You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI Am six. Mo Kelly here as we continue our coverage of the events unfolding in Iran, and if you're just tuning in to bring you up to speed. Israel early Friday morning local time launched missiles in a retaliatory attack against Iran in response to the Iran attack on Israel over the weekend with the three hundred or so unmanned drones and missiles. A little bit more information has come in at this point.
Iranian State TV is reporting that three explosions were heard near a military base that's new where fighter jets are located in the northwest part of the city of Isfahan. Prior to now, we knew that there was a civilian international airport in that area, but now we know there was also a military base in that vicinity. It has been said that the radar was one of the possible targets, and Iran, as you might expect, has promised an immediate and maximum
level response and this actually was prior to the attack. Iran had promised if Israel were to do anything that there would be an immediate and a maximum level response. We will see if they follow through on that. But there's a little bit more clarity. We understand now from information which has been corroborated on a number of news sites, that there was specifically a military base, military
target in Isfahan, and that was the intended target. But we don't know whether that was the only target, but we know that that was the target on this particular occasion, and there's still speculation whether it was army radar, or whether they targeted the jets, whether they targeted the runways so to limit the jets' capabilities, or whether there was a missile facility there, or there
was some other high value military target that within that base. We don't know that information, but it's coming into clearer view that this was not an attack on Iran the country, but it's more related to its military infrastructure. Originally, we were wondering, or I wondered out loud, if and when President Biden would have anything to say on this, or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nett and Yahoo. At this point, there has been no official White House response
as of yet, President Biden has not made any mention of this. It's an unnamed senior US official who confirmed that this was an Israeli attack on Iran. The official was not named, but has been corroborated by a number of news agencies. That's why we are reporting it at this point, but there
has been no official White House response. I don't know if there will be any White House response tonight, whether there will be any type of press conference to give information, or they're going to wait until the Israeli Prime Minister speaks first, because I don't think they want to be out in front on this. This is something that Israel is going to have to at least give us more information about before other nations I think would weigh in. That's what we're
following at this point. That's what we know, and it's a little bit more than what we knew last hour. Last hour, we knew there was an attack, but we didn't necessarily know if there was a military target. It seems now at this point there was a specific military target, military base in East Fahan, which also has an international airport. The airport was not
targeted, The airport was not hit, but this military base. From some reporting, Iranian State Agency has reported there were three explosions heard near the military base. There has again, there has not been any confirmation of fatalities. At this point, there has been no specific information as far as amount of damage or whether there was severe damage at the base. We don't know anything like that at this point. Iranian state media hasn't even given any indication about
that, so I don't know how to read into that. But the rhetoric
has not been hyperbolic at this point. If there haven't been any reports of widespread mass casualties, there haven't been reports of extensive damage that may be coming, but as of this point it has not happened, and still information is very limited, and would I would caution anyone from just getting on the Internet and getting on Twitter, because this is the time that people will thrive in spreading disinformation, information, fake videos from locations that we don't know, because
they're just trying to draw attention to their account but they don't have any actual
information. This is the time where it's okay to be on the Internet and social media trying to find information, but be very wary of the sites that you go to or the supposed purveyors of this information, because this is the time where you can easily be duped if you're not clear on the origin of the information or the sourcing of the information, and this is not something that needs to be resolved as far as the what, the why and how right
about now and last hour. We're talking about this from a number of levels. There is what is going on in the Middle East. There is how the US is going to respond or not respond in terms of our rhetoric, any type of action, our support of Israel, how we as a country will respond, and then there's internally how people will respond. We saw what was happening on Columbia's campus today. We heard what was happening and saw what
was happening on USC's campus. There were arrests in New York on Columbia's campus. There were no arrests to my mind, on USC's campus, but there's going to be more. I would say tension on campuses because of this. Yes, what happens with USC and its commencement is far less important in the grand scheme of things agreed. I wouldn't say otherwise, but I would say it would. I think we need to pay attention as to what is happening on the campuses, and that will give us an indication of where a lot
of this is headed. We had talked about how USC made a decision in a moment that I'm not so sure I understood. I understood why I wasn't so sure it was the right decision or the right way to handle it. And Toualla Sharp brought this out and made the key point this may have been an unattended consequence and created an escalation just within USC, which may not have
been their intention but may have been the end result. And we saw the protests today, hundreds and hundreds of students and other activists on USC's campus having nothing to do with the events in the Middle East today, or at least not the retaliatory strike by Israel today because it happened after that. So we don't even know how those students are going to respond to this given the sentiment
and feeling on USC's campus. We do know that young people buying large, especially those heavily influenced by social media, and moved to cause, whether it's Black Lives Matter or whatever march you want to call upon, that move to cause where you're out there and just the moment of the and the hype of
