Saturday, June 14, 2025

06/14 Links: The Return of Peace Through Strength; IDF: We control the sky over Tehran and western Iran; Five Arab Christians killed, at least 23 wounded Haifa

From Ian:

The Return of Peace Through Strength
This uniparty of Obama administration veterans, other left-wingers, and self-proclaimed MAGA leaders shrieked in horror at the blow Israel administered to the "death to America" crowd. Tucker Carlson whined that Trump was "complicit in the act of war." Failed vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz plaintively hoped on Friday that "it might be the Chinese" who could "negotiate some type of agreement … and hold the moral authority."

This smooth-brained bigotry masquerading as strategic analysis led the United States into a dilemma where its biggest enemy in the region, which has attacked Americans at home and abroad continuously for nearly half a century, was within days of getting the bomb.

Trump is not nearly such a fool. Unlike those ideologues, he is a shrewd judge of power and knows that his base loves allies who fight their own battles and defeat America’s enemies. "I told Iran they should settle," he told the Washington Free Beacon Friday. "If I were them, I would want to settle." In the past few weeks, Trump and Netanyahu initiated a textbook deception campaign that caught Iran’s leadership completely by surprise. "I always knew the date," Trump assured the New York Post, "because I know everything."

Most of Iran’s senior leaders did not survive long enough to discover their blunder, and the initial Iranian attempt at retaliation was a pathetic failure: Israel crippled the ayatollah’s ballistic missile force while Iran’s Lebanese lackey, Hezbollah, practically begged Israel to let it stay out of the fight. As of this writing, another wave of Israeli aircraft is above Iran again.

This is but the latest battle in the war that Iran began on Oct. 7, and the going could get tougher as Iranian forces reorganize. Israel has reportedly sent many of Iran’s top nuclear scientists to their eternal reward, but the nuclear facilities are still intact.

"Let me be clear," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday night. "Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel." Two American destroyers that can intercept Iranian missiles sailed toward Israel on Friday. These are good first steps. He and his subordinates should give the Israelis the time they need to finish the job. Encouraging British prime minister Keir Starmer to borrow a spine from French president Emmanuel Macron would be good.

Removing Iran’s nuclear arsenal is also a priority. It is possible that Israel will not be able to reach some of the more fortified Iranian facilities using conventional explosives. Since this is an existential battle for Israel, it would be prudent to resolve that problem by either convincing what remains of Iran’s leadership to surrender its entire nuclear program or by offering Israel some of our much larger bunker busters.

"I think it's been excellent," Trump told ABC. "We gave them a chance [to negotiate] and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard ... And there's more to come. A lot more." During Trump’s first campaign, many observed that the best way to understand the future president was to take him seriously, not literally. It turns out that when he said he wanted peace through strength, he meant it both ways.
How Israel’s Operation Rising Lion Dismantled Iran from Within: A Case Study in the Art of Deception
IV. Iran’s Response: Operational Weakness with Long-Term Costs
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed that Israel would face a “bitter and painful” fate. As part of its initial response, Tehran launched over 100 drones toward Israeli territory. Israel’s Home Front Command promptly issued a nationwide alert, instructing civilians to remain near bomb shelters. Yet within a few hours, Israel’s air defenses had neutralized Iran’s drone swarm.

The level of Israeli infiltration exposed during Operation Rising Lion has immediate and long-term consequences for the Iranian regime. Penetration of Iran’s air defense systems, intelligence networks, and internal military infrastructure indicates a loss of control at the core of the state. This not only compromises operational security but also undermines institutional trust within the IRGC, Quds Force, and the broader intelligence establishment. When command structures can no longer distinguish between internal loyalty and external manipulation, decision-making slows, risk tolerance narrows, and factionalism grows. Over time, this environment fosters paranoia, internal purges, and bureaucratic paralysis—conditions that steadily degrade the regime’s capacity to project power, manage crises, and maintain cohesion. First, despite its threats of a forceful response, Tehran has failed to impose meaningful costs on a technologically and operationally superior adversary. What was billed as a major reprisal has largely amounted to symbolic gestures aimed at domestic audiences rather than tangible battlefield outcomes.

Second, the limitations of Iran’s response are raising doubts among its regional partners—particularly the Houthis and Hezbollah—about Tehran’s reliability as the core of the anti-Israel axis. If Iran cannot effectively retaliate when directly targeted, its credibility as a deterrent umbrella weakens across the region.

Third, the growing disconnect between Khamenei’s rhetoric and Iran’s operational reality is eroding internal cohesion. In a regime where legitimacy depends heavily on projecting strength, visible failure—especially in the face of Israeli dominance—risks deepening public skepticism and unsettling elite consensus.

If these trends continue, a deeper strategic unraveling is possible. The erosion of deterrence abroad and legitimacy at home could trigger fragmentation within Iran’s security institutions, elite defection, and increased pressure from peripheral regions. What begins as a military failure may evolve into political instability—and, over time, the disintegration of the centralized system that has held the Islamic Republic together for over four decades.

Israel, by contrast, has demonstrated control over both the military and psychological dimensions of the conflict. It has absorbed Iranian strikes with minimal disruption, maintained national composure, and reinforced its dominance in both the air and information domains. The broader message is unmistakable: Israel sets the tempo and terms. Iran is reacting—and falling behind.

V. Lessons for the United States
As the US continues to lead diplomatic efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Operation Rising Lion provides a concrete demonstration of what effective counterproliferation requires. The operation serves as a reminder that diplomacy needs to be backed by credible power, intelligence superiority, and close coordination with trusted partners. Below are seven lessons the operation offers on counterproliferation, escalation control, and the enduring value of US–Israel cooperation.

1. Counterproliferation requires covert penetration, not just monitoring.
Israel did not rely on external enforcement bodies or treaty frameworks. Instead, it embedded operatives, pre-positioned strike assets, and built a parallel intelligence architecture capable of degrading Iran’s nuclear infrastructure from within. This highlights (a) the limitations of verification regimes for dealing with a regime committed to concealment and (b) the importance of backing passive oversight with the threat of active disruption.

