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| General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff |
Listening to General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff describe the mission and its execution, I was mesmerized. The
precision, stealth, and strategy involved were nothing short of extraordinary.
Only the United States has the capability to pull off something like this. The
B-2 stealth bombers that delivered the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs
are the only aircraft in the world capable of executing such a mission. Decoy
B-2 bombers were used to divert attention while the real ones flew undetected
into Iranian airspace and back—without a single shot fired at them. The operation also involved 30 Tomahawk
missiles fired at Iran from US Navy submarine.
The entire operation sounded like something Israel might do,
but it was 100% American.
What also impressed me was the display of American military
might. The world has long known that the U.S. is the dominant global
superpower, but it had recently become fashionable to view us as a ‘paper tiger’
- unwilling to use that power.
That perception empowered rogue regimes like Iran to act
with impunity. Half-hearted attempts to curtail their aggression were openly
mocked as they continued to export terror across the Middle East, all while
deceiving the international community into believing they were in compliance
with their nuclear agreements. Their lies were recently exposed by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Anyone who thought the U.S. would never act militarily
has now been proven wrong. America acted - and acted decisively - to stop the
world’s most dangerous regime from obtaining the world’s most dangerous weapon.
As Prime Minister Netanyahu put it in his message of gratitude to the U.S. this
morning: “The world is now a safer place.”
And for those who believed the Vice President - seen by many
as part of the administration’s isolationist camp - was not on board with this,
think again. In a series of morning interviews, he made it abundantly clear
that he supported the President’s actions from the very beginning, long before
the attack took place, and without the slightest hesitation.
It also became clear that the U.S. plan to strike Iran had
been formulated and approved weeks ago. Well before Israel’s recent attack.
President Trump had already concluded that negotiations with Iran were failing,
but still gave diplomacy a chance. But by the end of Shabbos yesterday, it
became apparent that Iran had no intention of giving up its nuclear ambitions.
The President decided to act. And he did so boldly, while still offering Iran a
choice: pursue peace - or suffer even more devastating consequences. This time
they must realize, that warning is not an empty threat.
Some argue that America has no interest in fighting Iran
since we are not being directly threatened. But that view ignores our
responsibility to protect our allies - Israel foremost among them. It also
ignores that Iran has threatened the U.S., including attempted
assassinations against the President during his campaign.
Sadly, the political left has criticized the President for
allegedly taking the nation to war without congressional authorization. But
this was not an act of war. It was an act of defense. The U.S. has no interest
in further military action unless Iran retaliates. The isolationist faction of
Congress—which includes most Democrats, with the noble exception of Senator
John Fetterman (God bless him), and a few Republicans seem to follow a “better
red than dead” philosophy. They would have allowed Iran to continue unchecked,
so long as America stayed out of war. If our ally Israel bore the brunt of
Iran’s wrath - well, that’s not their problem.
To those who doubted the President’s support for Israel - or
believed there was a rift between him and Prime Minister Netanyahu - those
thoughts should now be put to rest. And those who thought Israel defied U.S.
wishes by taking unilateral action last week should now understand that
coordination had occurred, and the U.S. was never out of the loop.
As the President explained last night, he gave Iran 60 days
to negotiate in good faith. They refused. Despite overwhelming evidence, they
continued to deny enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels. But now the world
knows the truth and the U.S. has responded.
Those who say the President broke his promise to keep
America out of foreign wars have no idea what they’re talking about. This was
exactly in line with that promise. There are no boots on the ground now and
there are no plans to do so. Furthermore Iran is in no position to declare war
on anyone - least of all the United States. All they’ve been able to do in
retaliation so far is fire missiles at Israel, which is now under lockdown.
It should also be noted that there has been no public criticism
from any Arab nations - except the Houthi rebels in Yemen. It is widely believed
that many Arab governments quietly support what the U.S. did. They don’t want a
nuclear Iran anymore than Israel does.
As for Israel - I don’t believe they’re finished. Though
they’ve stated that regime change is not their goal, there is every reason to
hope for it. More than 80% of Iranians reportedly despise their regime. This
may be a historic window of opportunity to support real change.
I do not believe the Iranian people are inherently
antisemitic. Before the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran had a thriving Jewish
community. The country had diplomatic ties with Israel and daily El Al flights
to and from Tehran. If I were part of Israeli military intelligence, I’d advise
devising a covert plan to support the Iranian people in overthrowing their
government - starting with the elimination of their Islamist dictator, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei. If any nation can accomplish that, it’s Israel.
As I always say, I have no way of knowing what the future
holds. But God willing, if things continue to move in our favor, we may be
witnessing the beginning of the end for this terrorist regime. And perhaps a
return to what Iran once was: a Western-style nation where freedom and
tolerance were cherished, where extremist fanatics like Khomeini were exiled or
imprisoned, and where Jews could live openly, proudly, and peacefully. May it
be God’s will.
