things as well.
16:13What we need to do, what I'm concerned we have not done or not done enough of, is cooperate with
16:19the opposition, provide them with resources, communications, telecommunications, money, weapons if they want it, so that they can have a
16:29stronger position inside.
16:30The opposition is very widespread but not well organized, and it also needs to get perhaps military leaders from the
16:38regular military, not the Revolutionary Guard, but the regular army, to come over to the side of the opposition.
16:44And as the regime pulls apart, and as the regime pulls apart, and we already see that happening, divisions, disagreements,
16:50factions within the regime are beginning to struggle against one another, we need others to defect to the opposition, and
16:57I think that will accelerate what we hope will be the collapse.
17:01The attacks themselves will not do it, that's not what they're intended to do, they're intended to destabilize the regime
17:07to allow the internal opposition to take over, and that should be the next step.
17:14Would it lead to, let's say, the top rung was decapitated, the second rung, the third rung?
17:20When younger leaders rise to the top, when they start taking decisions, we are told it's that mosaic policy that
17:28Iran adopts, could it lead to younger, less experienced, perhaps more reckless leaders, you know, coming to power and taking
17:38reckless decisions, which could be, which could have grave consequences, not just for Israel, but the entire region?
17:46Well, it's possible, and certainly in the ranks of the ayatollahs, I think the younger ayatollahs are more hard-laught
17:53than many of their elders.
17:56But what it will also say to other figures in the regime is that the regime is sinking, and they
18:02don't want to go down with the ship.
18:04That's how you begin to fracture things, and people will take different views.
18:08So if we had conflict within the regime hierarchy and among Revolutionary Guard units, that would be just fine, because
18:16that will weaken the regime too.
18:18And remember also, there are different ethnic groups around the country, Kurds, Azeris, Arabs, Lurs, Baluki, who are very dissatisfied,
18:28that that adds on to the overall dissatisfaction on economic and social grounds.
18:35But a timeframe for that, it's 18 days already. Could this take another few weeks, another few months? Could it
18:44be like Iraq, started off small, shock and awe, and then began, became very big?
18:51Well, I think the overthrow of Saddam Hussein was conceived as a ground operation from the beginning.
18:57And so the shock and awe at the beginning was to open the regime up, and in fact, it did.
19:02And the ground campaign in Iraq took only a matter of weeks.
19:05I think Iran would be harder, and I don't at this point see Trump putting any substantial number of boots
19:12on the ground, not combat arms, infantry, armor, and artillery.
19:16I do see missions already for special operations forces. There could be others.
19:22But my premise here, not necessarily my preference, but my premise here is that Trump will not use combat arms,
19:29and therefore, that's why the role of the opposition is so significant.
19:35Ambassador, Iran has virtually shut the Strait of Hormuz. Iran is also systematically targeting other Gulf countries and U.S.
19:43bases there.
19:43Does this take away from the U.S. power and credibility of being a reliable security provider in the Gulf
19:51region?
19:52Well, I think it was inevitable when a decision was made to go after the regime itself that it would
19:59retaliate in a number of ways.
20:00And if I were to list a disappointment so far, I would say that not adequately anticipating the near certainty
20:10that Iran would try to close the Strait of Hormuz.
20:13Trump himself said at the beginning he didn't think there'd be a shock to oil prices.
20:18I don't know how he could say that.
20:19I think our military is now addressing it a little belatedly, but I think in another couple of weeks, that's
20:26the estimate they've given.
20:27They think they can have the Strait pretty well under control and open.
20:31I don't think it was any surprise as well that Iran retaliated against the Gulf Arab states.
20:38Again, Trump yesterday said nobody thought that would happen.
20:41Trust me, everybody thought that would happen except maybe Trump.
20:44Trump and, you know, I think the feeling I hear from the Gulf Arab states is disappointment with Iran.
20:51They they tried to provide Qatar and the UAE in particular some assurance that they they weren't going to be
20:58attacking Iran.
20:59And instead, Iran is attacking them, not just missing U.S. bases in those countries, aiming at civilian hotels, airports
21:07and other facilities.
