PDB Afternoon Bulletin | December 22nd, 2025: Israel May Strike Iran Again & Russian General Assassinated
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It's Monday, the 22nd of December. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, new reporting says Israel is weighing another round of strikes on Iran. Okay, so not exactly a secret operation. And Prime Minister Netanyahu plans to walk President Trump through the options. I'll have the details. Later in the show, another senior Russian military leader is killed, this time in a car bombing in Moscow. It's the third such attack this year. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is preparing to brief President Trump on potential new military strikes against Iran. According to new reporting, Israeli officials are increasingly concerned that Iran is rebuilding and expanding key parts of its ballistic missile program.
That program, of course, was damaged during the airstrikes of the 12-day war, but Israeli intelligence now believes Tehran is moving quickly to restore production and possibly accelerate it. From Israel's perspective, this is not a distant theoretical threat. Ballistic missiles are central to Iran's strategy against the Jewish state and one of the few tools that Tehran possesses that can reach Israel directly and in large numbers. Netanyahu plans to walk President Trump through Israel's assessment of that threat and outline options for renewed military action. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean strikes are imminent, but it does signal that Israel believes the window to act, if action is coming, may be narrowing.
This briefing also comes against the backdrop of a second development that has raised alarms in Jerusalem. Israeli officials have warned their American counterparts that Iran is currently conducting large-scale missile drills and that those drills could potentially be used as cover for a real-world attack. The concern is straightforward. Missile exercises allow Iran to move launchers, fuel the missiles, activate command and control systems, and disperse assets, all under the banner of a supposed scheduled drill. In that environment, distinguishing between training activity and an operational launch becomes much more difficult. For now, U.S. intelligence agencies are saying they don't see clear indicators that Iran is preparing an imminent strike, but Israeli officials are urging Washington not to treat the drills as routine.
From Israel's vantage point, recent history has taught painful lessons about ignoring warning signs. It's also important to understand how Israel's threat perception protocols have shifted over the past two years. Since the October 2023 Hamas attacks and the subsequent regional escalation, Israeli leadership has adopted a far lower tolerance for strategic surprise. That mindset now shapes how Jerusalem views Iran's missile forces, not just as a deterrent, but as an active, evolving threat that could be used with little warning. Another key detail here, Israel's focus is not limited to Iran's nuclear program anymore. While enrichment and weaponization remain long-term concerns, Israeli defense planners see ballistic missiles as the more immediate danger.
Missiles don't require nuclear warheads to cause significant damage, overwhelm defenses, or change strategic calculations, and Iran has invested heavily in expanding range, accuracy, and survivability across its missile arsenal. So, you ask, what does Netanyahu want from this briefing? At minimum, Israeli officials want alignment, ensuring that Washington understands Israel's assessment of the threat and the potential consequences of inaction. There may also be an effort to secure political backing or operational coordination should Israel decide to act again.
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Chapters
4 chaptersSpeakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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