SEASON 10 INTRO: By Blood and Fire: Jacob Israël de Haan

INTRO TO SEASON 10: “By Blood and Fire”

Jacob Israël de Haan

In the latest season of Assassinations Podcast, "By Blood and Fire," the show traces the history of targeted killings from Zionist militant groups in the British Mandate of Palestine—beginning with the 1924 assassination of Jacob Israël de Haan in Jerusalem—to the central role of this deadly tactic in Israel's foundation in 1948 and the new state’s security policy ever since. The season argues that Israel's longstanding embrace of assassination has influenced a radical shift in U.S. military strategy, culminating in the open use of decapitation strikes during the 2026 US-Israel war on Iran, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. This evolution, host Niall contends, marks a dangerous new era in international affairs where assassination has moved from shadowy tactic to openly boasted tool of statecraft.