URGENT: Russia providing Iran intel to target US forces, report says

Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman.

Former director of the CIA's Middle East division.

Dan, great to have you with us.

I guess, you know, your headline take on where things stand right now and then we we do want to get into this issue of what Russia is providing in terms of intelligence, but your overall picture as you watch this activity, particularly in Lebanon today.

So we are seeing widening of the war and Hezbollah predictably has launched attacks on Israel in support of Iran.

But really the story of this war is the extraordinary tactical successes from the United States military, decapitating Iran's leadership, destroying their ballistic missile inventory and their drones, those efforts are ongoing, we own the skies.

And we've seen an incredible fusion of our intelligence capabilities so we can find and fix these targets and then finish them with precision strikes.

Now, where we go from here that we'll all be tracking, the Israelis used to like to say that they would mow the lawn when they had to mount these counter-terrorism operations that did not result in eliminating the threat permanently.

If we do not arrive at some sort of a permanent solution here, either a change in the regime in Iran or a change in their behavior, then President Trump is right, we would have to look at coming back and doing this again, which is why I think the president wants to induce Iran to make a deal.

That's what this has always been about from the very beginning when we deployed our military assets to the region, it's about Iran coming to the table in good faith with no intent to rebuild a nuclear program or have a ballistic missile capability or proxy terrorist network that can threaten the region and beyond.

And just so everybody can see, this is what President Trump said to Reuters, we're going to have to choose that person along with Iran, we're going to have to choose that person.

He also had a true social post today.

Saying that unconditional surrender was what is going to be demanded here.

Dan, because of your experience with Russia, could we please talk about this Washington Post headline?

Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target U.S. forces, officials say.

This might not become as a surprise to you.

But it will be very unwelcome news, I imagine at the Oval Office.

It's old news.

The Trump administration is well aware of this going back to the first Trump administration.

When the Russian intelligence was providing the Taliban with intelligence to kill our soldiers there.

That's just what they do, that's their currency.

In return for receiving Iranian drones and having Iranians create these build these drone factories in Russia.

The Russians provide tactical and strategic intelligence on their main enemy, the United States.

Now, it hasn't really had a whole lot of effect.

We're doing pretty well in spite of whatever Russian intelligence is making its way to Tehran.

There was no early warning intelligence that would have saved Ayatollah Khomeini's life.

So I I wouldn't put too much stock in the value of this, but it just shows us that this is the access of dictatorships.

Russia, Iran, China, North Korea that are all working against U.S. national interests.

So Dan, you know, that it plays right into this language that we see in a lot of the media's reporting of this story.

That this is a very expanding theater.

But when I looked this morning, you know, I I think in all of these attacks on the Gulf states.

Which have been a big curiosity point for a lot of people covering this story.

And certainly a lot of the analysts.

I I think that there have been five people who've been killed in all of these attacks on the Gulf state areas.

Now there's been infrastructure damage.

But what's your assessment of how successful they are at pulling this off?

Yeah, I mean, Iran has launched reportedly a thousand drones at the UAE.

But you're right, the results have been far from devastating.

And we are taking the fight to the enemy.

That's why and that's why we're not going to let up until we finish the job.

That's the way we stop Iran by eliminating all these stocks of of their drones and missiles.

Okay, so we are about to go into the weekend, Dan.

And from your point of view, what will you be paying attention to and looking for?

Well, I'm looking at at the efforts on part of the United States and Israel.

Continuing to degrade Iran's air defenses.

They're just about eliminated.

Striking ballistic missile facilities.

I'm looking at Iran's defense industrial base.

Once you destroy all the missiles, you want to destroy the factories that are making them.

And continue decapitation of Iran's leadership.

I think there are a few more leaders in Iran from the IRGC.

And maybe Ayatollah Khomeini's son who have bull's eyes on their backs.

Dan Hoffman, thank you so much.

We really appreciate you being with us all week.

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