(13 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Washington, DC – 13 June 2025
++STARTS ON A SOUNDBITE++
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute:
"Israel conducted a bold but risky strike that it’s called Operation Rising Lion. It is just in the early waves of what seems to be maybe a multi-week campaign. The first night involved more than 200 aircraft as well as drones that seem to be pre-positioned inside the country, targeting Iran’s top military leadership, leaders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, as well as key figures involved in Iran’s nuclear program. The early assessments and it’s still very early is that these attacks have exacted a high cost for Iran with minimal damage to Israel."
++BLACK FRAMES++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute:
"The key thing to note is that the actors in the region, Israel, Iran, some of the Arab Gulf states, they’re the ones that are driving events, not the United States. The United States is a big presence in terms of its military footprint and it’s seen as a leader. But we’re not driving events right now. We’re responding to things and trying to keep things within certain limits, much in the same way that it did in April and October of last year, when Israel and Iran had that exchange of missiles and airstrikes against each other."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute:
"President Trump came back to office in 2025, stating that he wanted to end kinetic wars. Wars like Russia’s attack on Ukraine, ending the war in Gaza, and also ending and avoiding big Middle East wars. He has not succeeded in doing that. And I think this action by Israel demonstrates how unsuccessful he’s been. He had hoped and put a lot of stock in diplomacy with Iran, but they weren’t getting there. So in some ways, though, by not having the United States participate in this initial wave of attacks and probably stay on the sidelines, he in some ways is doing what President Obama’s team had said about their engagement in parts of the Middle East. He’s leading from behind, in a sense. He’s letting others take the lead and we avoid the risk and the cost by and large. He’s (Trump) got a different cabinet and set of leaders in his own administration right now than he did in his first term. (Vice President) JD Vance, I think, is much more skeptical, as we saw in the leaked Signal chat on the operations against the Houthis in Yemen, more skepticism about direct U.S. military involvement than ever before. So the thing to watch for is whether Iran targets the United States in the region, and if U.S. military bases in places like Iraq or Syria are hit, then I think all bets are off. And I think that draws the United States in. It does go against the grain of this so-called Make America First approach, which I call a gated community mindset. Basically, build big walls, don’t care too much about how chaotic things get in other parts of the world, so long as it doesn’t affect our security or economic position here at home."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute:
"Yes, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the government, the regime is homicidal. It kills its own people. It kills people around the region. But it’s probably not suicidal. And to go after the United States directly would be — probably provoke a response that would likely mean the end of the regime as we know it."
++BLACK FRAMES++
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/4546cd6bb079424893895c1daa521a00
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in June 18, 2025, 9:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
