JPost Editorial: With Iran attacking the region, Israel has the chance to step out of the villain role
While much of the Jewish world marked Purim yesterday, Jerusalem is celebrating it today. The reason rests within Jewish law and memory. In antiquity, Jerusalem was a walled city, so it observes Purim on Adar 15, a day later than most communities in what Jews call Shushan Purim (Purim in walled cities).A War Too Logical to Explain By Abe Greenwald
Per the Book of Esther, Jews in Persia’s capital, Shushan, fought one more day, thus celebrated one day later. Jerusalem keeps that tradition alive, as if the city insists on living within the tale’s original rhythm.
One phrase from Purim captures the holiday’s spirit better than any military briefing. It is the term v’nahafoch hu, which suggests that all on this day is the opposite, all on this day is flipped upside down.
In the megillah, the plot reverses: The threatened become the defenders, the confident become the anxious, and the power dynamics turn upside down. Jerusalem reads that line in the scroll today with costumes in the street and, this year, with a war in the background.
The war has already delivered its own v’nahafoch hu.
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The amnesiacs are forgetting America’s case for war on Iran not because the regime’s crimes directly caused them trauma. They’re discarding it, rather, because what’s traumatic for them is to accept that Israel, the U.S., and Donald Trump are doing the right, moral, and necessary thing—after so many administrations allowed the threat to grow.Spoiled by Peace, Again By Abe Greenwald
This problem, like most of our current maladies, manifests in different versions on the left and right. To many on the left, American action abroad is by definition criminal. So, too, are the existence of Israel and Trump’s exercise of presidential power. Only the enemies of the U.S. and the Jewish state are righteous in the use of deadly force.
A smaller contingent on the right shares the left’s hostility to Israel and sees any shared goals between it and the U.S. as the deceptive product of Jewish manipulation. Alliances in general are a zero-sum trap for an America that must always shoulder the burden. Indeed, these populist right-wingers have anathematized a whole range of concepts and terms that would otherwise explain Trump’s decision to strike. Preemptive war is immediately suspect and specifically unacceptable absent an imminent threat. American military intervention becomes morally tainted if a byproduct of its success is the protection or liberation of non-Americans. And regime change is the language of madmen and fools.
For years, Trump helped to promote these anti-historical attitudes. They now permeate different parts of MAGA to varying degrees. As a result, he and his administration are at a loss to explain what they clearly now understand: that strong alliances based on shared values are the guarantors of civilization, and that the U.S.-Israel alliance is the strongest of all; that it’s better to strike one’s enemies before they pose an imminent threat; that liberation from tyranny is a rare miracle that the United States alone can facilitate in foreign lands; and that, except in wars over land, regime change is the only way that wars end.
Administration figures have instead offered thin, sometimes contradictory, justifications for Operation Epic Fury. These attempts at assuaging right-wing skeptics only stoke the populist suspicion that they’re being lied to. And they are, only not in the way they think. Trump isn’t protecting the secret agenda of an all-powerful cabal. He’s hiding the fact that he took his base for a wild ride only to return to the boring but valuable realities of establishment statecraft.
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When the U.S. went to war with Iran, more Americans disapproved than approved of the decision. But two new polls, one by Fox News and the other by Politico, show the country is now split almost evenly on the question. The change isn’t surprising. American and Israeli forces have done an incredible job of targeting the regime and its weapons, and success is a sure path to popularity. But when support for a war hangs on day-to-day military fortunes, that war is only as popular as the latest developments.
If Americans were down on the war from the start, and if that’s their baseline attitude, I suspect it has a lot less to do with the logical reasons for skepticism that pundits cite and more to do with feelings toward Donald Trump and ideas about America’s general safety.
There are, of course, many Americans who are unable to support anything that Trump does. Given that the president’s popularity has taken a big hit over the past year, I doubt he’d have made much headway with the public regarding Iran even if he and his administration hadn’t offered a confusing account of its war aims and painted a very blurry portrait of victory.
But beyond the public’s feelings about Trump, there’s the matter of how Americans think about threats to the country. The fact is, it’s very hard for many of us to believe that foreign actors or countries pose a threat to the United States so great as to require military action.
There are multiple reasons for this. One is that a massive majority of living Americans have enjoyed some or all of what’s called the Long Peace—the period from the end of World War II to the present. When your life coincides with a stretch of history during which there has been no great-power conflict, you can begin to believe that’s the norm. And if your own country—the United States—is the chief cause and guarantor of that peace, you’re even more likely to believe in it.
