Speaker 1: I Billy Cunningham the Great America to go to. REGs
Speaker 1: Baseball kicks off tonight in Detroit and they have its
Speaker 1: three game set there before they come home. And some
Speaker 1: have said this will be a preview of the World Series.
Speaker 1: That might be a little bit over your skis. It's
Speaker 1: a little bit.
Speaker 2: I think.
Speaker 1: The last time the Reds played Detroit, Bob Casolini was
Speaker 1: not the owner of the ball club. Johnny bench edn't
Speaker 1: beond born yet. It was nineteen forty when the Reds
Speaker 1: beat the Tigers in seven games to win the World
Speaker 1: Series after losing to the Yankees in nineteen thirty nine.
Speaker 1: I have lots of historical references, but more importantly, at
Speaker 1: the last several hours, in fact, beginning yesterday, Israel began
Speaker 1: an attack, an air attack against Iran. And it's amazing
Speaker 1: to watch the formation of this. How long it's been
Speaker 1: going on. And probably no one in the America knows
Speaker 1: more about air attacks than Lieutenant General Richard Newton. He's
Speaker 1: the News Nation's senior national security contributor. He has been
Speaker 1: in command of B two B one Operation Fleets. He's
Speaker 1: in the military for about thirty years or so. Had
Speaker 1: a General Richard Newton, Welcome again to the Bill Cunningham Show.
Speaker 1: And first of all, of course, you were not involved
Speaker 1: in the planning by the Israeli Air Force and what
Speaker 1: they're doing in a general way once the well, once
Speaker 1: the radar stations were taken out about six or seven
Speaker 1: months ago, kind of give us your thought on what
Speaker 1: your counterparts in the Israeli Air Force had been planning
Speaker 1: the last several weeks and about the execution. Also, well, Bill,
Speaker 1: good to be with you, and thank you again for
Speaker 1: having me. As you reported, Israel launched a sweeping strike
Speaker 1: against Iranian targets yesterday. We'll get into that here in
Speaker 1: just a second. All the while, I would remind our
Speaker 1: listeners that shortly thereafter they also fend it off about
Speaker 1: one hundred Iranian drones that tried a counter attack. But
Speaker 1: really those drones practically never even left Iranian airspace. So
Speaker 1: it was a sweeping strike by Israel, frankly, very remarkable,
Speaker 1: very successful. First went after and much like you alluded to,
Speaker 1: on October twenty sixth, Israel launched another attack against Iran,
Speaker 1: this one fast forward. It's right out of that playbook.
Speaker 2: But here in June of twenty twenty five, they first
Speaker 2: went after more Iranian air defenses than they went after
Speaker 2: their command and control. They also went after Iranian leadership.
Speaker 2: This time they struck and killed the Iranian Revolutionary guardcourt commander.
Speaker 2: They also went after the chief of the Iranian military,
Speaker 2: which is a tantamount to going after our chairman of
Speaker 2: the Joint Chiefs Staff. They killed the head of the
Speaker 2: Iranian Air Force and so forth. And then they've also
Speaker 2: made some strikes, more strike against Iraning missile capabilities. So
Speaker 2: that was quite an evening last night. And I don't
Speaker 2: think that they're got They're not gonna let up. I
Speaker 2: think there's more to follow in the coming hours as
Speaker 2: arguments prevails over the Mideast, and probably in the coming
Speaker 2: days as well.
Speaker 1: General Newton, so many questions, so little time I learned.
Speaker 1: I watched one of your counterparts this morning, General Jack
Speaker 1: Keene with Fox News, talking about these drones, and I
Speaker 1: discovered that to launch a drone from Iran takes about
Speaker 1: eight to ten hours for the drone to reach Tel Aviv.
Speaker 1: They go very slow. And when you say they probably
Speaker 1: didn't get out of Iranian airspace, who took them down.