21:08So I think this tells you and I hope tells the Arab countries just exactly what the nature of this
21:14regime is and why the only long term guarantee of peace and stability in the Middle East is this regime
21:22being overthrown.
21:24Whatever it takes, however long it takes, is that your view?
21:28In an interview, President Trump said NATO allies could face a very bad future if they refuse to help the
21:35U.S. in opening the Strait of Hormuz.
21:37NATO members or some allies, they've largely they've struck a defined tone, if I may.
21:43German Chancellor, you know, MERS, for example, he said this is not a matter for NATO.
21:49NATO allies have stepped up to provide additional security in the Mediterranean region.
21:54How do you look at NATO's response to this entire conflict and especially to the issue of the Strait of
21:59Hormuz?
22:00Right. Let me just say on timing, I do think Trump said at the beginning four to six weeks.
22:05So we're only in week three now. That's we're not even halfway there.
22:09I think it will be longer than that. And I think we we have to be committed.
22:12Once you start on regime change, you have to succeed because a wounded regime left behind could turn out to
22:19be worse than than what we faced.
22:21And that's a real risk here. Look, I think this is NATO's war.
22:26I think the threat of Iran's nuclear weapons capability, if they if they acquired nuclear weapons from Korea or develop
22:33their own, easily could reach Europe.
22:35They have an intermediate range ballistic missiles that can do that.
22:38They can't hit the U.S. yet, but it is Europe that's threatened.
22:41Europe knows full well also that it's threatened by Iran's terrorism.
22:45So I think the European reaction has been unfortunate and wrong.
22:51I will say as well, Trump didn't do the necessary diplomatic preparation before the war began.
22:56He didn't consult anybody, as far as I can tell, not the NATO allies, not the Gulf Arab allies, not
23:03our allies in the Far East, not not with India and other other major friendly countries.
23:09That's a big mistake. He also didn't prepare the American people.
23:12These are all corollary mistakes that he didn't make. It's not too late to make up for it.
23:17But this hostility in public between NATO members is not a good thing.
23:22Trump has never been a strong supporter of NATO. And I think this could be doing more damage to it.
23:30True. And in the past 18 days, 2,371 people in 12 countries targeted by Iran, including 13 Americans, they've
23:39lost their lives in these operations, sir.
23:41Iran continues to strike. In your appreciation, sir, should Gulf states now join the offensive operations against Iran or stay
23:50out to prevent further escalation?
23:51Because initially they weren't in favor of these operations at all.
23:56Right. Well, that's why they should have been consulted in advance, because I think we could have had better defense.
24:02I don't think the casualties actually are that high.
24:04And I've been told by Israeli sources that looking at the amount of weapons that have been dropped on Iran
24:11compared to the damage that the weapons that Iran has used against others, that the ratio is overwhelmingly in favor
24:21of the U.S. and Israel.
24:22The figure I heard was 300 to 1, which is a stunning amount.
24:26So, you know, we hear reports of attacks on the Gulf countries, on Israel, on U.S. bases, because they're
24:32surrounded by reporters, whereas inside Iran, there are very few foreign reporters and you don't hear what's going on.
24:39So I think we should keep that in mind.
24:42Sir, there are reports that a Marine Expeditionary Unit has been mobilized ex-Okinawa base.
24:48I think USS Tripoli is en route to the region.
24:51Is it wise to deploy U.S. Marines at this stage?
24:55And if so, for what kind of operations, sir?
24:59Well, it strikes me that it would have been more prudent to get them to the Middle East before the
25:03war began.
25:04It's possible that there is a special mission in mind.
25:07That's a very small number of troops.
25:09I don't think this foreshadows a major operation, full combat arms.
25:16As I say, I don't think Trump has that in mind.
25:18But there could be specific tasks that such a force, an expeditionary group, could carry out,
25:25trying to make sure that the nuclear program materials and any enriched uranium don't fall into the hands of terrorists
25:33or other rogue states
25:34or not moved from the major nuclear sites by the Revolutionary Guard.