2. Eliminating strategic human capital halts weaponization at its source.
Rather than only targeting facilities, Israel removed the intellectual and operational drivers of Iran’s nuclear program. Scientists, engineers, and senior planners with years of accumulated expertise were taken out of the equation. This approach addresses the roots of the problem in a way that no air strike on a centrifuge site could.

3. Strategic surprise prevents escalatory cascades.
The strike achieved total surprise—Iran received no warnings, distributed no alerts, and had no time for defensive repositioning. This prevented Tehran from activating contingency plans or engaging in calibrated escalation. Adversaries often expect a slow, bureaucratic Western response. But Israel showed that speed and surprise can shift the initiative and contain conflict escalation.

4. Hard power enforcement is essential when norms break down.
Israel acted while international institutions faltered. The Islamic Republic had repeatedly breached enrichment thresholds and obstructed inspections. Rather than wait for diplomatic consensus, Israel imposed a hard ceiling on Iran’s capabilities. This demonstrates that in certain cases, decisive action is not an alternative to diplomacy—it is a necessary mechanism to enforce negotiated terms.

5. Israel functions as a regional nonproliferation anchor.
Multilateral efforts often collapse under political pressure. Israel has proven willing and able to act when others are not. By destroying components of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure, Israel preserved regional stability and enforced red lines that others had only articulated. This establishes Israel as a frontline actor in global nonproliferation.

6. Negotiation leverage is built on the battlefield, not at the table.
The US entered nuclear talks with Iran hoping to restrain enrichment through diplomacy. Israel countered by altering the facts on the ground. By eliminating Iran’s top nuclear scientists and strategic planners, it dramatically weakened Tehran’s position in negotiations. The lesson: diplomatic strength is a function of prior operational advantage.

7. Intelligence without enforcement undermines deterrence.
US intelligence has long tracked Iran’s violations. But it has rarely translated that into meaningful action. Israel showed what happens when intelligence is fused with political will. Washington should recognize that delaying enforcement for fear of escalation undermines the credibility of US commitments.

VI. The Triumph of Strategic Vision
Operation Rising Lion demonstrated how modern warfare is shaped by perception, disruption, and initiative. Israel dismantled core elements of Iran’s command structure, eliminated key personnel tied to nuclear development, and exposed the gaps in Iran’s internal defenses. More critically, it disrupted the strategic logic that underpins Iran’s regional posture. Tehran had assumed that escalation could be delayed, that its territorial depth provided insulation, and that Israel would remain constrained by political and diplomatic pressures. On June 13 those assumptions collapsed.

The consequences extend beyond Iran’s borders. The regime’s ability to coordinate and direct its regional proxy network—Hezbollah, the Houthis, and various Iraqi and Syrian militias—relies on centralized guidance and perceived strength. By targeting senior IRGC figures and degrading logistical hubs, Israel introduced friction and fragmentation across this network. What appeared to be an integrated deterrence structure now faces a leadership vacuum and a credibility crisis.

For policymakers in Washington, the operation underscores a broader reality: dominance in modern conflict depends on the ability to preempt, conceal, and control tempo. Israel acted without delay, executed with precision, and achieved its objectives before Iran could respond. In this environment, military advantage is no longer defined by scale, but by the capacity to identify vulnerabilities and exploit them without warning.
This Is What ‘Never Again’ Means By Abe Greenwald
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None of it ultimately was enough. As of 2x4 hours ago, Iran was months away from having a nuclear weapon. So Operation Rising Lion was a necessity. What we saw last night, and what will continue in the coming weeks, is what “never again” means. It doesn’t mean convincing the masses that Israel is a nice country full of nice people. It doesn’t mean “winning the PR war.” It doesn’t mean showing bottomless restraint against enemies. And it doesn’t mean pleading for protection from others. It means Jews destroying those who are trying to kill them.

Golda Meir described Israel’s nuclear capacity as varenye, a fruit preserve that Eastern European Jews had kept close at hand in the event of a pogrom. The pogrom came to Israel on October 7, 2023. It turns out, Israel didn’t need to respond with nuclear weapons. Rather, it launched a fierce military campaign and multiple ingenious operations to destroy the surrounding Iran-backed armies that sought to snuff out the Jewish people.

Almost two years after Hamas’s attack, October 7 is starting to look a lot like December 7. The Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor set in motion a war that would level imperial Japan like no country has been leveled in the history of man. Similarly, it seems that Iran and its terrorist proxies sealed their own fate when they decided to wage a multifront war on Israel.

Jew-hatred has swelled into a popular global campaign since October 7. But despite the pro-terrorist mobs and shootings and fire bombings and international bullying of Jews and Israel, I’ve looked on at events with a sense of equipoise. I’ve been enraged and saddened and perplexed like every other Jew during this period. But there has always been something counterbalancing the negative. This was my faith—my certainty—that Israel understood with exquisite clarity what “never again” means, and it would go to any length required to ensure the survival of Am Yisrael. It does, and it is. And that’s all that matters.


Arsen Ostrovsky: Israel did the West a favour by attacking Iran's nuclear program
Through it all, Israel showed remarkable restraint. It absorbed blow after blow, responding proportionately while Iran raced toward nuclear breakout. In the meantime, satellite imagery and intelligence confirmed that Tehran was enriching uranium to near-weapons grade, testing long-range missiles and constructing fortified underground facilities. This week, the International Atomic Energy Agency formally declared Iran in violation of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations. The writing was on the wall, and Iran was racing toward the point of no return.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon. While his administration has rightly prioritized diplomacy to avert conflict, he also warned that military action would be inevitable if Iran did not agree to a deal. Immediately after the strike, the president reiterated that, “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them (if they don’t) it would be much worse than anything they know.… It will only get worse!”

Ultimately, Israel acted not out of choice, but out of necessity. Although the cost of action may be high, the price of inaction for the world’s only Jewish state would be existential.