Speaker 2: Well, that would be the Israeli Air force. They launched
Speaker 2: two hundred aircraft last night. They've got F thirty five
Speaker 2: and F fifteens and other aircraft. They also have plenty
Speaker 2: of air defense capabilities themselves, but it's unlikely that they
Speaker 2: got anywhere near Israel. Now, that's not for Israel to
Speaker 2: take their eye offoot ball, because the first and foremost
Speaker 2: Prime Minister Nyaho, just like President Trump, protecting the American people,
Speaker 2: and then Yah who is very focused on protecting the
Speaker 2: Israeli people as bestie pop they can, and so it
Speaker 2: will provoke a response from Iran. They still have some
Speaker 2: modicum of capabilities to strike into Israel as well as
Speaker 2: to strike American force. We have about forty five thousand
Speaker 2: troops in the Mideast, but I don't think they're going
Speaker 2: to do so. I think Iran has been now deterred
Speaker 2: from at least striking against the United States because the
Speaker 2: President Trump's very clear declarations that if they go against
Speaker 2: the United States, are forty five thousand troops in the region.
Speaker 2: We've got plenty of firepower to counter attack. But nonetheless,
Speaker 2: this is a developing operation with Israel or not a
Speaker 2: one and none more to follow.
Speaker 1: As far as the bunker Buster bombs that we have,
Speaker 1: and I am I correct to say the Israelis don't
Speaker 1: have them since they don't have a delivery system like
Speaker 1: a B one or a B two, because it's too
Speaker 1: heavy for F thirty five. Is that true?
Speaker 2: That is correct. What we've got in place actually in
Speaker 2: Diego Garcia as we speak Bill is several E two
Speaker 2: stealth bombers. I happen to be the first stealth bomber
Speaker 2: squadron commander, and I can attest that the B two
Speaker 2: can carry two of those bunker busses. They're thirty thousand
Speaker 2: pound bombs, highly accurate. We call it the GBU fifty seven.
Speaker 2: They're the ones that can really go deep into deep
Speaker 2: earth penetrated weapon capability. The Iranians, especially in the Tons
Speaker 2: and other nuclear facilities, but especially in the Tons, have
Speaker 2: put multi story nuclear weapons development capabilities in the ground
Speaker 2: about two hundred feet deep. They've also been lined with
Speaker 2: three foot walls. And the only thing that can really
Speaker 2: go and take those out are these thirty thousand pound bombs,
Speaker 2: two of which can be delivered by one B two.
Speaker 2: They haven't been called on yet, but they're sitting there
Speaker 2: in Dieo Garcia about twenty one hundred miles away, and
Speaker 2: we could certainly hold those targets at risk. But back
Speaker 2: to Israel, they've done a very effective job in the times.
Speaker 2: They would have more work to do at other nuclear
Speaker 2: development facilities around Iran, and that's why I'm thinking the
Speaker 2: next page of their playbook will be to go after
Speaker 2: more nuclear sites.
Speaker 1: As far as the ability to Iran to do a
Speaker 1: conventional attack on Israel, is it fair to say that
Speaker 1: that's impossible? When I think of a conventional attack, I
Speaker 1: think of ground forces, I think of air forces. They
Speaker 1: can do shall we say hesbla hamas? So we have
Speaker 1: ten thousand terrorists walks across our southern border when Joe
Speaker 1: Biden was in office. God knows what they're going to do.
Speaker 1: Is it fair to say that Iran at this point
Speaker 1: it's in such terrible shape it cannot launch an attack
Speaker 1: on Israel. And as it did twice with hundreds of
Speaker 1: missiles and also drums, is Iran right now kind of naked.
Speaker 2: As they did back in October first, And that was
Speaker 2: Israel's response back on the twenty sixth of October Israel District.