it gets them out there in force. And this is why I don't want to be worrisome I don't want to cast worry on this, but I am concerned about the state of mind of young people nowadays here in southern California and how incidents like what we're seeing right now just could serve to heighten them. Get them out there really to make a point. Well, they are obviously much more animated, and they didn't need the events of today in the Middle
East. No, yes, you know, and if they were already animated, and if they were already against the stance of USC for example, and their decision, the events in the Middle East today, the retaliatory strike on Iran by Israel is not going to in any way lesson their anger. And this is not to take size. This is just to tell you clearly that there will be a rhetorical escalation on college campuses, a rhetorical one, and hopefully it doesn't go beyond that. These are the things that I said we
could not predict. We didn't know what the future was going to hold. We didn't know what the world was going to look like in one or two weeks. We said exactly that, and it turns out we didn't know what the world was going to look like in twenty four hours and It has fundamentally changed the conversation about what will happen on college campuses. It changes the conversation
what will happen in the Middle East. We don't know if there will be other bad actors or proxies of Iran which will further involve themselves in this common conflict. We don't know how this impacts the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Does this say to Hamas they would be less likely to negotiate and try to exchange hostages if they feel as if they have more public backing from a Hesba law or Iran. I don't know. I'm not the military expert,
but those are some of the questions that will cross my mind. Because all of these things are connected. They are not They're not discrete in nature, They're not separated in nature. All of these things are connected. It's IM six forty on mo Kelly as we continue the events in the Middle East. Israel early Friday morning local time has launched missiles and a retaliatory strike against Iran.
We will continue to follow that story here and in the newsroom. You're listening to Later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty as we continue our coverage of the events unfolding in the Middle East, we're live everywhere on the iHeartRadio app Something I want to remind folks because I know what I know, because I've lived a certain amount of time, and I sometimes forget that not everyone may have lived as long and seen a lot of this history
unfold over their lifetime, and maybe, let's say you're twenty five to thirty, you don't know how this moment is remarkably different in any way. And I think here is the main reason why it's really different. In the past. We know there's always been unrest in the Middle East. We know that there's always been tension between Israel and Iran. But when we talk about Israel and Hamas, Hamas is not a nation state. When we talk about Israel
and Hezbolah, it's not a nation state. These are terrorist organizations. For the most part, what is happening now is significant in a historical sense. It's because these aren't proxies, if you will. We know that Hamas is a proxy for Iran. This is different because we have Israel and Iran directly
attacking each other. Are they focused strikes? Absolutely? Are they limited in scope, yes and no. The strike today it was Friday in terms of Israel and Iran, but the strike on this occasion was focused and targeted. The attempted strike from Iran to Israel, from everything I've read, was not focused in nature. It was expansive and extensive in nature. Excuse me, expansive and extensive. We have some three hundred missiles and drones coming in that's
not focused in nature. So that's that is something. How it's different. You have nation nation, not proxies, and there is a continuous escalation of what has been happening. There has been limited loss of life so far, but we can argue thanks to the Iron Dome. You know, without the
Iron Dome, loss of life probably would have been much more extensive. We know that Israel has been more measured than Iran at this point, but you have to go back to what Israel did with the Iranian consulate on April first in Syria that also had a loss of life. I think seven individuals. This is not about right or wrong. This is about a continuing path of escalation. And I don't know who's going to get the last word, as they say, I don't know who is going to be satisfied with keeping it
on this level. I don't know if Iran is of the mind where this is the time to have a full on direct conflict with Israel. Israel I don't think wants a direct conflict with Iran. Israel still dealing with Hamas and quite possibly Hesbelah because Hezbela just kind of sitting there waiting if you will, possibly going to strike. But for those who who are not old enough to remember a lot of the history, it's different because this is nation on nation,
not proxies. This is direct interaction and escalation. This is different in a historical sense. And this is why people are much more concerned about what is going on in the Middle East, given that it's one thing when it's rhetorical in nature. Excuse me, one thing when it's just rhetorical and you have limited strikes. But we're not seeing that. We're seeing direct strikes, possibly for mass casualties, the purpose of mass casualties. At least that's what
we saw from Iran on Saturday, not today with Israel. That may not be the case in a week or two if it keeps going on this path. There's a little bit of history in a general sense. Why this is different. You have this direct adversarial conflict between nation states, and we don't know where this is going to lead. And also as Americans, we don't know what our role is going to be if it continues to escalate. What is the expectation as to our level of support for Israel given this? Now
we can talk about AID, we've understood that. But if it turns into a full on regional conflict, another war, dare I use the word what does that mean for the United States? We knew what it meant for Afghanistan, we knew what it meant for the Iraq War. And if you're old enough to remember, we remember how close we got to war with Iran back in nineteen eighty given the hostage crisis. All that history matters, All that comes into play with the fall of the Shaw of Iran, and that history
still plays today. Maybe not in an immediate sense, but it's still connected. It's part of the reason why Iran in the US. If you even want to go back to the nineteen fifty four mark Ronner, I might. I don't have the year right, the nineteen fifty four where they overthrew in Iran. You're in the ballpark, and I would have to look it up, but yeah, I want to be specific, but there's a historical dislike for the US in Iran dating back to the nineteen fifties, and I want
