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| Another one bites the dust: IRG head, the late General Hossein Salami (News18) |
First, there is the actual damage inflicted on its mortal enemy. As capable as I’ve always believed Israel’s military intelligence apparatus to be, I still underestimated just how effective they truly are. The Mossad had infiltrated Iran’s nuclear facilities, military installations, and missile launching sites across the country and booby-trapped them with explosive devices long before they attacked. They therefore also knew the exact locations of all their targets well before the attack began. And with the exception of those buried deep underground, they destroyed them all. Along with some of their top military leaders and nuclear scientists. I hate to use a well-worn cliché, but I’ll use it anyway: this was an unprecedented attack of ‘shock and awe.’ (Thank you, General Schwarzkopf.) And they are not done yet!
Iran’s retaliation was anemic. The hundreds of drones they
launched against Israel fell flat. Almost all - if not all - were intercepted
and destroyed before they could do any harm. No one was injured.
Iran has promised a much more severe response. I’m sure they
would like to believe they’re capable of that. But we’ve heard this kind of
talk from them before. Their military threat appears to be wildly overrated —
at least so far.
The President’s reaction was not what some had expected — namely, anger at Netanyahu for not allowing negotiations with Iran to conclude with a possible nuclear agreement. Not at all. If anything, the President seemed to suggest that he green-lighted the attack. He is, in effect, telling Iran that if they don’t make a deal with the U.S. now, ‘they ain’t seen nothin’ yet.’ A quick AI search gave me the following result:
President Trump posted several times on Truth Social about the Israeli strikes on Iran. He warned Iran to agree to a nuclear deal "before there is nothing left." He suggested that future Israeli attacks could be even more “brutal.” Trump also claimed he gave Iran a “60-day ultimatum” to make a deal, stating that the strikes occurred on the 61st day. “I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there,” he said. He further suggested Iran might have a “second chance” to come to terms.
In interviews, Trump also said the U.S. supports Israel and called the strikes a “very successful attack.” He indicated the Israeli government had American backing in carrying out the strikes. When asked whether the deaths of key Iranian hardliners were a result of the attack, he sarcastically replied that they “didn’t die of the flu.”
Lest anyone think this is just the President talking, I am happy to report that Israel is receiving overwhelming support from Congress. On both sides of the political aisle. Predictably, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and a few of the more extreme isolationist Republicans in the House condemned the strikes, calling them an unnecessary escalation that could drag the U.S. into ‘Netanyahu’s war.’ Thankfully, they are in the minority. Most of the Senate and House expressed sentiments like the following:
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said, minutes after reports of the operation began, “Proud to stand with Israel.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) soon followed, saying, “Game on. Pray for Israel.”
Cotton later added that “We back Israel to the hilt, all the way,” adding that if “the ayatollahs harm a single American, that will be the end of the ayatollahs.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), said “Israel IS right—and has a right—to defend itself!”
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, “We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the administration’s former nominee to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said, “The U.S. stands strongly with our ally and partner Israel.”
“May God Bless Israel & the brave IAF [Israeli Air Force] soldiers as they protect their national security and the world’s safety,”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said that he supports the attack and “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute.”
“Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel,” Fetterman said. “We must provide whatever is necessary — military, intelligence, weaponry — to fully back Israel in striking Iran.”
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said: “If Israel’s strikes set back Iran’s nuclear program, we’ll all be safer,” adding that the U.S. must protect U.S. citizens and personnel and “must support Israel’s defense.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said that “Israel is not the aggressor. It is defending itself against an existential threat that long predates the present preemptive strike. The true aggressor is the Islamic Republic and its empire of terror — an empire stained with the blood of innocent Israelis.”
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), also noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency had just declared Iran to be in violation of its nonproliferation obligations, said that “Israel is justifiably defending itself and its people.”
In an effort to deter Iranian retaliation against U.S. interests, Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly stated that the U.S. was not directly involved in the attack, while warning Iran against targeting American assets.
But clearly, the operation was not only a success - it was
praised by both the executive branch and the majority of the legislative
branch.
What particularly pleased me was that, for the first time in
many months, Israel received favorable coverage from the mainstream media. The
last time that happened was when Israel cleverly devastated Hezbollah by
remotely detonating the pagers and walkie-talkies of their commanders, and then
killed their longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah. The media recognized Israeli
ingenuity then - and they’re recognizing it now.
Every news report I watched this morning seemed to convey a
sense of awe - and even gratitude - in the voices of the anchors and reporters.
There wasn’t a trace of media condemnation that I’ve sadly grown accustomed to over
the last year and a half.
Although I’m sure this moment will be short-lived, I’m going
to savor it while it lasts.
If anyone still questions the value of Israel to the United States, I suggest they engage in some serious introspection - if not psychotherapy - to better understand what might compel them to interpret positive, almost miraculous events in negative terms.
In the meantime, I will continue to pray for the welfare of
all my people - in Israel and around the world. ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’
We are living in precarious times, and
we must not take our freedom and safety for granted.
May God bless and protect the people of Israel and the
United States of America.