25:39There may be other activity in the Gulf itself that this force could be being brought to handle.
25:48Obviously, nobody said anything about it.
25:50But as I say, I just wonder why, if they're deemed necessary now, somebody didn't think of that a couple
25:55of months ago.
25:56So, permit me another question.
25:58U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, he sharply criticized President Trump's handling of the conflict in Iran.
26:06He said, words to the effect, it's crystal clear now that Trump has lost control of this war.
26:12He believes that Trump badly misjudged Iran's ability to retaliate.
26:17Do you agree with that view, sir?
26:20Well, I don't think Trump ever thinks strategically and often doesn't consider contingencies that could occur and make plans to
26:29deal with those contingencies.
26:31I speak as someone who favors the objective of regime change.
26:35Senator Murphy is opposed to it.
26:36I speak as someone in favor of it.
26:38And I am disturbed by failures, some of which we've discussed here in our conversation.
26:44I'm disturbed by these mistakes that Trump has already made because I think it could endanger achieving the objective of
26:50regime change.
26:53If you were to advise President Trump at this stage, what would you tell him?
26:59I think the most important thing that he needs to do now is get the Strait of Hormuz open and
27:05coordinate more and assist more of the opposition inside Iran.
27:09They have a very major role to play.
27:11I think opposition to the regime is extraordinarily widespread across the country, but we have to acknowledge it's not well
27:19organized.
27:19There's a lot of work to do trying to get figures in the regime to defect.
27:24The opposition needs help getting organized.
27:27It needs resources.
27:29We can provide that.
27:30We should provide that.
27:31And the sooner the better.
27:33So arm the Kurds, arm the Azeris, arm the Baluchis.
27:37Is this what you're suggesting at this stage?
27:40Who coordinates?
27:41The CIA?
27:42Yes, I think if that's what the ethnic groups want, I would do that.
27:46If that's what Persians who are opposed to the regime want, I'd provide arms to them too.
27:51I'm not saying anything about the future shape of Iran.
27:55I think its territorial integrity should remain intact after the fall of the Ayatollahs.
28:00Let the people of Iran decide what they want after that.
28:03But I think the ethnic groups are enormously dissatisfied with the way they've been treated.
28:08And I think they could be major players in helping bring the regime down.
28:14Sir, when you look at the escalation ladder, you always see what the enemy or the adversary could do next.
28:20What could Iran do to destabilize this war in your appreciation?
28:26Well, I think what I think their next logical move is, is to use their terrorist capabilities, not just in
28:34the Middle East, but in Europe and North America and elsewhere in the world.
28:38We know that they have targeted members of the Iranian diaspora in various places.
28:44They've certainly targeted current and former U.S. government officials.
28:48They have no compunctions about going after civilians in their own country, let alone foreign countries.
28:55So I think that risk of dramatically increased Iranian terrorist activity in the wider world is very real.
29:03So there is no question of an off-ramp in the near future in your view, sir?
29:09Well, look, with Trump, you never can tell. He could be declaring total victory as we speak right now.
29:15But I think he cannot do that while the Strait of Hormuz is closed.
29:19And I think for his own good, for his own legacy in history, having started on an effort to achieve
29:25regime change, he'd be making a big mistake if he stopped before succeeding.
29:31Ambassador John Bolton, former National Security Advisor of the United States of America, for joining me here on India Today.
29:38Sir, many thanks.
29:39Many thanks.
29:48News coming in.
29:50The director of U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has put in his papers.
29:55Joe Kent has resigned, saying he cannot support the ongoing war with Iran.
30:02In a statement announcing his decision, he said Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States.
30:11He said the conflict began under pressure from Israel and its supporters in Washington, D.C.
30:18The outgoing director thanked the U.S. President Donald Trump and the director of National Intelligence for the opportunity to
30:26serve,
30:26but said he could no longer support the war in good conscience.
30:31Kent then went on to say in his letter to President Trump, and I quote,
30:36Until the June of 2025, you understood that the wars in the Middle East were a trap that robbed America
30:46of precious lives of our patriots and depleted the wealth and prosperity of our nation.
