BENJAMIN HALL, THANK YOU IN
JERUSALEM.
I'M WATCHING MIKE PENCE ON THE
STAGE NOW IN INDIANA.
WE'LL TAKE YOU THERE LIVE IN
JUST A MOMENT.
COLONEL MICHAEL WALTZ HERE WITH
ME.
FORMER GREEN BERET COMMANDER AND
COUNTER TERRORIZER TO VICE
PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY.
GOOD EVENING TO YOU.
>> HI, BILL.
GOOD EVENING.
>> MY SENSE IS THAT YOU GO BACK
12 YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, YOU
THINK ABOUT SOUTHERN LEBANON,
THE BUILD-UP OF HEZBOLLAH AND
THE AMOUNT OF ROCKETS THEY HAVE.
ALL IT TAKES IS ONE OR TWO
RAMP THIS THING UP.
I THINK THAT'S THE POINT THAT WE
HAVE REACHED AT THE MOMENT.
DOES IT GO THERE?
OR DOES IT COOL DOWN?
>> WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE
CULMINATION OF A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE, YOU KNOW, IRAN AND
HEZBOLLAH HAVE MADE MORE GAINS
IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS UNDER
BOTH AS A RESULT OF THE BILLIONS
THAT FLOWED IN TO TEHRAN AS PART
OF THE IRAN DEAL AND ESSENTIALLY
THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TURNING
ITS BACK ON THE REGION.
THAT IS COMING TO A HEAD NOW.
A LOT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
CRITICS ARE TRYING TO BLAME THE
TIMING OF THIS ON HIM BACKING
OUT OF THE IRAN DEAL.
AS YOU NOTED, THIS HAS BEEN
BUILDING FOR SOME TIME.
LISTEN, BILL, THE IRANIAN REGIME
HAS NOT BEEN BUILDING ROADS AND
BRIDGES WITH THE BILLIONS THAT
FLOWED IN.
THEY'VE BEEN ON A SHOPPING SPREE
WITH MOSCOW AND RUSSIAN
WEAPONRY, NUMBER 1.
NUMBER 2, PUMPING THE MONEY INTO
ITS PROXIES INTO SYRIA.
THAT'S WHY YOU'VE SEEN SO MANY
PROTESTS IN TEHRAN BECAUSE THE
IRANIAN PEOPLE HAD AN
EXPECTATION THAT THE BILLIONS
COMING IN WOULD HELP THE
ECONOMY.
INSTEAD, THEY HAVE SEEN THE
REGIME UP IT INTO MILITARY
INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> IT'S QUITE CLEAR THAT THE
ISRAELIS HAD THEIR EYES ON THESE
TARGETS A LONG TIME, IN AN
AROUND DAMASCUS, ARMED BUT I
IRANIAN FORCES.
THEY WENT AFTER THEM.
THEY'RE REPORTING THIS MISSION
WAS A COMPLETE SUCCESS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU
CHARACTERIZE THAT JUST YET,
MICHAEL.
>> I WOULD CALL IT A BUTT
WHIPPING TO USE THE TERM THAT WE
USE IN THE SOUTH.
THE ISRAELIS REALLY SMACKED THE
IRANIANS HARD HERE.
I WOULD CALL IT TWO THINGS.
ONE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A
MISCONCEPTION THAT THE IRANIANS
ARE ONLY HELPING HEZBOLLAH AND
THE PROXIES IN SYRIA.
IRANIAN'S GROUND FORCES ARE ON
THE GROUND IN SYRIA HELPING THE
ASSAD REGIME AND PROPPING IT UP
AND BUILDING UP ITS
INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE ISRAELI
BORDER TO HIT OUR GREATEST ALLY.
WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP KNEW AND
KNOWS IS THAT WE HAVE TO STAND
WITH OUR ALLY AND THE ISRAELIS
ESSENTIALLY TOOK THAT
INFRASTRUCTURE OUT.
THIS IS A REAL SHIFT ON THE
ISRAELI PART.
THEY HAVE BEEN KIND OF HOLDING
BACK AND LETTING ISIS AND THE
SUNNI EXTREMISTS FIGHT IT OUT
WITH ASSAD AND HEZBOLLAH AND THE
SHIIA EXTREMISTS.
IT GOT TO THE POINT NOW WHERE
THEY HAD TO STEP INTO A BIG WAY
AND THEY DID SO AND DID SO
INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVELY.
>> MY FEELING NOW IS WHAT DOES
IRAN DO IN KIND?
WE CAN'T ANSWER THAT RIGHT NOW.
BUT ON MONDAY, THE U.S. EMBASSY
MOVES FROM TEL AVIV TO
JERUSALEM.
THERE WILL BE A U.S. DELEGATION
IN JERUSALEM FOR THAT MOMENT.
YOU KNOW THE UNREST ITS CAUSED
ALONG THE GAZA STRIP THE PAST
MONTH.
WHAT IS NEXT THEN?
>> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
MILITARILY BUT DIPLOMATICALLY
AND REALIZING THE PROMISE OF THE
LAST THREE TO FOUR PRESIDENTS,
SINCE THE MID 90s IN TERMS OF
RECOGNIZING A CAPITOL THAT IS
REALLY ALWAYS EXISTED AND THE
ISRAELIS HAVE A RIGHT TO EXIST.
ON THE DIPLOMATIC FRONT, THAT'S
SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN FOR
SOME TIME AND WE HAVE TO STAND
WITH THE ISRAELIS MILITARILY.
THEY CANNOT AND WE SHOULD NOT
ALLOW THE IRANIANS IN A VERY
STRONG WAY TO BUILD UP ON THEIR
BORDER.
THEY'VE TAKEN THEM OUT.
>> Bill: ONE MORE QUESTION.
THESE PEOPLE IN ELKHART INSIDE
THAT GYM, HOW DO THEY FEEL ABOUT
RIPPING UP THE NUCLEAR DEAL WITH
IRAN?
I GUESS IS YOU LIKE IT WHEN YOU
STICK IT TO THEM.
>> THEY REALIZE AND THEY SEE
THIS PRESIDENT AS STANDING WITH
OUR ALLIES AND SHOWING STRENGTH
TO OUR ADVERSARIES, WHETHER THAT
IS NORTH KOREA, CHINA, RUSSIA OR
IRAN.
WHAT WE ALL INSTINCTIVELY KNOW
IS THAT THOSE REGIMES RESPECT
AND RESPOND TO STRENGTH.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN
NORTH KOREA.
THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL SEE WITH THE