Speaker 2: Iran has for years rated not with its own standing
Speaker 2: army although it has a pretty good terrorist organization inside
Speaker 2: its army called the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, but they're
Speaker 2: really what they've operated ground forces is through proxies as
Speaker 2: you alluded to, built has Blood of the North and
Speaker 2: Lebanon Loss in g the Houthis in Yemen and so forth.
Speaker 2: Do not have a standing army that can really invade
Speaker 2: another nation, especially Israel. But they do have still some
Speaker 2: ballistic missile capabilities left and they can still use and
Speaker 2: put in harms way Israel and Israeli people. They also
Speaker 2: have a very extensive drowne capability, but again with Israel's
Speaker 2: Iron dome and so forth, very effective. But Israel's not
Speaker 2: going to let up on the gas at all in
Speaker 2: terms of both offensive action against Israel but also defensive
Speaker 2: action to protect Israeli people. And I think that's what
Speaker 2: you're going to find to be in the next coming
Speaker 2: days or weeks and so forth. But again, the threat
Speaker 2: is still there with Iran principally however, and their abilities
Speaker 2: still to build nuclear weapons. That's really the key here.
Speaker 2: Not only does it put Israeli threat, it also puts
Speaker 2: other Golf allies and Arab nations at thread. Also that
Speaker 2: you know Saudi's Jordan Cutter. They don't want Iran to
Speaker 2: have a nuclear weapon much less the Israel does. But
Speaker 2: also having a nuclear weapon in the hands of the
Speaker 2: Iran puts US national security interests at risk as well.
Speaker 2: So again I think the cards are streat beginning to
Speaker 2: stack up against Iran here, but we're going to see
Speaker 2: more activity by Israel in the coming days.
Speaker 1: US Air Force Lieutenant General Richard Newton retired. As far
Speaker 1: as ballistic missiles and drones, for those who may be uninitiated,
Speaker 1: as I understand that a drone can take eight to
Speaker 1: ten hours to reach Israel, which is non effective, it'll
Speaker 1: be shot down. Ballistic missiles are a different animal. Can
Speaker 1: you explain how long it would take for a ballistic
Speaker 1: missile to go from Iran to televis.
Speaker 2: Well, it's a relatively short range for a ballistic missile,
Speaker 2: probably within within minutes. Uh and and that's but able
Speaker 2: to defeat a ballistic missile launch, you will first with
Speaker 2: exquisite intelligence and surveillance and reconnaissance from Israel. Uh, We'll
Speaker 2: be able to detect them actually putting the missiles on
Speaker 2: the launchers. Then you'll actually if it fires off you'll
Speaker 2: see the heat emanated from the launch itself from the
Speaker 2: uh launch site in Iran. That gives Israeli forces plenty
Speaker 2: of time, even though it's just within you know, several
Speaker 2: minutes of being able to strike Israel. But that in
Speaker 2: the calculus of not only detecting but defeating the ballistic
Speaker 2: missile leaving the launch pad in Iran, that's that's a
Speaker 2: good amount of time for Israel to react and to
Speaker 2: destroy those incoming blistic missiles. Much like we saw the
Speaker 2: largest missile attack, blistic missile attack, and drone attack ever
Speaker 2: in the Mid East occurred on October first, when in
Speaker 2: Iran those three hundred plus ballistic missiles and drones from
Speaker 2: Iran and Israel, and very few struck Israel because of
Speaker 2: their extensive, high and capable iron dome air defense system.
Speaker 2: And you would expect the same if Iran even contemplates
Speaker 2: striking against Israel. One more point, if I may build,
Speaker 2: is that back on that October twenty sixth strike, as
Speaker 2: you alluded to several months or so ago, Israel not
Speaker 2: only took out it's you know, a lot of Iranian capabilities,
Speaker 2: their air defense capabilities, they also took out a very
Speaker 2: large portion of their ballistic missiles capabilities that you alluded to,
Speaker 2: and so not only the operational missiles, but the production
Speaker 2: of those missiles. So Iran is back up against the
Speaker 2: wall here. And that's why the timing of this strike
Speaker 2: last night, now knowing that the International Atomic Energy Agency
Speaker 2: declared that Iran is within a few days or so
Speaker 2: of actually being able to build a nuclear bomb, and
Speaker 2: Prime Minister Ninian who reported they were going to be
Speaker 2: nine of them, but also the fact is that they
Speaker 2: took out their defenses back on October twenty six, even
Speaker 2: more so last night. They took out their blissing missile
Speaker 2: capability back on October twenty six, even more last night
Speaker 2: has really put Iran up against the wall.