30:53He then goes on to write early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members of the American
31:01media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America first platform
31:08and sword pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.
31:15Very, very big statement where he says Iran posed no imminent threat to the United States of America, and that's
31:24a story we'll be tracking very closely.
31:26But for the moment, I now want to shift focus to the other very dangerous war, and that's closer home.
31:36Deadly scenes from Kabul tonight after an overnight airstrike by Pakistan triggered a fresh crisis between Pakistan, a state sponsor
31:45of radical Islamist terror, and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
31:50Explosions lit up the Afghan capital, Kabul.
31:54Buildings were set on fire.
31:56Rescue teams rushed to pull out survivors from the rubble of a hospital, and that too a drug rehabilitation hospital.
32:04Sadly, 400 people have lost their lives, including patients in rehab, doctors, and healthcare workers.
32:14The Taliban leadership has confirmed 409 deaths.
32:18200 are said to be critical.
32:20The Taliban claims the strike hit the Umid Drug Rehabilitation Hospital.
32:25This is a 2,000-bed facility insisting there were absolutely no military targets in the vicinity.
32:32Pakistan claims the operation targeted not just terrorist hideouts, but military infrastructure of Afghanistan as part of Operation Ghazabul Haqq.
32:43India has strongly condemned the hospital strike as tensions escalate along the 2,600-kilometer-long Durand line.
32:52We'll get you more in this report.
33:06Deadly overnight airstrike in Afghanistan's Kabul triggers fresh crisis between Pakistan and the Taliban government.
33:15Pakistan's Jihadi General Asim Munir ordered a strike on a Kabul drug rehab hospital.
33:21Flames tore through entire neighborhoods.
33:24Thick smoke blowing high into the Kabul sky.
33:28Rescue teams rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the rubble, as firefighters struggled to control the inferno.
33:37Residents say the bombing turned large parts of the area into a war zone within minutes.
33:46Last year, my friends, 130 people.
33:49There were 1,266 people.
33:51400 were discharged.
33:53The rest were all here but disappeared.
33:55There were 130 people in salon number one.
33:58There were 40 people here.
33:5920 survived.
34:00Others not.
34:01What to do?
34:08Around 8.30 p.m., this incident occurred.
34:11An aircraft came and dropped two bombs, which caused the destruction you can see.
34:16Many patients remained trapped under the rubble and about 80 to 90 people were transferred to hospitals.
34:28The Taliban government claims the strike hit the Omid Drug Rehab Hospital, a 2,000-bed medical facility.
34:36They claim there is no military installation near the hospital.
34:40There was a board in front of the hospital, which says Added Rehabilitation Center.
34:55So it should be strongly condemned by any human rights advocate.
35:06Pakistan, however, insists the strike were targeting terrorist hideouts and military installations.
35:13The Kabul attack follows another Pakistani operation in Kandahar, which Islamabad says targeted militant camps.
35:21Pakistan has dubbed the campaign Operation Gaza Bulhaq.
35:27In response, Taliban fighters reportedly attacked a Pakistan military camp across the border.
35:34India, meanwhile, has strongly condemned the Kabul hospital strike.
35:39India's western neighbour is an excellent example of fabricating imaginative tales of Islamophobia in their neighbourhood.
35:46One wonders what would brutal repression of Ahmadiyyas in this country be termed,
35:50or the large-scale refuel more of the helpless Afghans or air-bombing campaigns in this holy month of Ramadan.
35:57With hundreds of fear dead, anger rising in Kabul, and tensions escalating along the Durand Line,
36:05the region is once again at the cusp of a dangerous new conflict.
36:09Bureau Report, India Today.
36:16Now, there are many who argue that Pakistan is deliberately targeting Afghanistan
36:21so that it's not compelled to send its forces to defend Saudi Arabia.
36:27Remember, Pakistan has a military pact with Saudi Arabia.
36:30Saudi Arabia is currently under attack.
36:32Several installations, key installations, and U.S. bases have been targeted by Iran.