The US and Israel are fighting the same war — in opposite political realities
Today, more than 20 years after it was launched, the US war in Iraq is widely viewed as a destructive debacle that achieved little. But that hindsight obscures the fact that, more than a year after it began, the war was still relatively popular in the United States.
When the US invaded in March 2003, close to 70% of Americans supported it, according to CBS. By September 2004, US forces were dying, the war was turning into a quagmire and, earlier in the year, US troops’ abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib had exposed the world to disturbing images of brutality.
Yet 18 months after the invasion, 54% of Americans still said the US did the right thing by going to war in Iraq. Two months later, then-US President George W. Bush won reelection.
Not so the current war with Iran. Polls show that the decision to launch airstrikes on the Islamic Republic is deeply unpopular in the United States, with just a quarter of the country supporting it. Even among Republicans, who generally back US President Donald Trump’s policies, the figure is a tepid 55%.
Add on that Trump hasn’t presented a clear rationale for the war, or outlined what would constitute success, or defined how long it might last, or said definitively whether American ground troops will get involved, or executed a plan to evacuate Americans from the region. All in all, it’s hard to imagine the war gaining popularity in the US or putting Trump in a stronger position to govern for the rest of his term.
The picture in Israel could hardly be more different.
Surveys in Israel have found that north of 80% Israelis support this war. One poll said that even among opposition voters who are generally vehement critics of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, approval for the war was at 77%. Majorities report trust in the security establishment, say they understand the goals of the war, and say it should continue until the regime is overthrown.
Try to find another major issue in Israel that polls this well, I dare you. That’s apparent anecdotally, as Israelis seem prepared, if not eager, to disrupt their routine and shuttle back and forth between home and bomb shelter.
New polls show an overwhelming majority of Republicans support the President's strike on Iran.
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) March 4, 2026
Don't buy the media's lies. MAGA isn't split on this issue at all. It's the noisy influencers pretending to represent MAGA who have split—again.
My new column:https://t.co/nAFKrn9pmZ pic.twitter.com/XBO54YNBVT
'I've Waited 30 Years': American Families of Iranian Terror Victims See Justice Served in US-Israeli Campaign
Families of the victims of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing organized by Iran and carried out by an Iranian proxy, as well as a survivor of the attack, see the U.S.-Israeli campaign against the Islamic Republic as justice belatedly being served, they told the Washington Free Beacon.Senate votes down Iran war powers resolution 53-47
"I'm so emotional, because watching this Iran thing unfold is so different for me," said Dawn Woody, whose husband Joshua was killed in the attack. "I've waited 30 years to watch the leaders finally be held accountable for what they did. No other president has ever held them accountable."
Dawn and Joshua Woody had only been married a few months when the airman first class deployed to Saudi Arabia with the Air Force to provide support services to Operation Southern Watch in the aftermath of the Gulf War. He and the other airmen stationed in Saudi Arabia were living in the Khobar Towers, where Iran targeted them in its proxy's attack.
"His specific job was a 'weapons jammer,'" Dawn Woody recalled. "He basically loaded the bombs on F-15s. He was so proud of what he was doing and would have been a career military man. That was the plan, anyway."
A day before Joshua Woody was set to return home, a truck bomb exploded at the Khobar Towers complex, killing him, 18 other Americans, and wounding nearly 500 more people. The U.S. government eventually announced that Hezbollah Al-Hejaz, an Iranian proxy then operating in Saudi Arabia, was responsible. By 2006, a federal judge ruled that the Islamic Republic itself was directly involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
Dawn Woody spent a decade in the Secret Service, a role that at times gave her an up-close view of how presidents handled Tehran.
"I worked when Obama sent, literally, a pallet full of cash back to Iran," Woody told the Free Beacon, referencing the infamous payments that comprised part of former president Barack Obama's Iran deal. "[It was] a hard day for me, knowing that they were giving money back to the people that murdered my husband."
The Islamic Republic's continued attacks against U.S. service members—often carried out through its various proxy groups in the Middle East—were one reason President Donald Trump gave for his decision to launch the ongoing operation against Iran.
The Senate voted down a measure from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) on Tuesday that would have directed U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw American forces from hostilities against Iran.
Kaine’s motion to discharge his war powers resolution was defeated by a vote of 53-47, mostly along party lines. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was the lone Democrat to vote against the measure. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican in favor.