Speaker 1: As far as getting a nuclear weapon, one does not
Speaker 1: need to marry it with a missile. One could if
Speaker 1: Iran had the desire, in fact, has some have said,
Speaker 1: and perhaps they have nuclear bombs right now, they could
Speaker 1: put it onto a barge, onto a truck and somehow
Speaker 1: get it to Israel and detonate it. But unless you
Speaker 1: eliminate the capability of making atomic weapons and atomic bombs,
Speaker 1: the fact they would marry with a missile, certainly North
Speaker 1: Korea has done it. They supposedly have thirty to fifty
Speaker 1: nuclear tip missiles aimed at US. But as far as Iran,
Speaker 1: is it fair to say with a nuclear weapon they
Speaker 1: wouldn't have to need a missile to kill six million
Speaker 1: Jews in Israel, which is what they say they want
Speaker 1: to do.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I actually take a little bit of issue with that.
Speaker 2: I think, really, what you there's one thing, you're right
Speaker 2: to have nuclear weapons capabilities, but I think also key
Speaker 2: is a delivery system, just to be able to park
Speaker 2: it and put it into a barge, as you allude to.
Speaker 2: I mean, nothing is you know, impossible in that regard,
Speaker 2: But I think really in order to have a credible
Speaker 2: capable and a reliable nuclear weapon, you have to have
Speaker 2: the nuclear weapon itself with a hiding enriched uranium military
Speaker 2: grade uranium, but you also have to have a delivery
Speaker 2: means to deliver that weapon system or and so I
Speaker 2: don't think it's it's, as you know, a dirty bomb
Speaker 2: per se. Nothing is out of question here, but really,
Speaker 2: buy and large the capability that Iran would need to
Speaker 2: really put Israel in harm's way with a nuclear bomb,
Speaker 2: is that also that nuclear delivery system and that's principally
Speaker 2: going to be on a ballistic missile. We see that
Speaker 2: happening now with in North Korea and other adversaries. But
Speaker 2: that that's really the extent of it. And that's why Bill,
Speaker 2: that's why they went after their blissing missile development capability
Speaker 2: as well as a delivery of the blissing missile itself
Speaker 2: with a warhead on top of it.
Speaker 1: Lastly, as far as what's going to occur in the future,
Speaker 1: God only knows. The references to what Iran could do,
Speaker 1: it could not do. One thing I found amazing. It
Speaker 1: was the walkie talkie and the PAGR explosions in hesblah.
Speaker 1: Something happened last night. Allegedly there was a powwow all
Speaker 1: the Iranian top leaders military leaders, you referenced them a
Speaker 1: few minutes ago, and somehow Israel, according to one source
Speaker 1: I saw a news nation said that the Israel Israelis
Speaker 1: arranged a meeting unbeknownst to the Iranians, to have the
Speaker 1: Iranian military leadership all get together last night and then
Speaker 1: somehow they were all killed. Explain how that can happen?
