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 I have lots of historical references, but more importantly, at the last several hours, in fact, beginning yesterday, Israel began an attack, an air attack against Iran.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