36:38Now, this is where Pakistan is caught in a Catch-22 situation.
36:42Pakistan shares a border with Iran,
36:45and the relationship isn't really comfortable between Pakistan and Iran at that border in Balochistan.
36:53Now, the Durand Line is again on fire.
36:57Let me tell you a little more about the Durand Line on fire,
37:01and that's the line that divides Pakistan and Afghanistan.
37:03It's a 2,600-kilometre line.
37:06It's a 130-year-old dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan,
37:10because Afghanistan, nobody in Afghanistan acknowledges or accepts the Durand Line.
37:14It was drawn in 1893 by the British to divide the territory,
37:20British-Indian territory, and of course, the Afghan forces
37:24that would carry out a series of raids and attacks.
37:27So, Pashtun tribes have been divided and split across the modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan.
37:33Afghans reject the Durand Line.
37:36Nobody in Kabul accepts the line as an official border.
37:42Pashtunistan revivalism is now gaining ground.
37:46Afghanistan is actually pushing to undo the line,
37:49calling for a united Pashtunistan.
37:51Now, it led to a flashpoint when Pakistan tried to fence the 2,600-kilometre-long Durand Line.
37:59Pakistan says this is the border for all times to come.
38:03Afghanistan says this is not the border.
38:06They claim even Peshawar is a part of Afghanistan.
38:10It's a greater Pashtunistan.
38:12That is the conflict all about.
38:14Now, the situation is extremely, extremely grim and not just in one part of the world.
38:22I now want to show you on the world map,
38:25there are multiple fires that are burning across multiple regions in our globe.
38:31Take a look at that world map from West Asia.
38:34Let's talk about one part West Asia war.
38:37Then, of course, Pakistan, Afghanistan.
38:39And remember, the Russia-Ukraine war that's on from February 2022.
38:44So, let's take a look.
38:46Let's begin with the latest, which is the West Asia war.
38:49This is the war that began on the 28th of February.
38:52And it's now spread across not one, not two, but 12 countries.
38:58That's right.
38:59Israel and Iran are only part of this wider war now.
39:03It began with strikes by the United States and Israel on the 28th of February,
39:07when the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed.
39:11Now, inside Iran, U.S. strikes have hit over 7,000 military targets initially.
39:19That number has now risen to 15,000 targets,
39:23killing the head of the regime's National Security Council chief.
39:29The leader of the Basij forces, Ghulam Reza Soleimani, has also been killed.
39:35And that's just happened in the past 24 hours.
39:38Israel, meanwhile, continues to face Iranian ballistic missiles and road barrages,
39:42including in several cities, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa.
39:47Most of the missiles have been destroyed, but some managed to sneak through.
39:52Then, there's another aspect of this war in West Asia, which is the Lebanon front.
39:56Israel's war with Hezbollah, that's left over 880 people dead, nearly 1 million.
40:04That's right, close to 10 lakh people have been displaced since the 1st of March.
40:09Iraq has seen the Baghdad Green Zone and U.S. bases targeted by missiles and drone attacks.
40:15So, that's another aspect.
40:16So, that's another trajectory.
40:19UAE on the other side.
40:20It's reported 300 missiles and over 1,600 drones fired, with oil hubs and U.S. bases targeted.
40:27Saudi Arabia.
40:28Saudi Arabia says its defenses, the security force in Saudi Arabia,
40:33they've intercepted multiple missiles and drones.
40:37Missiles have also been reported near U.S. bases in Qatar, for example, or even Kuwait.
40:41Kuwait has had to shut down its airspace.
40:43Bahrain's U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters faced a major drone and missile attack.
40:50Oman's ports.
40:51Imagine Oman was actually facilitating talks, but even Oman wasn't spared.
40:56U.S. assets in Jordan have also been targeted.
40:59U.K.'s RAF base in Cyprus has been targeted.
41:03Another conflict that we just talked about is intensifying in our region, closer home,
41:09the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
41:12That war is escalating with strikes being reported in Kabul, in Kandahar, in Nangarhar, in Pakhtia and in Pakhtika.