Many Democrats have described the combat operations against Iran as illegal and have hammered Trump for failing to seek congressional authorization. Some Democrats have said that the Iranian regime ought to be removed, but that the president still needs to make his case before Congress.
BREAKING: The Senate War Powers resolution vote fails 47 to 53. Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to vote against it, while Sen. Rand Paul was the lone Republican to support it. pic.twitter.com/lsThoANKui
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 4, 2026
“I want to offer condolences to your boss [Mehdi]. I know he’s all broke up about the Ayatollah.”
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) March 5, 2026
🔥 Bless you @SenFettermanPA! https://t.co/lbHvuBGMiM
This is what Secretary of State Marco Rubio was talking about when he explained why the U.S. needed to strike Iran now
— Ryan Saavedra (@RyanSaavedra) March 4, 2026
Iran was building its ballistic missile stockpile so rapidly that the U.S. was not going to be able to manufacture enough interceptors to counter them
The… pic.twitter.com/2uFl96M0JL
HOW THE INTERNET TOOK @SecRubio OUT OF CONTEXT - making it seem like he said Israel was responsible for America’s involvement in Iran.
— Nathan Livingstone (MilkBarTV) (@TheMilkBarTV) March 4, 2026
A viral clip led many people to believe Marco Rubio said yesterday that Israel forced America’s hand in its operation in Iran.
However, the… pic.twitter.com/xEBdmaRGaD
The fifth and sixth U.S. soldier who were killed in Kuwait has been identified as:
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 5, 2026
Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa.
CWO 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, California.
(Pentagon) pic.twitter.com/T6Jbh7ei1T
The war in Iran & Europe’s Cowardice #iran #Hegseth pic.twitter.com/3Ymns9ZxlM
— Traveling israel (@travelingisrae1) March 2, 2026
BOOM pic.twitter.com/rY1apUJdks
— Rosalinda Martinez (@Rosabonita12345) March 3, 2026
🚨 DECLASSIFIED: HOW THE STRIKE ON IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER HAPPENED
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 4, 2026
Months of CIA and Mossad intelligence tracked movements, intercepted communications, and mapped the compound in Tehran.
When the window opened, U.S. strikes knocked out Iran’s air defenses.
Then 200 Israeli jets… pic.twitter.com/5O3dNC3tzu
The USA 🇺🇸 just sent B 52 bombers to bomb targets of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) March 4, 2026
To be clear: the average B-52 bomber is 60 years old.
They can be seen by every possible radar and shot down by every basic air defense.
Iran has none of those anymore.
The evil regime will… pic.twitter.com/FyWX276eBX
Ballistic missile launches by Iran during the first four days of conflict:
— World Insights (@World_Insights1) March 4, 2026
🚀 Ballistic Missiles:
🔴 Day 1 — 350
🔴 Day 2 — 175
🔴 Day 3 — 120
🔴 Day 4 — 50
🔴 Day 5 — 40
🛸 Drone Swarms:
🟢 Day 1 — 294
🟢 Day 2 — 541
🟢 Day 3 — 200
🟢 Day 4 — 85
🟢 Day 5 — 45 pic.twitter.com/yrtMufl4jf
IAF F-35 shoots down Iranian jet over Tehran
An Israeli Air Force F-35 “Adir” stealth fighter shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 warplane over Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces said on Wednesday.
The incident marks the first time an F-35 “Adir” fighter jet has downed a manned aircraft in combat, according to the IDF.
It was also reportedly the first Israeli air-to-air engagement with a manned enemy plane in more than 40 years. The last such encounter occurred in 1985, when Israeli F-15s shot down two Syrian MiG-23s over Lebanon.
The IDF published audio of a conversation between IAF Commander Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar and the pilot, in which Bar tells him that “the historic shootdown over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,” adding that “the next mission is already awaiting you.”
IRANIAN JET SHOT DOWN: An IAF F-35I “Adir” fighter jet shot down an Iranian Air Force YAK-130 fighter jet.
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) March 4, 2026
This is the first shootdown in history of a manned fighter aircraft by an F-35 “Adir” fighter jet. pic.twitter.com/q6lJb38gRJ
The Israeli pilot who earlier today became the first in the world to down a plane with an F-35 is the son of another Israeli pilot who was the first in the world to down a plane with an F-16 in 1981.
