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Welcome to the NewsHour.
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Iranian officials confirmed today that Ali Larajani was killed by an Israeli air
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strike that also killed a second top security official.
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Larajani had been a fixture of Iran's regime for decades and had essentially led Iran
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since the killing of its supreme leader at the start of the war.
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Also today, for the first time in years, a senior U.S. government official resigned in
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Joe Kent directed the National Counterterrorism Center, and today refuted President Trump's
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statements that Iran presented an imminent threat.
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Kent said the war was in Israel's interest, but not the United States.
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Nick Schifrin starts us off looking at both of those stories, beginning with Israel's
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strikes on the regime in Tehran.
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In Tehran today, in Israeli assault, to decapitate the Iranian state.
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Ali Larajani was the country's top national security official.
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An analyst believed he was largely running the country since the death of Ayatollah Ali
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Larajani was responsible for the Ayatollah's succession plan, oversaw the recent nuclear
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negotiations with the U.S.
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was the main conduit for decades for Iran's allies, China and Russia.
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And during January protests that challenged the theocracy's 47-year-old rule, he oversaw
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the crackdown that left tens of thousands dead.
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His last public appearance at this pro-government protest, he was, to the end, defiant.
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Oshkidesyn is an honest Trump's problem is that he does not have the wisdom to realize
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that Iranian people are brave.
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They are a strong nation and a determined nation.
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He was in charge of the killing of protesters.
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In Washington, President Trump praised Israel's strike on Larajani, and these follow-on
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Israeli strikes today that Iran confirmed killed Golem Result, Soleimani.
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The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's besiege militia, responsible for domestic
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security, including the January crackdown.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strikes a path to regime change.
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We are undermining this regime, and the hope of giving the Iranian people an opportunity
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Netanyahu also suggested that Israeli jets will soon help defend the U.S.'s Gulf allies
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from Iranian attacks.
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With God's help, we have reached a situation where, after October 7th, when we were on
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the brink of collapse, we are now a mighty power, almost global, together with our ally,
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who is the global superpower, fighting shoulder to shoulder.
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Israel has been our partner, Israel's been very, very strong.
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It is that very American-Israeli collaboration.
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The President asked me to come and make sure you were okay.
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He celebrated today in a social media video of Netanyahu with American Ambassador Lake
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Huckabee, and crescendoing in this joint U.S.-Israeli war in Iran that came under attack
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today by National Counterterror Center Director Joe Kent.
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He publicly resigned in protest, writing to President Trump directly, saying, quote,
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early in this administration, high-ranking Israeli officials and influential members
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of the American media deployed a misinformation campaign that wholly undermined your America
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first platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran.
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This echo chamber was used to deceive you into believing that Iran posed an imminent
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threat to the United States, and that should you strike now, there was a clear path to
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Multiple former officials tell PBS NewsHour that Kent's criticism is echoed by other members
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of the administration.
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Kent is an army veteran who deployed eleven times, and whose wife was killed by ISIS
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He is also a politician who twice ran and lost congressional races in Washington State.
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When I ran a statement, I realized that it's a good thing that he's out, because he said
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that Iran was not a threat.
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Iran was a threat every country realized what a threat Iran was.
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The question is whether or not they wanted to do something about it.
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Today, Iran and its proxies continue to prove their ongoing threat.
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Lockets and drones targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
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While in Central Israel, a cluster warhead fired by Iran spewed shrapnel into a parking
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lot and train station.
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Israel maintained its own pressure today on Lebanon, pounding southern Beirut where
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Since these strikes began, Lebanon's health ministry said today 900 have been killed.
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This regional war continues to rage, and sparked political battles in the U.S.
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For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.
