Home » Entertainment » New TV Series on Israeli Espionage Tackles Shadow War with Iran

New TV Series on Israeli Espionage Tackles Shadow War with Iran

Israel’s latest hit television series takes viewers directly to the heart of the country’s arch enemy, Iran.

Tehran tells the story of Tamar Rabinyan, a young Mossad operative charged with hacking and disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor so that the Israeli army can carry out an air strike. But the mission goes wrong, the agent turns rogue, falls in love with a local pro-democracy activist, and rediscovers her Iranian roots in her hometown.

It is an arc of history that touches many of the most pressing faults in the region. It is also the last chapter of the golden age of Israeli television.

After numerous Israeli shows inspired American shows like Homeland, Hostages, and In Treatment, Netflix went a step further by directing Fauda, ​​the groundbreaking action series on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in its original Hebrew-Arabic form with captions. .

Tehran marks the next stage, with Apple TV + buying the rights to the eight-part series and signing to co-produce its international broadcast. The espionage thriller, with dialogues in Hebrew, English and Farsi, premiered on June 22 in Israel. He wants to go one step further in Fauda’s success story, mixing fast-paced action scenes with current political intrigues and personal stories that touch on the region’s chaotic nature.

“Although it is a very entertaining show and it has a lot of action, there are many layers,” said Dana Eden, one of the show’s creators. “We found it very interesting to try to enter Tehran, Iran, which is a place we don’t really know about and want to know more about.”

Israel considers Iran to be its most dangerous enemy, citing its calls for the destruction of Israel, its development of sophisticated missiles, and support for anti-Israeli militias in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Israeli leaders believe Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability, and they have frequently hinted at the possibility of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the event that international sanctions fail to stop the suspected Iranian nuclear program.

Israeli Mossad agents are believed to have acted behind enemy lines by stealing documents from a secret Iranian nuclear archive.

But before the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, countries were close allies and Iran was home to a large and prosperous Jewish community. Some 250,000 Israelis are of Iranian descent and have kept close to the music, culture and food of their roots.

“My character reminds me of my mother, my aunt, my grandmother,” said actress Esti Yerushalmi, who plays the role of Rabinyan’s Iranian aunt, Arezoo. “I took them all and put them on my character. She is an Iranian woman who is also Jewish. ”

Yerushalmi and her family fled Iran after the revolution when she was 13, and she said acting in her native language, Farsi, was an emotional experience.

“It was difficult because it brought back my memories of Iran,” he said. “It was very moving for me and also very painful. I miss Iran. I miss all the beauty, all the people. It is a great country, but now I think they are suffering. ”

The show, co-written by Fauda writer Moshe Zonder, stars Israeli actress Niv Sultan and supporting Navid Negahban and Iron Man actor Shaun Toub. It was shot in Athens to reproduce the Iranian capital.

The television series has yet to be mentioned by Iranian authorities, although Kayhan International, a publication affiliated with the hard-line newspaper of the same name, described the show as an “anti-Iranian production.” The newspaper, Kayhan, also acknowledged the program, saying in April that it reveals the “pro-western and promiscuous” character of activists attacking Iran.

Similar to Fauda, ​​the creators said their goal was to present a nuanced narrative of a deep-seated conflict that resonated with all parties.

“We don’t have the bad guys and the good guys on this show. It is more complicated and I am sure that the Iranians who will see the program will enjoy it very much, ”said Eden, who also co-produced the series. “I am sure he will be beaten in Iran.” Israel’s latest hit television series takes viewers directly to the heart of the country’s arch enemy, Iran.

Tehran tells the story of Tamar Rabinyan, a young Mossad operative charged with hacking and disabling an Iranian nuclear reactor so that the Israeli army can carry out an air strike. But the mission goes wrong, the agent turns rogue, falls in love with a local pro-democracy activist, and rediscovers his Iranian roots in his hometown.

It is an arc of history that touches many of the most pressing faults in the region. It is also the last chapter of the golden age of Israeli television.

After numerous Israeli shows inspired American shows like Homeland, Hostages, and In Treatment, Netflix went one step further by directing Fauda, ​​the groundbreaking action series on the Israeli conflict-Palestinian, in its original Hebrew-Arabic form with subtitles.

Tehran marks the next stage, with Apple TV + buying the rights to the eight-part series and signing to co-produce its international broadcast. The espionage thriller, with dialogues in Hebrew, English and Farsi, premiered on June 22 in Israel. He wants to go one step further in Fauda’s success story, mixing fast-paced action scenes with current political intrigues and personal stories that touch on the region’s chaotic nature.

“Although it is a very entertaining show and it has a lot of action, there are many layers,” said Dana Eden, one of the show’s creators. “We found it very interesting to try to enter Tehran, Iran, which is a place we don’t really know about and want to know more about.”

Israel views Iran as its most dangerous enemy, citing its calls for the destruction of Israel, its development of sophisticated missiles, and support for anti-Israeli militias in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Israeli leaders believe Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapons capability, and they have frequently hinted at the possibility of a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities in the event that international sanctions fail to stop the suspected Iranian nuclear program.

Israeli Mossad agents are believed to have acted behind enemy lines by stealing documents from a secret Iranian nuclear archive.

But before the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, countries were close allies and Iran was home to a large and prosperous Jewish community. Some 250,000 Israelis are of Iranian descent and have kept close to the music, culture and food of their roots.

“My character reminds me of my mother, my aunt, my grandmother,” said actress Esti Yerushalmi, who plays the role of Rabinyan’s Iranian aunt, Arezoo. “I took them all and put them on my character. She is an Iranian woman who is also Jewish. “

Yerushalmi and her family fled Iran after the revolution when she was 13, and she claimed that acting in her native language, Farsi, was an emotional experience.

“It was difficult because it brought me to my memories of Iran,” he added. “It was very moving for me and also very painful. I miss Iran. I miss all the beauty, all the people. It is a great country, but now I think they are suffering. ”

The show, co-written by Fauda writer Moshe Zonder, stars Israeli actress Niv Sultan and supporting Navid Negahban and Iron Man actor Shaun Toub. It was shot in Athens to reproduce the Iranian capital.

The television series has yet to be mentioned by Iranian authorities, although Kayhan International, a publication affiliated with the hard-line newspaper of the same name, described the show as an “anti-Iranian production.” The newspaper, Kayhan, also acknowledged the program, saying in April that it reveals the “pro-western and promiscuous” character of activists attacking Iran.

Similar to Fauda, ​​the creators reported that their goal was to present a nuanced narrative of a deep-seated conflict that resonated with all parties.

“We don’t have the bad guys and the good guys on this show. It is more complicated and I am sure that the Iranians who will see the program will enjoy it very much, ”said Eden, who also co-produced the series. “I am sure it will be successful in Iran.”

Via: With information from Israel Hayom —

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