— Yoni Leviatan (@songsofyoni) March 4, 2026
Our jets never go on holiday ✈️ pic.twitter.com/dct5XVTggh
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
🚨Israel has lowered the Home Front Command guidelines from severe to moderate starting at 12 PM tomorrow. Which means Israel is not anticipating any major missile launches anymore pic.twitter.com/wwZhT8Ca9s
— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) March 4, 2026
🎯STRUCK: A large Iranian terror regime military compound in eastern Tehran.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
Struck command centers in the compound include:
* The IRGC headquarters
* The Intelligence Directorate headquarters
* The ‘Basij’ headquarters
* The 'Quds Force' headquarters
* The Internal Security… pic.twitter.com/XBvXqks29R
⭕️The IDF has carried out a series of strikes on the Basij and internal security command centers in Tehran belonging to the Iranian terror regime.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
The targeted command centers were used by the Iranian regime to maintain control throughout Iran.
The IDF also struck the regime’s… pic.twitter.com/nvlq72W6vJ
🎯STRUCK: A Ghadr missile storage and production facility in Isfahan.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) March 4, 2026
During a broad wave of IAF strikes, dozens of Iranian terror regime infrastructure sites were struck across Iran.
Targets included a facility used by the regime for the storage, production, and launch of… pic.twitter.com/1ACGSgjetS
US said to be in talks with Iranian Kurdish militias regarding direct action in Iran
The United States has reportedly entered discussions with Iranian Kurdish militias about the possibility of attacking the Ayatollah regime’s security forces , opening up the possibility that the US will use the region’s sectarianism to launch armed resistance inside Iranian territory itself.
As initially reported by CNN, the CIA has been in discussions with Kurdish militias in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. It is unclear at this point whether the United States has decided to work together with these groups to further destabilise the Iranian regime.
Kurds make up approximately 10% of the Iranian population, with half a dozen provinces in the northwestern region of the country containing either a majority or a sizeable minority from the distinct ethnic group.
Just weeks ago, however, the Trump administration signalled that despite a decade of US support for Kurdish fighters in Syria, America was now inclined to support both the Syrian and Turkish governments in their attempts to crush the Kurdish enclave in northeastern Syria. It is unknown whether this perceived betrayal will affect how Kurds elsewhere view US offers of aid and arms in return for launching an operation against the Iranian regime.
Iraqi Kurdish official denying that Iraqi Kurds launched a ground offensive. https://t.co/LkgGYQ0fuH
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) March 4, 2026
See that destroyed building in Tehran?
— 🇮🇷honey🇮🇷 (@honey____s) March 3, 2026
FARAJA, Iran's morality police headquarters.
Mahsa Amini was killed there.
I was taken there for showing HAIR. The terror, the humiliation, unforgettable.
Millions of Iranian women know this fear.
Now it's rubble.
Not destruction. Justice. pic.twitter.com/EhFWZTEGr1
'A QUIET DEATH': Department of War releases video showing a U.S. submarine sinking an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 4, 2026
It marks the first sinking of an enemy ship by torpedo since World War II.
Secretary of War Hegseth saying, "Like in that war, back when we were still the… pic.twitter.com/pnnNkIsiWB
Turkey says Iran fired missile at its territory
Iran fired a missile at Turkey on Wednesday that crossed into Iraqi and Syrian airspace, and was intercepted en route by NATO defense systems, the Turkish defense ministry said.
“NATO air and missile-defense elements deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean” shot down the missile, per the official statement.
“Threats will be responded to wherever they come from,” the Turkish Ministry of Defense wrote in a statement about the incident.
No casualties or injuries were reported.
Turkey is a NATO member state and an ally of the United States. Iran reportedly has fired missiles and projectiles at Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Cyprus and Oman, as well as Israel, since Saturday’s launch of a major offensive against Iran by the United States and Israel.
“We are capable of ensuring the security of our land and our citizens, regardless of who or where it comes from. All necessary steps to defend our airspace will be taken decisively and without hesitation. We remind you that we reserve the right to respond to any hostile attitude towards our country,” the Turkish statement also said.