41:21Afghan authorities say more than 400 people were killed in a strike at a drug rehabilitation hospital.
41:29Tensions have flared up across the 2,600-kilometer line, Durand line.
41:33And then, of course, since February 2022, the Russia-Ukraine war.
41:39That's now in its fourth year.
41:42Russia still occupies 20% of Ukrainian territory.
41:46Casualties now stand at a staggering 1.2 million.
41:51And this is huge.
41:53Three wars across multiple regions.
41:55Global security landscape more volatile than before.
42:00I now want to bring into this conversation Malik Afghan, an Afghan political analyst joining us from Kabul.
42:07Malik Afghan, welcome.
42:09What can you tell us, sir, about the facility that was targeted?
42:13Because Pakistan claims only military and terror targets were hit in Afghanistan.
42:21Hello, good evening.
42:22Thank you for having me.
42:24Actually, it's very unfortunate that Pakistan is claiming to have hit military facilities or terrorism sanctuaries.
42:33There are no terrorism sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
42:35Pakistan, in the place which was hit, it was a rehabilitation center for addicts.
42:41And all those people killed and injured, they were all being treated at that facility.
42:49Unfortunately, Pakistan always strikes Afghanistan, kills civilians, destroy mosques and houses,
42:57and then they claim that they have killed terrorists.
43:00How could terrorists be in Afghanistan?
43:02We don't have any terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan.
43:04It was Pakistan which was using its own soil to train and send terrorists all over the world,
43:12particularly to their neighboring countries.
43:13And Afghanistan is one of the countries which have been suffering for ages from Pakistan's side,
43:19particularly its establishment, which is trying to destabilize the region.
43:23And in particular, they have never had any good relations in Afghanistan.
43:27No matter what government we have here in Afghanistan, they are against it.
43:31So what we know from their intentions and policies,
43:34they are carrying those policies that were left from British empires,
43:37that they wanted a weak Afghanistan so that they could not stand to its aggression.
43:44Stay with me for a moment.
43:45Let me bring in Mona Alam, a journalist who joins us from Pakistan.
43:49Mona, welcome.
43:50Afghanistan says 400 people killed in a hospital strike.
43:57Pakistan Air Force is being accused of striking a hospital.
44:01200 people are critical.
44:02And Pakistan is being accused of deliberately targeting a civilian establishment.
44:07Why was a hospital targeted, ma'am?
44:12Well, I'd really be, you know, I'd really be happy to see those 200 people who you claim or the
44:18Vahan side claims that they're critically injured.
44:21And I'm sure they may be under treatment if they're injured as such.
44:24We would like to really see a footage of the hospital where, you know, they're being given their treatment or
44:30whatever's being done.
44:31And even for the casualties that are being claimed that there are as many as 500 casualties of innocent civilians.
44:38So, of course, all of us may recall that Minab, the incident, tragic incident of Minab, whereby little schoolgirls of
44:45primary school were killed.
44:47So, that justifies Pakistan killing 400 people in Afghanistan?
44:51That justifies it?
44:52Minab justifies it?
44:53Is that what you're claiming, Mona?
44:55Of course, it doesn't.
44:55It doesn't.
44:56Because, you know, I'm rather happy that, you know, at least something kind of sensitizes our Indian media and our
45:03brethren are out there.
45:03No, I'm so sorry.
45:04You have no one to pontificate on this.
45:06We raised Minab.
45:07We are raising this.
45:08It's rather shameless, you should say this.
45:11I'm very disappointed, Mona.
45:13I'm sorry, if you get...
45:15Yes, we raise Minab every day when it happened.
45:18We are not like Pakistanis.
45:20I am appalled, Mona.
45:22I'm appalled you should say this.
45:23But let me bring in Malik Afghan.
45:25Malik Afghan, Mona Alam from Pakistan says, Mona Alam from Pakistan says, show me dead bodies, show me injured Afghans,
45:33because she wants to see those dead bodies.
45:35She wants to see injured people.
45:38No, I want to, I want to...
