Dan's guest is Professor Eitan Shamir -- who had senior roles in Israel's Defense Ministry and Strategic Affairs Ministry. He is now head of the BESA Center at Bar-Ilan University. Shamir says, about Israel having to accept Donald Trump's decisions and timetable: "When you have a senior partner, there's a cost!"

Is it reasonable to believe that Benjamin Netanyahu forced Trump into attacking Iran? And if Trump doesn't analyze complicated issues the way a strategic-affairs professor would, do you trust his decisions? Shamir: "I think his strategic compass is correct," including indications that Trump feels a "personal grudge" against Iran.

This is the 68th half-hour audio episode of The Mossad Files with Dan Raviv.

Please comment on X at @danraviv. Also on BlueSky, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Dan's most recent book -- with Israeli espionage/defense expert Yossi Melman -- is a low-priced e-book, "Target: Iran -- How the Mossad Penetrated Iran to Smash the Nuclear Program." For Kindle: https://levantbooks.short.gy/hGLRKs

Also the Raviv-Melman history of the Mossad is "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars" -- You may purchase it at http://bit.ly/41j1Sc3 in Kindle or paperback (and on all e-book platforms).

AND: Dan Raviv is co-author of a new book --with social psychologist Prof. Arie Kruglanski -- "The Quest for Significance: Harnessing the Need that Makes the World Go Round." It explains how every person has a need for respect and dignity, and the book advises how you can figure out yourself and the people around you, to give them a measure of Significance. To buy: https://amzn.to/3Y2cawj

(You can watch or listen, also, to THE QUEST FOR SIGNIFICANCE PODCAST series.)

Our music for THE MOSSAD FILES podcast is Clock is Ticking, by Braden Deal, from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/braden-deal/clock-is-ticking -- License code: YY2MEPOUFX6P7MIH.