But let’s be clear: this is not just Israel’s war. Iran’s goal has never been limited to wiping the Jewish state off the map. Its aim is to challenge and destabilize the entire western-led world order. It doesn’t just chant “Death to Israel” — it chants “Death to America,” too. It arms and directs terror groups that have attacked U.S. forces, targeted European interests and disrupted global energy and trade routes.

For years, Israel has taken the hits so others wouldn’t have to. It has fought Iran’s terror proxies on its borders, absorbed missile fire and exposed nuclear violations — all while the rest of the world looked the other way and lectured the pesky Jewish state.

Now, with Iran on the verge of the point of nuclear no return, equivocation is not an option. In moving to eliminate the Iranian threat, Israel was not acting alone, but in defence of the West. And it is doing what much of the world has lacked the will to do: confront a genocidal regime before it is too late.

Israel just did the West a favour. The least the West can do is say “thank you.”
We’re Blind to Islamism By Abe Greenwald
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It is true that the Islamic Republic of Iran branded America “the Great Satan” because of imperialism—Iranian imperialism, which is driven by religious doctrine. It’s the same doctrine behind the regime’s establishing sharia in the country—its ban on women showing their hair, its morality police force, its hanging of gay Iranians from cranes, its fatwa on Salman Rushdie—and its vow to wipe Israel off the map.

Iran hates America because Iran is a fanatical theocracy that exists to create a global Islamic revolution. Khomeini was, in fact, a teacher. He was a revered teacher of theology before he became the leader of Shi’ite Islam.

His anti-imperialist rhetoric was part of a very deliberate effort to appeal to non-Islamist enemies of the shah and the West. Here’s Walter Laqueur, in the March 1979 issue of COMMENTARY.

Fundamentalist Islam, like all fundamentalist religion, has always been xenophobic and intolerant toward infidels; thus, by a stretch of the imagination, it could pass as “anti-imperialist.” The fact that Khomeini and his colleagues wanted to replace the Shah’s system by another autocracy, that they envisaged a state dominated by the clergy and run according to the principles of the Shariet, the Islamic law, was of course a little inconvenient for their Western sympathizers. In other countries a movement of this kind would have been branded as “clericofascist,” but in Iran in the 1970’s it became an important, if somewhat unreliable and capricious, ally of the Left.

The regime has kept up that effort ever since. Meanwhile, Iran has become the greatest—almost the only—imperialist power of the present age. It took effective control of, or set up outposts in, a handful of Middle Eastern countries and is contesting for control of others.

One of the many frustrations of the post–October 7 world is that alleged voices of authority have no idea what they’re talking about. This is in part because they’re not talking about Islamism.
When the Genocidal Death Cult Cries "Human Shield"
In the wake of Iran’s unprecedented missile barrage on Israel, a coordinated wave of online propaganda has emerged from pro-Iran and pro-Hamas voices, pushing a grotesque and dishonest narrative: that Israel, by housing defense infrastructure like the IDF’s Kirya headquarters or Mossad offices within urban areas, is “using human shields”—just like Hamas.

Let’s be absolutely clear: this narrative is not just wrong. It’s morally bankrupt, strategically disingenuous, and deliberately designed to achieve two nefarious goals:
First, to demonize Israel for defending itself.
Second—and even worse—to whitewash Hamas’ very real and systematic use of Palestinian civilians as human shields.

And make no mistake: the amplification of this lie is part of a broader Iranian strategy. It’s not just about attacking Israel militarily. It’s about waging psychological and informational warfare to delegitimize the very notion of Israeli self-defense.

You see, intent matters a great deal here. And it’s in that way that Iran and Hamas differ fundamentally from Israel. The Difference Between Democracies and Death Cults

Israel’s military and intelligence infrastructure was not placed in cities to endanger its civilians. These facilities, like countless others in democracies worldwide, are built in population centers for legitimate logistical and strategic reasons—accessibility, national security centralization, and so on. Far from being hidden, their locations are publicly known, and are not embedded within hospitals, schools, or residential buildings.

Iran and Hamas' apologists know this. They know full well that Israel differs fundamentally from Hamas in its approach to civilian life. And that’s precisely the problem for them. Because Hamas’ use of human shields is one of the most damning indictments of its conduct, they are now desperately trying to flip the narrative—to pin their own war crime on Israel and muddy the moral waters.

Hamas places its rocket launchers in playgrounds. It hides its command bunkers beneath hospitals. It stores weapons in UNRWA schools and digs tunnels under apartment complexes. It does this for one reason only: so that when Israel is forced to respond militarily, civilian casualties are inevitable—and then weaponized in the global court of public opinion. That’s not just a war crime. It’s a strategy of human sacrifice.

This isn’t speculation. It’s documented. Footage and testimony from former hostages, foreign doctors, and even UN officials confirm that Hamas routinely uses civilian infrastructure to shield its fighters. The IDF has found operational tunnels under medical facilities, launched operations inside hospitals only after issuing evacuation warnings, and released floor-by-floor evidence of Hamas militants embedded in civilian areas. The evidence is overwhelming. The apologists simply choose to ignore it.

And behind Hamas’ operational doctrine, of course, stands Iran—the regime that arms, funds, trains, and instructs it. The same regime that just launched a direct attack on Israel is also the architect of the proxy strategy that treats Palestinian civilians as expendable assets.

So let’s dispense with this obscene equivalence.

Israel is a democracy fighting to protect its citizens. Hamas is a genocidal death cult committed to destroying not only Israel, but Jews everywhere. That is not rhetoric; it's written into Hamas’ founding charter, echoed in every Friday sermon in Gaza, and etched into every rocket launched indiscriminately at Israeli towns.

