The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran turned what were formerly close allies into mortal enemies. For decades after the revolution, Iran and Israel fought each other in the shadows - through clandestine operations and proxies - but avoided direct military confrontation. This changed dramatically over the past two years. With Iran on the verge of nuclear breakout, the Islamic Republic launched hundreds of ballistic missiles against Israel in April and October of 2024. Having coordinated its response closely with the United States, Israel struck back in June 2025, aiming to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile stockpiles and set back its nuclear program. What were the actual outcomes of the 12-day Iran-Israel war? Is Iran more motivated than ever to acquire nuclear weapons? And what comes next in the Iran-Israel conflict? Join Or Rabinowitz in conversation with Sima Shine and Raz Zimmt. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Sima Shine is a Senior Researcher and former Director of the research program "Iran and the Shiite Axis" at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). For most of her career, Ms. Shine served in the Israeli Intelligence Community. Her last position was Head of the Research & Evaluation Division of the Mossad (2003-2007).  After her retirement from the Mossad, Shine served as Deputy Head of Strategic Affairs in Israel's National Security Council (2008-2009) and then (2009 -2016) served in the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, where she was responsible, inter alia, for the Iranian file and was deputy Director General.

Dr. Raz Zimmt is the Director of the Iran and the Shiite Axis research program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He is also the co-editor of the institute’s journal, Strategic Assessment. He holds a master's degree and a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern history from Tel Aviv University. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on Iranian policy towards Nasserism and Arab radicalism between 1954 and 1967. Additionally, he is a research fellow at the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies at Tel-Aviv University. He is the author of the book “Iran From Within: State and Society in the Islamic Republic," published (in Hebrew) in 2022, and has published extensively on Iranian politics, society, and foreign policy. He has also regularly provided expert commentary to Israeli and international media. Dr. Zimmt is a veteran Iran watcher in the Israeli Defense Forces, where he served for more than two decades.

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