Tehran University Professor Hamzeh Safavi: China and Russia Have Supplied Iran with Advanced Systems for Electronic Warfare, Military Intelligence, and Satellite Systems – Iran Now Has More Advanced Technology Than in June War pic.twitter.com/ht33WUF1K6
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 4, 2026
Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Larijani Urges Basij Forces to “Fire-at-Will” at Protesters: We Must Remain Vigilant and Monitor the Streets, Identify and Eliminate Agents of America and the Zionists; These Are Mercenaries Paid by America pic.twitter.com/hl1pGSwsQA
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 4, 2026
Michigan Islamic Scholar Hassanain Rajabali on Khamenei Killing: Why Do We Keep Hearing Our Leaders Are Being Killed and the Other Side Does Not? It Will Come, Don’t Worry; Islam Will Overtake the World; Mahdi Will Cut Tentacles of Rothschilds pic.twitter.com/0nhVW4L02p
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) March 4, 2026
These are the kind of lies Hitler told his people in the final days of WWII. Its great to see the Mullahs saying this because it means the regime is on its way out. https://t.co/3Zk23JXwFx
— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) March 4, 2026
IDF orders evacuation of Southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday ordered all civilians in Southern Lebanon to evacuate and move north of the Litani River.Historic Tel Aviv Bauhaus building damaged by Iran missile explosion
“The activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization are forcing the Israel Defense Forces to act against it with force. The IDF does not intend to harm you,” said Avichay Adraee, head of the Arab Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, in a notice posted to X.
Adraee emphasized that any Lebanese civilians “near Hezbollah members, facilities or combat equipment are putting their lives at risk.”
“Any home used by Hezbollah for military purposes may be subject to targeting,” he said. “Any movement southward may endanger your life.”
The Iranian rocket strike that killed Filipina caregiver Mary Anne Velasquez de Vera and injured over two dozen others on Saturday night as it destroyed an entire apartment building also devastated the historic building next door, one of the White City in Tel Aviv’s architectural treasures.
“No one can live there right now,” said architect Alon Bin Nun, whose firm handled the apartment building’s restoration more than ten years ago. “All the windows are broken; it’s uninhabitable for the moment.”
Bin Nun said someone sent him a message on Saturday night saying the rocket struck the block on which the building is located.
“I saw it on TV and could immediately identify it,” said Bin Nun.
The downstairs cafe, Grasyani House, a beloved neighborhood bakery and coffee spot, was also destroyed in the blast.
The Home Front Command determined that a complete Iranian ballistic missile — not fragments — impacted next to the apartment building, causing extensive damage and a large crater. The missile carried a warhead of several hundred kilograms, the Home Front Command assessed.
The building was relatively old, without its own safe rooms. Most residents had evacuated to a nearby public bomb shelter, according to the Home Front Command.
The historic building next door was a familiar landmark in the neighborhood, noted for the two external staircases with rounded walls and the busy ground-floor cafe.
📹INSANE FOOTAGE
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) March 4, 2026
Shoshana, a 96-year-old Israeli woman, just survived the shockwaves of an Iranian ballistic missile as she sat on her sofa at home.
via @kann_news/@Itsik_zuarets pic.twitter.com/7qOwgMJVLl
Shrapnel from an Iranian missile strike set vehicles ablaze in Ramat Gan, Israel Tuesday as missiles hit the Tel Aviv area, damaging a building and cars, the Israeli military said. Ambulance crews treated three people with light injuries at the scene. pic.twitter.com/Vb203XnYnH
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) March 4, 2026
Vast majority of Israelis support the war against Iran, polls find
More than 80% of Israelis support the war against Iran, polls by two major Israeli research institutions found this week, while Americans were evenly split, according to a new Fox News poll.
The Israel Democracy Institute found that 82% of Israelis — 93% of Jewish Israelis and 26% of Israeli Arabs — support the war with Iran.
Among Jewish Israelis, the war has strong support across the political spectrum, with 76% of respondents on the left backing it, 93% of voters from the center and 97% from the right.
Similarly, the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University found that 81% of Israelis back the war against Iran, and 63% support continuing military efforts until the Iranian regime falls.
Among Jewish Israelis, support for the war was at 92%, while only 38% of Israeli Arabs support it. About half (49%) of Israeli Arabs oppose the war, while the rest said they did not know.
The Fox News poll found that exactly half of Americans support the current U.S. action against Iran, while half disapprove, with Republicans overwhelmingly supportive and Democrats overwhelmingly against. Most American respondents (61%) saw Iran as a “real national security threat,” and only 38% did not.
Three-fourths (74%) of Jewish Israelis said they supported continuing the war until the Iranian regime is overthrown, while only 18% of Israeli Arabs agreed; 61% of Israeli Arabs called for a ceasefire as soon as possible, while only 3% of Jewish Israelis chose that as their preferred option.
Over a third of respondents (37%) to the INSS poll said that Israelis would be able to live under the current war situation for up to a month, while 29% said they could continue for over a month.