to get all that correct. Yeah, absolutely, And you know, Iran and Israel have been antagonizing each other increasingly for years and there years. Yes, And you have to, for context, remember that former President Trump canceled the nuclear agreement that Iran was abiding by, which is going to play bigger and bigger into this situation. It is, it is, but we don't
know where any of this is going. And if you're just checking in with KFI right now, we're following this story in the Middle East as Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran. This has been confirmed by an unnamed US
official. President Biden has not made any public statement the government. Our government has not officially acknowledged it, but a number of news agencies here and in the Middle East have confirmed it. We do know that these explosions, there are three explosions which are heard near what is now known to be a military base in East Fahan, which also has an international airport and flights in and out of that airport have been suspended and redirected. We don't know about any
casualty or loss of life. We don't know as to extent of any damage to this location, this military base, its capabilities, whether they've been limited in any way, and Iran has not officially made any type of response, either in a statement or any type of military action at this time. This
is what we're following. This is what we're watching, and we'll stay right here on the story you're listening to later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty and we're continuing to follow the events I say unfold in the Middle East. And by now you probably know that Israel as promised, they
did promise, and had promised since this weekend. They promised a retaliation to the drones and missiles launched by Iran on Saturday, and they responded this evening, which seems to be at this point a limited strike on one target, a singular target which was military in nature, a military base in Isfahan near an international airport. No confirmation of casualties at this point. We don't know
the extent of the damage at this point. That's the information that we're working with and we're looking to find out more as more comes in, as we monitor not only local news but also internationally different news agencies which they are and
are not reporting, which they can corroborate. That's most important. That's the basic information, and it has not changed for a while now, and I think that's good because it would signal, I think, to a reasonable person that this is where it will end, at least for this particular Israeli strike. It does not seem to be one of multiple. It seems to be one and done at this point. And maybe I guess the next shooting drop
is how Iran, if at all, will respond. Prior to today, Iran had pledged an immediate and a maximum level response if there was any take action taken by Israel against Iran. Well, Israel has now taken that action against Iran, and we're basically in a wait and see. We don't know how much damage was done. I was just talking to to wall I said, hopefully you know you did yours, we did ours. No less,
everybody go home and leave it at that. Hopefully it will not lead to another escalation, because we all know with each escalation it moves us to a point of no return and you will not be able to de escalate it,
and then you just have a regional wideflict, which obviously nobody wants. One thing that comes to mind and I wonder about, is if the US is God forbid drugged into this, what could that mean for involvement from China, What could that mean for involvement from Russia and so forth and so on,
Because that is what I've already seen already on social media. I know you say, watch out for what's happening on social media, but the sentiment is there that this is what's quote unquote going to lead us to this next world war because of the players involved in our allegiance. From what President Biden said over the weekend, what we know for sure is nothing happens in a vacuum. Even though this may be happening in the Middle East, it does have
the potential to impact what is happening in Ukraine. As far as what Russia intends to do. Whether Russia would help Iran, that's a question. Whether China would with Iran, whether they would fund any of the malicious, whether they would do something to complicate the issue in the Middle East. Those are the things that I think it's fair to wonder about because none of these things
happen in a vacuum. Even North Korea, there are opportunities, if you will, and I put that in air quotes, opportunities for rogue actors to make this worse than it is at this moment. That's the question. Of course, you're not going to find that answer on social media, but that will be also the discussion on social media. But here's something we do know, and let's not lose sight of this, because whenever we have these incidents,
we always wonder how is it going to impact us? How is it going to impact us here, not only in California, but US as Americans. Well, we know that there is always an oil facet to the conversation when anything happens in the Middle East. It's fair to wonder about OPEC and gas prices and whether that is going to be something which we'll have to deal
with. Even though America we're at the height of our energy independence and we rely less on Middle East oil than ever before, we can't necessarily control all the factors in what sets prices. We know that today the average price per gallon of regular gas five dollars and forty cents in La County. That's just today, and that's up for the twenty eight consecutive day. That's before the events of the Middle East transpire. I would expect that this will have some
It would have to have some negative effect on gas prices. Now, whether it's real or whether it's price gouging, we'll see where it goes. But historically there has been unrest in the Middle East, it has foundered its way to our gas pumps, and we as Americans have to deal with it. We as Californians obviously know that we pay get for more for gas than anywhere else in the country. So if I were to make a prediction, there probably will be a response in terms of our oil markets, in a response
in terms of what we have to pay at the gas pump. That's probably the short term consequence of all this. And yes, I know oil prices their speculative in nature. It's not about what's actually on hand in reserves. But oftentimes the prices are a reflection of unrest or concern. That's why I call them speculative in nature. It's thoughts about the future, what things may
happen. If there's a fear that there would be a wider conflict or dare I say it a war in the Middle East that ad affects the cost of crude oil and then gas here in the United States. All these things are connected. That's what I always try to say. Nothing is happening in its own silo, in its own vacuum. And this is why it's so very important to pay attention to what's going on, not only what's happening here on college campuses, but what's happening in the Middle East. It's all connected.