45:41Malik Afghan.
45:42Listen, Mona, actually, you are going after what you are being fed by your establishment and you are following their
45:49wrongdoings and their lies, actually.
45:52And the fact of the matter is that we have evidence, clear evidence.
45:56You must have seen the videos that who have been targeted and killed.
46:01Those innocent people, the most of the innocent who have nothing to do with any terrorism or even military or
46:08nothing to do with the government.
46:09They have been suffering from this illness of addiction for ages.
46:13And now this government has brought them to a facility where they are being treated.
46:18And now then Pakistan comes all the way and violate Afghans airspace and strikes those places.
46:24What's wrong with Pakistan?
46:25What's wrong with the establishment?
46:27Why is Pakistani people not standing to its establishment and telling them, why are they killing Afghans?
46:32What's wrong?
46:32What have we done wrong?
46:33We have never interfered in any country's affairs.
46:35We are trying to have the best relations possible with every country, particularly Pakistan.
46:41You say you are our friends, our brothers.
46:43Then you strike us.
46:45When you hug us, you strike us from behind with a knife.
46:48What's going on?
46:49You shouldn't be doing this.
46:50Pakistan should allow us to live in peace.
46:54Even your own people will have peace.
46:55Now, as the military establishment is controlling the civil government, well, actually, as a matter of fact, the civil government
47:01was brought by the military.
47:03So, why should we be doing this?
47:05Why can't we not live in peace?
47:06So, Mona wants to respond to you.
47:07Pakistan is always while he is striking up on the point.
47:09Mona, Afghanistan is accusing Pakistan of stabbing them in the back.
47:13You're both supposed to be Muslim brothers, but you've just stabbed Afghanistan in the back, he says.
47:20Well, I, you know, he spoke about those drug addicts and who've been living a very miserable life.
47:27I'm sure life is indeed miserable for any drug addict.
47:30But, and then, you know, they were sent in a rehab by the government.
47:34I don't know what government prevails there.
47:35I'm sorry, I beg your pardon out there.
47:37Because there's no government, in my opinion.
47:39Does that justify the killing?
47:39There was a caretaker government, which had come in after the U.S. had departed from Afghanistan.
47:44Can I respond to Mona about the government, you know?
47:47So, when it comes to the government, we have a popular government.
47:50Mr. Malik, I just read your name.
47:50It's being supported by the people of Afghanistan.
47:53We are the government of Pakistan, which is only supported by the military.
47:57Please give me a patient hearing.
47:58Sir, they don't have any popular support.
48:00Sir, Malik Afghan, the government permit Mona Alam to complete her point, sir.
48:04Let her just complete her point.
48:05I'm coming to you, sir.
48:07Go on, man.
48:07Thank you so much, Gaurav.
48:09I really appreciate that.
48:10And Malik, please do not treat me like you treat girls in your country.
48:14Do not do that, please.
48:15Please kindly give me a patient hearing.
48:18So, I'm just trying to imply that, you know, this was a caretaker government, which had
48:22come in and which was supposed to hold elections.
48:24We were all looking forward for elections.
48:26And we want the government, you know, which has come in by the will of the people of Afghanistan.
48:32And you know it really well.
48:33The ISI was celebrating, Mona Alam.
48:35I am sorry.
48:36Your DGISI was having that cup of tea at Serena Hotel.
48:40They were drinking tea.
48:41All is well.
48:42All is well.
48:43Now, you're saying that it was wrong.
48:46He was the ex.
48:48He is now the former DGISI.
48:50You know, he's been, you know, he's facing very serious charges here in my country as well.
48:55But having said that, you know, he was somebody who was very pro-Taliban.
48:59But your Prime Minister, your Prime Minister, Ivaran Khan, that time, he was saying shackles
49:05of slavery have been overthrown when Taliban took over Kabul.
49:09Isn't it, Mr. Malik Afghan?
49:10That is what Pakistan was claiming.
49:12Afghan brother, Taliban brother has taken over.
49:16Ab kya ho gaya?
49:16Ab now you're killing them.