To suggest that both sides are “using human shields” is not just factually wrong—it is a moral inversion. It’s the kind of tortured logic that emerges only when hatred of Israel becomes so intense that people lose the ability—or the will—to distinguish between a sovereign nation defending itself and a terror group exploiting its own people as cannon fodder.
Forget Lizards — This Is the Real Story of Israel’s Most Precise Ever Strikes
Long before the world hears sirens over Tehran, Mossad has already established a secret base deep inside Iran itself. Hidden in the heart of the regime, they position explosive drones like venomous predators—patient, coiled, waiting for the signal. And when it comes—they strike. A swarm of precision drones launched straight at Iran’s prized ballistic missile launchers at the Asfaqabad base near Tehran.

Mossad used, according to Iran’s security forces, Toyota Hilux vehicles equipped with a concealed compartment from which drones were launched to strike targets within Iran from close range. Iran’s security forces have issued a warning to watch out for the lizards in Toyota cars. Lizard Mossad agents are using it!

And that’s not even the only main event.

In one of the most ruthless examples of psychological warfare unfolding before our eyes, Israel reportedly leaks the names of Iranian officials marked for assassination. Predictably, Iranian intelligence panics, rushing their top men into a “secure” command bunker to protect them.

Except—it’s not secure. It’s the kill box.

Result: They gather their own leaders like sheep in a pen—and hand them to Israel on a platter. When the strike comes, the entire top command in that room is wiped out. Strategic deception at its most brutal and effective. No lizards required. The operation targeted no less than 20 of Iran’s most senior commanders, including the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander of the Air Force, and the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Also struck were leaders of the Emergency Headquarters, Iranian Ground Forces, IRGC Navy, and the Quds Force—successor to the late Qassem Soleimani. Commanders of the Basij Forces, the regular Iranian Navy, Army Ground Forces, and Army Air Force were also among the high-profile targets. And this isn’t even the full list yet—demonstrating just how deep and precise Israel’s strike truly is. Israel eliminated the Head of the Armed Forces’ Intelligence Directorate and Commander of the IRGC’s Surface-To-Surface Missile Array.

And that’s only part of the plan.

The IDF is also targeting the very brain of Iran’s nuclear program. In coordinated strikes under Operation Rising Lion, Israeli airstrikes eliminate at least nine of Iran’s most senior nuclear scientists—men with decades of knowledge, critical to the regime’s march toward atomic weapons. These aren’t side players. They’re the core. Their removal is sending Iran’s nuclear program spinning backward—not by months, but by years—possibly decades.

Among those eliminated:
Faridun Abbasi – Nuclear Engineering
Mohammad Mehdi Tehranshi – Physics
Akbar Matali Zada – Chemical Engineering
Saeed Barji – Materials Engineering
Amir Hassan Fakhi – Physics
Abdelhamid Minusher – Nuclear Physics
Mansour Asghari – Physics
Ahmad Reza D’Olfakri Dariani – Nuclear Engineering
Ali Boukhai Katrimy – Mechanics

Israel isn’t just bombing infrastructure. It’s surgically dismantling Iran’s future.

This is an operation for the history books. Hundreds of Israeli fighter jets flying over 1,000 miles—deep into enemy territory—undetected, to execute one of the most daring, complex, and precise military operations in human history. It’s a combined display of air superiority, intelligence mastery, and the unbreakable will of a people who refuse to go quietly. Every Israeli involved—from the pilots to the Mossad operatives, from the cyber warriors, the wings on the air, to the boots on the ground—earns their place in the story of this nation’s survival. Pretty amazing details according to the IDF Spokesperson: last night, Israeli jets operated freely for 2.5 hours in the skies of Tehran.

Of course, Iran is fighting back. Their retaliation is hard. But so are the miracles. Israel’s multi-layered air defense—Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 3—isn’t just working like a machine; it’s working like prophecy. Hundreds of missiles, intercepted mid-air. Entire cities saved by software, split-second decisions, and soldiers who haven’t slept in days.
How Netanyahu and Trump fooled the media over the Iran strike
Trump gave Iran 60 days to negotiate
Even after Trump praised Israel's attacks on the Wall Street Journal and other outlets, top media outlets still continued to report the lie that was part of the trap.

"Trump didn't want Israel to strike, but they did it anyway," was the headline of CNN's analysis by Andrew Liptak.

"The fact Israel went in anyway – without any US involvement, and against the president’s publicly stated wishes – now thrusts Trump into one of the biggest tests of his young presidency," Liptak wrote. "After promising as a candidate to end foreign wars and keep American troops out of faraway conflicts, his ability to avoid getting mired in a new Middle East war now faces reality."

Actually, the reality was that Trump gave Iran 60 days to negotiate, and after the Islamic Republic didn't budge, Israel attacked on day 61 with his blessing.

Guardian Washington correspondent Andrew Roth also fell for the maneuver.

"Israel’s strikes on Iran show Trump is unable to restrain Netanyahu as Middle East slips closer to chaos," was his headline.

"The unilateral strikes indicated a collapse of Donald Trump’s efforts to restrain the Israeli prime minister and almost certainly scuttled Trump’s efforts to negotiate a deal with Iran that would prevent the country from seeking a nuclear weapon," Roth wrote. "It also will probably lead to an Iranian retaliation that could develop into a larger war between Israel and Iran, a new conflict that Trump has publicly sought to avoid."

So not only did Trump encourage, rather than restrain Netanyahu, it was Iran - not Israel - that did the scuttling. The conflict between Israel and Iran is far from new, and wasn't the region in chaos already?

Was the October 7 massacre and its aftermath not chaotic enough for The Guardian?

And for the Associated Press, whose headline was "Israel's attack on Iran raises potential for an all-out war"?

That phrase was also used by the New York Times on Friday in a primer called "What to Know About Israel’s Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Program."

"The strikes marked a dramatic escalation in the long-running shadow war between the Middle East’s two most powerful militaries, raising fears of an all-out war," the Times wrote.

Israel has been at war for more than 600 days on seven military fronts, on college campuses around the world, in traditional media, and on every platform on social media. What's not all-out about that?

What is true is that top media outlets were all-out misled by the administrations in Jerusalem and Washington. And they all-out fell for it.


