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Who won the war with Iran – and what comes next? Yaakov is joined by Avner Vilan, who spent two decades inside Israel’s defense and intelligence establishment working to undermine Iran’s nuclear program. Together, they break down what was achieved, what wasn’t, and where things go from here.

Israel and the U.S. inflicted serious damage on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure – but was that enough to change the region for good? In this episode, Gil Troy and Shmuel Rosner join Yaakov to discuss whether the battlefield gains can now be turned into a real strategic success through diplomacy, pressure on the regime, and the high-stakes negotiations still to come.

As the regional landscape continues to shift, our expert panel will provide critical insights into the military, political, and diplomatic dimensions of the war, as well as the broader implications for Israel’s security and international standing. The discussion will feature a distinguished group of JPPI experts and senior figures with decades of experience at the highest levels of government, intelligence, and media. Dennis Ross, Ambassador and co-chairman of JPPI’s Board of Directors, who served as Director of Policy Planning under U.S. President George H. W. Bush, Special Middle East Coordinator under President Bill Clinton, and Special Adviser on the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Yaakov Katz, JPPI senior fellow, the author of four books on the Israeli military and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. Miri Eisin, retired colonel in the Israel Defense Forces and former foreign media adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the first woman in Israel’s history to hold this position. LTC (Ret.) Or Horvitz, JPPI senior fellow and former Head of the Hezbollah and Lebanon Branch (2022–2024), who later served as Senior Adviser to the Director of Israel Defense Intelligence (2024–2026), where he played a central role in post-October 7 transformation processes and Israel’s campaigns against Hezbollah and Iran. Together, the panel will explore key questions shaping the next phase of the war, including the effectiveness of current military strategies, the role of international actors, and the strategic recalibrations required for long-term stability in the Middle East.

What have we really learned from Iran’s missile campaign? In this episode, missile expert Tal Inbar breaks down why cluster munitions are so difficult to intercept, how Israel’s air defense systems are performing under real wartime pressure, and what this all means for the future of Israeli strategy - including the growing case for a dedicated offensive missile corps.

As the war drags on, the big questions are only getting sharper: Is there a real strategy? What does victory actually look like? And how long can Israeli society sustain this? I’m joined by Shmuel Rosner and Gil Troy for a candid conversation about the gap between goals and reality, how this war might end, and the limits of national resilience.

What does “winning” a war with Iran actually mean? Dennis Ross breaks down the possible endgames - from nuclear concessions to control of the Strait of Hormuz - and what the conflict means for U.S. politics and regional normalization.

As Israel continues to fight a war on multiple fronts, a critical question is emerging at home: What kind of country is it becoming in the process? In this episode, Yaakov speaks with Prof. Dan Ben-David of the Shoresh Institute and Tel Aviv University about the government’s decision to allocate 5 billion shekels to the Haredi sector in the middle of the war — and what that reveals about Israel’s priorities.

As Israel fights a historic war with Iran, deeper questions are emerging about the country’s future. What kind of Israel will take shape after this conflict? What does the war reveal about Israel’s strengths and limits? And as the country moves toward another election cycle, how might the war reshape its politics and leadership? To unpack these questions, Yakkov is joined by Dr. Einat Wilf - former Knesset member, political thinker, and one of the most insightful voices in Israel’s strategic debate.

On day 13 of the war with Iran, where does the campaign stand? Have Israel and the United States achieved their core objectives, and what still remains unresolved? Yaakov Katz is joined by JPPI senior fellows Shmuel Rosner and LTC (Ret.) Or Horvitz for a strategic look at the war so far, the pressure points ahead, and whether there is any risk of divergence between Jerusalem and the Trump administration as the conflict continues.

As the war continues to reshape the Middle East, a critical question remains: what happened to the 450 kg of highly enriched uranium Iran reportedly buried under Isfahan? To explore the strategic and technical realities of this challenge, Yaakov speaks with Avner Vilan, who spent two decades inside Israel’s intelligence and defense communities focused on disrupting Iran’s nuclear ambitions. He provides a rare, expert perspective on the resilience of the Iranian program and what its survival means for the day after the war. For a list of Avner's recent X posts about Iran:  https://x.com/avner_vilan/status/2031335524670026014?s=20

Former IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. (res.) Peter Lerner joins the podcast to discuss Israel’s wartime communication strategy. We discuss why Israel communicates differently than the US, how misinformation and AI videos shape coverage, and what questions the media should really be asking.

Gil Troy and Shmuel Rosner join Yaakov to discuss the latest developments in the war with Iran, the resilience of the Trump–Netanyahu relationship, and new polling on American Jewish support for the war - and what it could mean for Israel’s growing election debate.

Missiles are flying across the Middle East - and American defense systems are stopping many of them. But interceptors are limited. Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins Yaakov to examine whether the U.S. and its allies have enough missile defense capabilities to sustain a long war with Iran.

Hezbollah has joined the war, firing rockets into Israel and widening the conflict with Iran. On day three of the campaign, what are the objectives, what has been achieved, and how deep is US–Israel coordination? LTC (Ret.) Or Horvitz, a former senior intelligence officer, joins Yaakov to break it down.

Elliott Abrams joins the podcast to discuss the joint Israeli-American operation aimed at weakening the Iranian regime, degrading its military capabilities, and creating an opening for the Iranian people to seize the reins of power and topple the ayatollahs.