New Israeli espionage TV series tackles shadow
war with Iran
https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/new-israeli-espionage-tv-series-tackles-shadow-war-with-iran,168134
Posted Saturday, June 27, 2020 2:03 am
By ISAAC SCHARF and ARON HELLER
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s latest hit TV
series takes the viewers straight into the heart of the country’s archenemy
Iran.
so the Israeli military can carry out an
airstrike. But when the mission goes wrong, the agent goes rogue, falls in love
with a local pro-democracy activist and rediscovers her Iranian roots in the
city of her birth.
It’s a story arc that touches on many of the
region’s most pressing fault lines. It’s also the latest episode in the golden
age of Israeli television.
After numerous Israeli shows inspired American
spin-offs such as “Homeland,” “Hostages” and “In Treatment,” Netflix went a
step further by running “ on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in its original
Hebrew-Arabic form with subtitles.
“Tehran” marks the next stage, with Apple TV+
purchasing the rights to the eight-part series and signing on to co-produce its
international streaming. The espionage thriller, with dialogue in Hebrew,
English and Farsi, premiered on June 22 in Israel. It's looking to take a page
out of the “Fauda” success story, mixing fast-pace action scenes with topical
political intrigues and personal backstories that touch on the chaotic nature
of the region.
“Although it’s a very entertaining show and it
has a lot of action, there are a lot of layers,” said Dana Eden, one of the
show’s creators. “We just thought it’s very interesting to try to get into
Tehran, into Iran, which is a place we really don’t know and really want to know
more about.”
Israel considers Iran to be its most dangerous
foe, citing its calls for Israel's destruction, its development of
sophisticated missiles and support for in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Israeli
leaders believe Iran is trying to develop a nuclear-weapons capability, and
have frequently against Iran’s nuclear facilities should international
sanctions fail to halt the suspect Iranian atomic program. Israeli Mossad
agents are believed to have acted behind enemy lines in stealing documents from
a .
But before Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, the
countries were close allies and Iran was home to a large and thriving Jewish
community. Some 250,000 Israelis are of Iranian descent and have stayed close
to the .
“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 all
of them and put it in my character. It is an Iranian woman that is also a Jew.”
Yerushalmi and her family fled Iran after the
revolution when she was 13, and she said that acting in her mother tongue of
Farsi was an emotional experience.
“It was hard
because it took me back to my memories from Iran,” she 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’re suffering.”
The show, co-written by Fauda's writer Moshe
Zonder, features Israeli actress Niv Sultan in the lead and Homeland’s Navid
Negahban and Iron Man actor Shaun Toub in supporting roles. It was shot in
Athens to replicate the Iranian capital.
The television series has yet to be mentioned by
Iranian officials, though Kayhan International, a publication affiliated with
the hard-line newspaper of the same name, described the show as an
“anti-Iranian production.” The paper, Kayhan, also acknowledged the show,
saying in April that it reveals the “pro-West and promiscuous” nature of
activists targeting Iran.
In similar fashion to Fauda, creators said they
aimed to present a nuanced narrative to a deep-seated conflict that would
resonate with all sides.
“We don’t have bad guys and good guys in this
show. It's more complicated and I’m sure that Iranians who will watch the show
will enjoy it very much,” said Eden, who also co-produced the series. “I’m sure
it’s going to be a hit in Iran.”
🍒🌳💕 #پیش بسوی قیام سراسری ایران# اتحادوهمبستگی 🌳🌹🍒
#سال_سرنگونی #کروناویروس #قیام_تا_پیروزی # مرگ_بر_دیکتاتور
#شورش زندانیان #تيك_تاك_سرنگوني # شهرهای شورشی
#مجاهدین_خلق ایران #ایران #ما بر اندازیم # کانونهای شورشی
#coronavirus #COVID2019 #IranRegimeChange
🍒🌳🌹 ما را در توئیتر با حساب توئیتری 7 @Bahar iran دنبال کنید🌳💕🍒