The world is cruel and full of horrors. Israel understands this - and acts. It is doing a service not just for itself, but for the Iranian people and all those who care about fighting theocratic murderers
October 7 was the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and it was carried out by Iran's proxy Hamas.

It was supposed to change everything for Israel and for the Middle East. And it did, just not in the way the so-called Axis of Resistance planned.

The line between this strike and that day is both clear and straight. Israel has dismantled the proxies, the limbs of the beast, and is now gunning for its head, Iran.

Already, politicians and commentators the world over are squawking their disapproval, arguing that the Israelis had no right to launch this stunning offensive because the Iranians don't yet have a nuclear bomb. Others shriek that this is a violation of the rules-based order and international human rights law.

Let's be clear, however: Israel – or any other sovereign state in the world – must be able to live within its borders without bombardment year after year from the proxies of a state that repeatedly says it will wipe it off the face of the earth.

When that state also amasses massive quantities of highly enriched uranium, you not only have a right but a duty to act against it. That's what the Israelis have done. And it was a long time coming.

The world is not what it was. I watched the rules-based order die in the killing fields of eastern Ukraine.

I saw international human rights law reveal itself as a joke in Assad's prisons.

The world is cruel and full of horrors. The Israelis understand this – and they act.

And yesterday in Iran they performed a service not just for themselves, but for the Iranian people, and all those across the world who care about fighting theocratic murderers – in all their guises.


Israel names three killed in Iranian missile attacks
The three people killed in the barrages of Iranian ballistic missiles Friday night and early Saturday morning have been named as Etti Cohen Engel, Yisrael Aloni, and Yevgenia Blinder.

Iran launched several barrages of ballistic missiles at Israel, sending Israelis across the country rushing to shelters.

The three people who were killed were not in shelters when their homes were hit.

Engel, in her 60s, was critically wounded in the missile strike on Ramat Gan on Friday night and later died of her injuries.

Yisrael Aloni, 73, was killed in a barrage on the central city of Rishon Lezion early Saturday. Blinder was killed in the same barrage.

Aloni’s son, Eran, told Kan news that his father was killed following a direct missile strike to his apartment building.

Aloni was alone in his basement apartment, which had no protected space, his son said.

Blinder, in her 60s, worked as a caregiver in the house next to Aloni’s in Rishon Lezion, Hebrew outlets reported Saturday night.

In addition to the three people killed, some 80 people were wounded by the few missiles that impacted residential areas. Approximately 200 ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, with most either falling short or being intercepted by air defenses.

The military said that around 25%, fewer than 50 missiles, were not intercepted “according to protocol,” meaning they were identified as being headed for open areas and were left to strike them without causing damage to any critical infrastructure.


Five killed, at least 23 wounded in Iranian ballistic missile barrage on northern Israel
A woman, Manar al-Qasem Abu al-Heija Khatib, and her two daughters, Hala and Shada, ages 13 and 20, as well as their relative, Manar Diab Katib, were killed when an Iranian missile struck a building in Tamra, in northern Israel, on Saturday night.

At least 28 were wounded following an Iranian missile barrage on northern Israel on Saturday night, Magen David Adom said.

In addition, over 90 people were wounded and another killed in another barrage on central Israel early on Sunday morning.

A 20-year-old woman died due to the direct impact of a ballistic missile on her northern Israel home.

Firefighters rescued four people from a three-story building in the North, but confirmed that two of them died at the scene.

Later, another woman who was rescued from the building was pronounced dead at the hospital.

MDA further reported at least 14 wounded at the scene in a two-story house in the Western Galilee with varying degrees of injuries. Paramedics evacuated seven people with light injuries from the scene to nearby hospitals.

Paramedics also provided medical treatment to 20 additional people, 10 with light physical injuries and 10 with anxiety-related injuries.

"I saw a scene of destruction in a three-story building. Nearby houses were damaged, and there was chaos in the street," said MDA Paramedic Adnan Abu Rum. "We approached a house that had suffered significant destruction, and residents helped us rescue a woman in her 20s who was unconscious and showed no signs of life. Shortly afterward, we were forced to pronounce her dead. Residents were also rescued from nearby buildings—some had minor injuries, and others were suffering from anxiety. We provided them with medical treatment and evacuated them by ambulance to hospitals in Haifa."


IDF: We control the sky over Tehran and western Iran
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday that it had “established aerial superiority from western Iran to Tehran,” allowing Israeli aircraft to operate freely across a wide swath of territory.

This unprecedented freedom of action was achieved by systematically destroying Iranian radar installations, surface-to-air missile batteries and command centers, making it possible for Israeli jets and drones to identify and strike additional targets, including mobile ballistic missile launchers poised to fire at Israel before they could be launched.

The Israeli Air Force overnight Friday attacked dozens of targets in Iran, including surface-to-air missile infrastructure, as part of the ongoing operation to destroy the Islamic Republic’s aerial defenses.

“For the first time since the beginning of the war, over 1,500 km. from Israeli territory, the IAF struck defense arrays in the area of Tehran. We chose to take action against an existential threat to our civilians, with professionalism, determination and precision,” said IAF commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar.

“Activities like these require complicated coordination and collaboration between different sources and capabilities in the force. The IAF will continue to operate in all arenas, in offense and in defense, as the long strategic arm of the IDF,” he added.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF carried out airstrikes on many Iranian military sites, including the Hamadan and Tabriz airbases in western Iran.

According to the IDF, dozens of additional targets were attacked and dismantled, including components of Iran’s aerial defense system, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and surface-to-surface missile launchers.

“The State of Israel has the obligation to defend its civilians and will continue to do so wherever necessary, as it has done before,” the military said in a statement.


IDF: Air Force killed more than 20 Iranian commanders
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Saturday that it had killed more than 20 Iranian commanders, including the heads of military intelligence and missile forces, in the opening phase of “Operation Rising Lion.”

This announcement adds to Friday’s IDF confirmation that several top Iranian commanders—including the heads of the armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—were killed in Israeli strikes at the start of the operation.