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's extraordinary, I mean it is You're spot on
Speaker 2: what they did with the Pagers back to the HESBO
Speaker 2: leadership some months or so go was remarkable. But now
Speaker 2: fast forward to last night or over the last several days,
Speaker 2: you know, Israel was it was the top commanders on
Speaker 2: the Air Force into gathering for a meeting, and they
Speaker 2: carried out specific activities you know. Uh, it was their
Speaker 2: intelligence to understand where these air force leaders are going
Speaker 2: to be, what type of meetings they were going to
Speaker 2: be held, and actually compelled them to meet. And so
Speaker 2: they used they used that information bill to actually influence
Speaker 2: their behavior to stay on at the meeting. And then
Speaker 2: once they got to the point where they were going
Speaker 2: to meet, they stayed the meeting. That's when they took
Speaker 2: them out. It's another remarkable capability that Israel has, not
Speaker 2: only in terms of their Air force, and there's really
Speaker 2: defense forces and certainly what they've done with HESBLOG and
Speaker 2: what they're doing with Hamas and GOT and so forth,
Speaker 2: but their ability to really ratchet up with the intelligence
Speaker 2: and their special operations capability makes them a significantly formal
Speaker 2: force in that regard.
Speaker 1: General Newton is unbelievable with the Pagers all set off together,
Speaker 1: but then in adition that they had walkie talkies that
Speaker 1: have been used for years that were weaponized unbeknownst to
Speaker 1: the Hesbala in Lebanon, and after after they used the
Speaker 1: pagers to disable six to eight hundred Hesbela leadership by
Speaker 1: blowing off a part of their hip of their arm
Speaker 1: many were killed. They then waited until someone said with Hesblo,
Speaker 1: we'll quit using the pagers, start using those walkie talkies.
Speaker 1: We've had those for years, and then Israel set those off.
Speaker 1: It's like and now they're afraid to turn on their
Speaker 1: air condition or the television set. They don't want to
Speaker 1: turn on the radio. Unfortunately, it's incredible that they have
Speaker 1: that capability, and we don't know at this point the
Speaker 1: Iranian leadership where they're taken out by a missile or
Speaker 1: by announce of lead in the back of the head,
Speaker 1: do you know, Yeah.
Speaker 2: It's the same thing. Like you said, they're unwilling now
Speaker 2: to even turn on their phones. Now they're even unwilling
Speaker 2: to meet. Uh, you know, it's really you know, they
Speaker 2: gathering that they took out the Iranian Air Force leaders.
Speaker 2: By the way, Israel last night took out also the
Speaker 2: Iranian chiefs staff of the Air Force, but also the
Speaker 2: Iranian chief of their drone force, and so they're taking
Speaker 2: them out one by one. So the whole enterprise effort
Speaker 2: by Israel with their F thirty five, their F fifteen
Speaker 2: Strike Eagles, and now all the way down to encouraging
Speaker 2: you know, a portion of their military leaders to meet
Speaker 2: and then take them out. That's extraordinary. So again this
Speaker 2: silver folding Bill, It's like I said, this is we're
Speaker 2: not here in the end of the ninth endy of
Speaker 2: the World Series and we're going to you know, pop
Speaker 2: champagne court. No, we're in the middle of the season
Speaker 2: right now to put in a baseball binacuar. But Israel's
Speaker 2: not going to let up. They're still going to be
Speaker 2: going for the fences, and I think the United States
Speaker 2: ought'll be supporting them and doing so.
Speaker 1: Lieutenant General Richard Newton, once again senior contributor to News Nation,
Speaker 1: Assistant Chief of Staff of the Air Force, been in
Speaker 1: it for about thirty years. Thanks for coming on the
Speaker 1: Bill Cunningham Show. I'm honored America has produced individuals like you,
Speaker 1: and thank you for your service to this nation. Thank you, General,
Speaker 1: Thank you Bill.
Speaker 2: I'm honored to keep serving in my best all our
Speaker 2: listeners there in Cincinnati.
Speaker 1: God bless America. Thank you very much. Let's continue with more,
Speaker 1: and there you have it. Imagine Israel setting up a powwow,
Speaker 1: unbeknownst to the Iranians of their top military leadership, and
Speaker 1: then killing them all. Bill Cunningham, News Radio seven hundred
Speaker 1: WLW