49:18You're killing them mercilessly.
49:20Why is Pakistan army shooting, firing, bombing your own brother's monologue?
49:26It's an ammunition depot.
49:27It's an ammunition depot, Gaurav.
49:28Come on.
49:29You are somebody who has covered defense matters at length.
49:33You should know that the secondary explosion that has happened, it was by and large, I think,
49:37of the same magnitude as the primary explosion.
49:40This itself is a big proof that this was an ammunition depot.
49:43It was no drug rehab facility whatsoever.
49:46Even Afghan news outlets have deleted their tweet, whereby they were claiming that, you
49:51know, there are 500 dead bodies and 200 critically injured.
49:56Ok.
49:57Those people who were crying outside and I want to show those images of people crying outside
50:03the hospital.
50:04I'll play out those images so people are crying because ammunition has been burnt.
50:08Is it?
50:09That ammunition that they wanted to use against Afghanistan, against Pakistan, that ammunition
50:13could not be used.
50:14So they're crying.
50:14I'm in a better position to comment on that.
50:17Yes, go on.
50:18We're showing you images of people crying.
50:20Those images.
50:21Are they crying because ammunition has been destroyed?
50:23I mean, are Pakistanis so heartless?
50:27Are you?
50:28Are you?
50:28No.
50:29It.
50:29I only want this to be consolidated.
50:32I only want this to be, you know, backed by evidence.
50:34This is all that I'm asking for.
50:36And I think as a credible journalist, even you yourself should be asking the same kind of
50:40credible evidence from all these Afghan analysts that are, you know, coming up on your
50:45programs and making, you know, making claims that there are 200 injured.
50:49There are 500 dead bodies, if there are dead bodies, the camera eye doesn't hide anything.
50:57Let me bring in Malik Afghan because that's a grave allegation you level.
51:00Mr. Afghan, Mona Alam from Pakistan says it was an ammunition depot that was bombed, not
51:06a drug rehabilitation hospital.
51:09There are no 400 dead bodies.
51:11Please, Malik, Malik.
51:13Yeah, well, actually, Mona, I would have asked you to send your ambassador.
51:19He had to see it by himself.
51:21So everybody's site, if you don't believe on videos and other accounts of other journalists,
51:25so you can send your own ambassador to see.
51:28We are always welcoming anybody to see that and have a look whether that was a depot or
51:34a rehabilitation center.
51:35So that's a clear accusation that you are throwing at us.
51:41Firstly, you come and kill our people.
51:43And then you say you hit the ammunition depot.
51:46It's very sad to hear that.
51:47The fact of the matter is the Pakistani military establishment has lost its mind.
51:55They are targeting civilians, not only the first time.
51:57They have targeted lots of our villages.
52:00They killed innocent children and women.
52:02So what is this?
52:04And now you are coming here all the way from Pakistan, violating Afghan airspace and bombarding
52:11an independent country, civilian area.
52:13So the last 30 seconds I have on this part of the show, Malik Afghan, I just want to understand,
52:17will this fire remain only along the Durand line?
52:21Or do you see, you know, when Afghanistan says they will avenge every drop of blood,
52:26what does it mean, sir?
52:30Well, actually, we are left with no choice.
52:33We tried to avoid the war and fighting.
52:36We only kept it limited to the borderline, the Durand line, which we don't even recognize.
52:41But now they are leaving us no choice to get into Pakistan and defend our civilians that they
52:47have been killing and killed.
52:49You've been killing innocent civilians, APS children, army public school children,
52:53all these years, that had happened in 2014 and even 12 years later.
52:56And yet your army let off those killers.
52:59Yet your army let off those killers.
53:02You know, that is very bizarre.
53:04135 of your children get massacred and the killers are let off.
53:08But that's a debate for another time.
53:09I've run out of time on this part of the show.
53:11But Afghanistan says if Kabul burns, can Rawalpindi and Islamabad be safe?
53:18We'll be tracking that story very, very closely.
53:20I want to thank Malik Afghan and Mona Alam for joining me here on this India Today special broadcast.
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