The strikes, carried out by Israeli Air Force fighter jets and guided by precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, targeted key figures in the Iranian regime’s security and military apparatus, delivering what Israeli officials describe as an unprecedented blow to Tehran’s operational capabilities.

Decapitating Iran’s military leadership
Among those killed in the initial strikes was Brig. Gen. Gholam-Reza Merhabi, head of the Intelligence Directorate in the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff.

Merhabi, regarded as Iran’s most senior intelligence officer, was responsible for intelligence assessments, operational planning and combat preparations against Israel over the past year. He was also a close associate of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, who was also killed in the opening wave.

The IDF said that Mohammad Bagheri, commander of the IRGC’s surface-to-surface missile array (not to be confused with the Armed Forces chief of staff), was killed alongside Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force commander, and several other senior officials in an underground headquarters in Tehran, where they were reportedly meeting to prepare attacks against Israel.


World's Saddest Man: Ben Rhodes Mourns Loss of Iranian Comrades in Israeli Airstrikes
Anti-Semites and other terrorist sympathizers were heartbroken Thursday evening after Israel launched a massive preemptive strike to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities and eliminate much of the regime's military leadership. Few, if any, individuals on Earth were more distraught than Ben Rhodes, the failed novelist and former Obama adviser who spearheaded the controversial nuclear deal with Iran.

Rhodes, who attended Fidel Castro's funeral in 2016 alongside his Iranian comrades, hated Israel with such intensity that his colleagues in the Obama White House gave him the nickname "Hamas" after the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group that started an ill-advised war by murdering hundreds of Jews on Oct. 7. He immediately lashed out in distress after news broke of Israel's military action. "This is all so unnecessary," he typed between short, heaving breaths as thick tears pooled on his phone screen. "All of it. Everywhere."

The Israeli military campaign, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," was intended to decimate Iran's capacity to build a nuclear weapon that could threaten the Jewish state's existence. As far as Rhodes was concerned, any effort to stop the Islamist regime from producing a weapon capable of destroying Israel was "an utterly pointless, dangerous, and immoral action." It is not yet known how many close personal friends Rhodes lost in the attack. President Donald Trump told CNN on Friday that "the people I was dealing with are dead, the hardliners," and they "didn't die of COVID."

Rhodes's tantrum grew more severe as the night wore on. He repeatedly asserted (without evidence) that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "humiliated" Trump by attacking Iran, and denounced the U.S. president as "the weakest strongman." He warned of the harm that Israel's action would inflict upon "innocent people for no good reason," and lamented the "truly cruel, perilous and stupid times" we are living in.

The Iran nuclear agreement, which gave the Islamist regime billions of dollars in exchange for a promise of good behavior, was (briefly) the signature achievement of Rhodes's career. He bragged about creating an "echo chamber" of support for the deal by manipulating compliant journalists who "literally know nothing." Rhodes went ballistic when Trump tore up the deal in 2018. Years later, he argued that Trump's decision was "directly" responsible for the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7.


Ben Shapiro: The TRUTH About The Israel-Iran Conflict (A Comprehensive History)
Israel didn’t pick this fight — Iran did, over four decades of terror, nuclear blackmail, and open threats of destruction. Now, with Operation Rising Lion, Israel is cutting off the head of the Islamist octopus and proving once again that peace comes through strength, not appeasement. Watch FACTS as we break down why every missile and every strike is not just strategic, but moral.


Ben Shapiro Explains How Trump's Policy Led to Israel's Surprise Strike on Iran
Ben Shapiro breaks down how President Trump’s strategic pressure and Israel’s precision obliterated Iran’s nuclear ambitions.


Bonus Episode: THE REVENGE
In this bonus episode, we dive into the latest on Israel vs. Iran. Plus, Mark Levin, Mark Dubowitz, and Congressman Ro Khanna stop by to discuss.




The Fifth Column: #510 - BONUS EPISODE - The View from Israel (w/ Nadav Eyal)
Moynihan and Welch talk to Nadav Eyal, senior columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth and one of Israel’s most prominent (and best-sourced) journalists.

* Meetings cancelled, meetings kept
* How the attack on Iran unfolded
* James Bond is a Jew
* Taking out the IRGC leadership and partially neutering Iran’s missile capabilities
* Was Iran actually readying a nuclear weapon?
* Was Trump part of an elaborate ruse?
* Western Europe reacts…
* Does Israel actually drive American foreign policy?
* The Mossad stuff is impressive. But…
* Nadav’s Twitter thread
* The first 48 hours are the easy part
* Netanyahu’s political prospects
* And lots, lots more
travelingisrael.com: Day 2 of the Israel–Iran War: 4 Things the Media Gets Wrong
🎯 Day 2 of the Israel–Iran War. Here’s what the media isn’t telling you. From misleading headlines to the surprising reaction inside Iran, this video breaks down 4 critical truths the mainstream narrative is hiding.
Why are Iranians cheering for Israeli airstrikes?
What does Russia’s condemnation really mean?
And what does Gaza have to do with all of this?


Visegrad24: Iran Was Modern. Then Islamism Took Over
The Visegrad24 team has met in London with Younes Sadaghiani. The Iranian-born British national is a political analyst often seen on GB News, TalkTV and other political programs in the UK.

He warns that people in the West have very little understanding of the threat posed by Islamism and that irresponsible migration policies have made western more dangerous and fragmented.

Known on social media as YounesRocks, he argues that Europe and the USA are now witnessing the birth of the red-black alliance between communists and islamists that toppled the monarchy in Iran in 1979 and introduced a theocratic dictatorship.

With Israel's airstrikes against the IRGC, the Mullah Regime and its nuclear facilities, hundreds of thousands of Iranian dissidents living in the West now hope that the people of Iran will be able to topple the regime and regain their nation's freedom.