You're listening to later with Moe Kelly on demand from KFI AM six forty. There's some things that I would want people to glean from what has happened in Iran tonight. And a US official has confirmed that this was a retaliatory strike from Israel into Iran. It's curious there hasn't been any formal statement by Israel. There's been no formal statement as far as Iran State News agency. It just seemed curious, and obviously President Biden hasn't spoken on it, which says
it's not necessarily as clear cut as it might be. And if it is as being reported that Israel did attack Iran, I think we can look at this through somewhat positive lens in this way. If it is as it's reported, it was a limited strike. There have been no casualties reported, and with respect to proportionality, it is far less than what transpired over the weekend with Iran sending some three hundred drones and missiles, I would say, indiscriminately
all across Israel. If it is what we are being told it is in Iran, as far as what was hit this military base near East Bahand, which also has an international airport, If it is that as it's being reported, but it hasn't been corroborated and confirmed by either Benjamin net Yahoo, our federal government, the Biden administration, or Iranian state news. There were certain things I was looking for that I have not seen or heard as of yet.
And if you look at cable news, they're saying the White House has yet to respond. That's interesting, That's all I'm gonna say. It's interesting that there has been no official response or indication. Usually when there's something like this, there's a there's a message of condemnation or admiration of support, something like that. There's been nothing said by the Biden administration. I'm not going
to read into it other than there's been no statement. There's been no statement from Benjamin net and Yahoo, there's been no statement from Iranian state media about contextualizing the nature of this event, this incident, that's the only way I can phrase it. And what might the response be going forward. I'm seeing on NBC that earlier Israeli officials had notified US officials that a response was coming.
So with that in mind, we can only assume that President Biden has been behind the scenes doing everything humanly possible to stop this from turning into a tinderbox. Well, I would suspect that that's true, if only because we have to assume the public rhetoric would match with that. He has been vocal in the previous days trying to keep this from escalating, and Israel has been very clear that there would be a response, and Iran has been very clear
that if there was a response, they would respond. And obviously President Biden is saying, you know, this only leads to one place. Exactly whether we get there or not, I don't know. I don't know. The details are still very few with respect to this. I've phrased it as an attack, but I don't know how to really characterize it. I just don't know. We don't know the exact nature excuse me, the exact location of the missile strike or whatever it was. We don't know what was used.
Like for example, with Iran, we knew that there were unmanned drones, there were missiles. We haven't even gotten the specifics of what struck this location. No, and like any developing story like this, details are changing as more information comes in, and they're going to be throughout the night. So just be aware that whatever you hear could change in an instant. Absolutely not only could be changed, could be one hundred and eighty degrees in the other
direction. Because details are scant, facts are even fewer. So we're trying to give you the information which has been corroborated the best of our ability. And I'm glad you pointed out earlier. Be careful what your news sources are. Go to the source. Don't believe anything you see, especially now on Twitter. Check through, make sure it's a reputable news agency. This is very important and it's we're bearing the fruit right now of Elon Musk taking over
Twitter. You can trust it far less than you've been able to before, well it used to be. And this is where not to get too far afield, but this is where those check marks mattered back in the day, because at least you knew you were getting information from a reputable agency, you knew that they had been verified, and then you could then make an informed decision about that information. Now it's just a wild while west. You have
no idea where any of this stuff is coming from has been verified. It could be fake, it could be AI, it could be doctored, all those things. And we're in a different space in place now when it comes to disseminating information, digesting it and then also verifying it. Right now, if you see a check mark on Twitter x, it means exactly the opposite of what it used to mean. So be very skeptical of your news sources.
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