00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Why Iranians support Israel
01:56 - Divisions among Iranians
03:17 - Repression in Iran
04:05 - Zoroastrianism & Islamism
06:37 - Modernization under Pahlavi
09:28 - The Red-Black Alliance
10:28 - 1979, the global year of Islamism
12:50 - Reforms in Saudi Arabia
14:03 - Why Tehran Pushed Hamas to Attack
15:12 - Reforms Within Iran
16:54 - Structure of the Islamic Regime
18:06 - IRGC Terrorism
19:28 - Don't Negotiate with Terrorists
21:38 - Too Many Migrants in Europe


Hamas’s HUGE Mistake – w/Iddo Netanyahu (They Didn’t See This Coming) | Straight Up
Hamas's atrocities on Oct.7, 2023 didn’t just hurt Israeli civilians—it obliterated the last vestiges of Israeli public support for a Palestinian state.

Former senior Israeli government official Danny Seaman is joined in this episode by Iddo Netanyahu to discuss how the events of Oct. 7, 2023 triggered a revolution in Israeli consciousness. Once a widely debated political solution, the idea of a two-state agreement is now viewed by most Israelis as a security threat—no longer a path to peace, but a road to destruction. Backed by recent polls showing over 87% of Jewish Israelis rejecting the two-state concept, Seaman argues that the illusion of peace through concessions has been permanently shattered.

The episode digs into how decades of deception following the Oslo Accords, combined with growing support among Palestinians for Hamas’s ideology, have exposed the true intentions behind the so-called peace process. Seaman also addresses Western complicity—from European governments who never held the Palestinian Authority accountable, to global elites now pushing renewed statehood efforts even in the wake of mass terror.

They also discuss:
The role of Palestinian public opinion in collapsing trust
How Hamas’s brutality unified Israeli society across ideological lines
Why Israel’s future security posture must be based on strength—not delusion

Chapters
00:00 The Atrocities of October 7th
05:18 The Illusion of Peace: Historical Context
11:59 Shifting Perspectives on the Palestinian Conflict
19:00 The Current State of Israeli Society
27:09 Future Outlook for Israel


How ‘useful idiots’ are created on campus w/Carly Gammill | The Quad
What is the real connection between anti-Zionism and antisemitism—and why is it being erased from public discourse? In this episode of “The Quad,” Israeli innovation envoy Fleur Hassan-Nahoum sits down with Carly Gammill, the Founding Director of the StandWithUs Center for Combating Antisemitism and Director of Legal Policy at StandWithUs, for a conversation about the politicization of Jewish identity and the dangerous rise of antisemitism in the post-Oct. 7, 2023 era.

Broadcasting from Jerusalem, this discussion explores how Zionism—an essential element of Jewish identity—is being deliberately mischaracterized on U.S. college campuses as colonialism, apartheid and genocide. Carly shares her firsthand experiences engaging with DEI administrators, exposing a shocking ignorance about what Zionism actually is and why attacks on it are fundamentally antisemitic.

Also discussed:
The deliberate campaign to erase Jewish ancestral ties to Israel
The legal fightback against antisemitism through lawsuits at top universities like Columbia, MIT and Barnard
U.S. policy changes under the new administration, including visa revocations for campus agitators
The importance of educating students and faculty about the Jewish connection to Zion and the land of Israel
Carly also recounts her testimony before the U.S. Senate and reveals how StandWithUs is building a grassroots movement to reclaim Jewish identity from political distortion.


‘Israeli jets overhead in Iran now,’ Caitlyn Jenner tweets from Tel Aviv shelter
Caitlyn Jenner spent Friday-night Shabbat hunkered in a reinforced hotel room in Tel Aviv as sirens wailed above the city, posting on X that “Israeli jets [are] overhead in Iran now… (Bye bye terrorists).” She had opened the evening with a separate post thanking Israelis for “making me family” and vowing that “we will prevail.”

Jenner first soared to prominence as Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold-medalist hailed as the “world’s greatest athlete.” Four decades later, she transitioned publicly in 2015, becoming one of the most recognizable transgender women in the world and, more recently, a conservative political activist.

The 75-year-old landed in Israel on Wednesday, 11 June, invited as Tel Aviv Pride’s guest of honor and scheduled to ride atop a parade float at Charles Clore Park. Those plans collapsed early Friday when Israel carried out a large pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear and military sites, prompting Tehran to launch missiles at Israel; city officials cancelled the parade hours later.

Wine and sirens
As air-raid alerts sounded across central Israel, Jenner uploaded a video of herself and Israeli influencer Regev Gur sipping red wine inside a bomb shelter, telling followers, “We are safe, we are strong.” The post quickly racked up tens of thousands of likes, with Israeli users thanking her for staying.

Ben-Gurion Airport shut down indefinitely on Friday morning, and Israeli airlines ferried their fleets abroad to avoid possible Iranian strikes, leaving Jenner—and thousands of other tourists—temporarily stranded. “There is no place I’d rather be than with the brave people of Israel,” she wrote on Instagram, adding that she would remain until flights resume.

In her late-night tweet, Jenner praised Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s “decisive leadership” and lauded US President Donald Trump—whom she called “Israel’s closest ally”—for refusing to tolerate “reckless violence.” The wording closely paralleled statements from Jerusalem and Washington framing Israel’s strike as self-defense.


Aussie Olympian Nova Peris stuck in Israel as bombs from Iran rain down on capital
Former Northern Territory Olympian Nova Peris has spoken about a frightening night spent sheltering in Jerusalem as Iran launched a wave of ballistic missiles toward Israel.

Peris said she and 11 other Australians were forced to bunker down in a bomb shelter during the early hours of Friday.

Peris won Olympic gold in hockey at the 1996 Atlanta Games, becoming the first Aboriginal Australian to do so.

She later switched to athletics, winning two gold medals at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Peris also competed in track events at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Now she is part of a group of Australians in Israel for a reception hosted by the Israel-Australia, New Zealand & Oceania Chamber of Commerce, set to take place in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

Posting on X on Saturday, Peris described the experience as 'deeply confronting' and said much of the previous 24 hours had been spent in the shelter amid the escalating violence.

'We've witnessed the unrelenting ballistic missile attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and across Israel,' she posted to X.

'There have now been three waves of missiles fired directly from Iran, targeting civilians, destroying homes, and causing widespread devastation.

'Like so many here, we're just doing what Israelis do every day, seeking shelter, staying strong, and praying for peace.

'We also stand with the two million Arab citizens of Israel who rely on the same protection from the IDF's defence systems. This isn't just about one people, it's about humanity.'

She thanked those who reached out and urged people to keep Israel and its people in their thoughts.

'We can't wait to come home,' Peris said.

'But for now, we're safe, in bomb shelters, we're together, and our hearts are with all those living through this terror.'


‘Go woke, go broke’: Sydney Theatre Company donations drop
NSW Independent MLC Tania Mihailuk discusses the Sydney Theatre Company’s drop in donations.

“Go woke, go broke – that’s exactly what’s happening to the Sydney Theatre Company,” Ms Mihailuk told Sky News Senior Reporter Caroline Marcus.

“It’s telling everybody out there that they had some wonderful donors that were deeply offended and have rightly removed their philanthropy from this particular cause.

“In this case, there’s been some very serious consequences.”




Protesters march through London waving Iranian flags
Pro-Palestine protesters marched through London on Saturday chanting “stop bombing Iran”.

Large crowds gathered in Parliament Square waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, while also demanding an end to the bombing in Gaza.

Protesters urged the Government to halt all military support for Israel and lobby the country to de-escalate its actions in the Middle East.

It comes after Israel launched a series of air strikes against nuclear and military sites in Iran on Thursday night.

Tehran then struck back on Friday with missile attacks on Tel Aviv.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign announced an emergency protest earlier in the week which it publicised on social media, titled: “Emergency Protest: Stop Bombing Iran - Stop Arming Israel”.

In a post on X, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign shared a video which showed a large crowd chanting outside the houses of Parliament.

A post read: “Thousands in Parliament Square demanding our government stop arming Israel and pressure it to stop bombing Iran and end its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Protesters also held placards which read “don’t attack Iran” amid other banners which read “stop arming Israel” and “ceasefire now”.

An Instagram caption from the group read: “As it commits genocide against the Palestinians, Israel is now bombing Iran. Join us to demand our government stop arming genocidal Israel.”


Convicted terrorist who conspired to kill Americans was teaching kids at a NYC mosque
A convicted Al-Qaeda sympathizer who conspired to kill Americans in shopping malls and traveled to the Mideast to train with the terror group was teaching kids at a Muslim community center on Staten Island.

Tarek Mehanna — who prosecutors say once vowed to wage armed jihad against Americans both here and abroad — began teaching Arabic and the Quran in January to children as young as 4 at the Muslim Community Center of Staten Island in West Brighton.

Mohamed Bahi, a former senior advisor to Mayor Adams and the Muslim Community Center of Staten Island’s founder, announced Mehanna’s hiring in a since-deleted Facebook post, promoting the MCC’s Jan. 11 grand opening. Mehanna’s photo was pictured prominently, along with headshots of imams and other center officials in promotions.

Adams has visited the MCC in Brooklyn in the past.

Mehanna, 43, taught four days a week, four hours per day, as first reported by Focus on Western Islamism.

“I’m all for second chances — but not when it comes to convicted terrorists teaching kids. That’s not rehabilitation — that’s insanity,” said City Councilman Frank Morano (R-Staten Island).

The Sept. 11 attacks inspired the terror teacher and galvanized his radicalization, according to federal prosecutors. Mehanna and his unnamed co-conspirators were undeterred when denied entry into Afghanistan at the Pakistan border in 2002, and “agreed to explore ways in which they, too, could kill Americans.”

When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, Mehanna discussed purchasing automatic guns with his co-conspirators to murder US citizens inside shopping malls, “but [they] ultimately dismissed them as impractical,” according to prosecutors.

Their focus then shifted towards killing American soldiers, whom Mehanna called “infidels,” according to court records.


French Muslim teens sentenced to 7, 9 years in prison for gang raping Jewish girl
Two French Muslim teenagers who raped a 12-year-old Jewish girl in 2024 have been sentenced to seven years and nine years in prison, respectively.

The sentence was handed down on Friday in Nanterre juvenile court, following a three-day trial. These two appeared on charges of gang rape of a minor under the age of 15 on the basis of religion. The length of the sentences received were near the upper end of the maximum possible jail time of 10 years.

The two were 13 years old at the time of the incident; a third boy involved in the incident was below the age of criminal responsibility (12 at the time) and therefore cannot receive a prison sentence. The third boy was sentenced to five years in an educational facility.

The presiding judge explained that the severity of the sentence came “in view of their concerning personality traits and the immense social disturbance to society and [to the victim] and because of what she was: a young girl of the Jewish faith.”

“There is no doubt that [the victim] would not have been assaulted or raped if she had not been Jewish,” the presiding judge added.

The third boy – who was the victim’s ex-partner – was tried for complicity in this crime. During their relationship, the girl pretended she was Muslim due to fears for her safety. On discovering she was Jewish, the boy ended the relationship, dropped out of school, and converted to Islam.

“His instructions and his mere presence helped in the carrying out of these rapes,” said the court, which then spoke of the boy’s “revenge plan” on discovering his girlfriend had lied to him about her religion. “He harbored a deep hatred for the Jewish faith, particularly through the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” the presiding judge said.

According to Le Monde, the girl – who chose to be present throughout the trial – burst into tears during the deliberation.

Muriel Ouaknine-Melki, one of the girl’s two lawyers, told Le Monde that “there was a real consideration by the court of the exponential rise of antisemitism.”


Natasha Hausdorff at the Nova Exhibition in Toronto
Natasha Hausdorff, UKLFI Charitable Trust Legal Director, discusses misinformation, university encampments, propaganda and the silencing of truth, at the Nova Exhibition in Toronto.






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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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