When people say that Israelis are united on Iran, this is what they mean:
— Elliot Kaufman (@ElliotKaufman6) March 4, 2026
The center and most of the left are on board, and large numbers of them even trust Netanyahu to lead the mission, when they trust him on nothing else. pic.twitter.com/FJg6JkSiKL
FUN FACT: There have been no flights from Israel to Iran for 46 years. For almost a week now, all flights from Israel have been only to Iran.
— Joel Fischer 🇺🇸 (@realJoelFischer) March 4, 2026
Why the U.S. ACTUALLY Went to War with Iran
On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least 40 Iranian leaders. Iran is now retaliating against American allies and military assets in a counteroffensive that has killed at least six American service members.
In the days since, social media has filled with a single narrative: Israel dragged the United States into a misbegotten war to serve Israeli interests. But Free Press Middle East analyst Haviv Rettig Gur sees it differently. “For years, Iran has funded terrorism, harassed global shipping, threatened America’s allies, and kept the Middle East expensive and unstable,” he wrote in The Free Press.
But that’s not all. According to Gur, this war is also about China.
Here’s what he means: About 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports go to China, helping Beijing build large oil reserves that could keep its economy running during a naval blockade. China, Russia, and Iran have also held joint naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil choke points. And Iran’s navy, missile sites, and coastal bases could threaten American ships and global shipping lanes in the event of a wider conflict.
In Gur’s view, Iran functions, for China, as an energy supplier, a military outpost, a naval threat to U.S. forces, and a lever over global oil supplies. And in a conflict between the United States and China, Iran would be a critical partner for Beijing.
Haviv breaks down how Iran made itself China’s most important ally in the Middle East, how the two countries have become economically and strategically intertwined, why that is so dangerous for the United States, and why—at its core—this isn’t only Israel’s war. It’s America’s.
"Historic..Imagine killing Hitler, his successor, every one of his Field Marshals before the first boots touch the beaches of Normandy. That's the neurological strike that we saw in the first 24 hours." my talk with @JesseBWatters on @FoxNews tonight. pic.twitter.com/rGpYrT7l2u
— John Spencer (@SpencerGuard) March 4, 2026
U.S. Gen. Jack Keane on Hannity, Fox News:
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 4, 2026
“What the Israelis have done—and I spoke to them when I was in Israel, I spoke to their military leaders and actually Prime Minister Netanyahu about it—I said, you have done something that’s really quite unprecedented. The ultimate… pic.twitter.com/6O5Uhtde5E
U.S. Gen. David Petraeus on Hannity, on Fox News:
— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) March 4, 2026
“There was absolute certainty about the pattern of life, and clearly I suspect this was one of the factors that led to the timing. Also, of course, there was the absolute frustration that the Iranians were playing us at the… pic.twitter.com/WNrieM2xOk
The full interview: pic.twitter.com/4uUISpFtaY
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) March 4, 2026
If This Is Illegal, International Law Has Failed
Politicians and pundits around the world are claiming that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran violate international law, but what if that narrative completely misunderstands how the law of armed conflict actually works? In this episode of Basic Law, Aylana Meisel is joined by Natasha Hausdorff, barrister and legal director of 'UK Lawyers for Israel' to break down the difference between jus ad bellum and jus in bello, the legal meaning of “imminent threats,” and why much of the international commentary may be misapplying the rules that govern war. Cutting through political rhetoric and legal buzzwords, this episode explains how context, ongoing conflict, and self-defense shape the legal framework behind modern military strikes—and why misinterpreting international law can ultimately undermine its credibility.
Call me Back: Did Israel force America into war with Iran? - with Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz
Was America dragged into the Iran war by Israel, as some commentators seem to suggest?
An out-of-context statement by State Secretary Marco Rubio seems to give credence to the conspiratorial accusation that America is fighting Israel's war in Iran. Dan is joined by Nadav Eyal and Mark Dubowitz to discuss the truth behind these claims, the delicate politics behind the decision to launch the war, and how it all plays out in American public discourse. They also cover the possible succession of Iran’s Supreme Leader, the campaign against Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities, and the broader strategy shaping the conflict—along with what outcomes Israel and the U.S. would ultimately consider a victory.
In this episode:
04:20 – The strike in Qom and the disruption of Iran’s leadership succession
06:05 – The possible rise of Mojtaba Khamenei
11:05 – What the past 72 hours reveal about the military campaign
13:25 – Why Qom is central to the Islamic Republic
15:05 – The emerging strategy to pressure the regime from within
20:05 – The debate in the U.S. over how the war began
37:35 – Iran’s strategy for surviving the conflict
40:05 – What Israel and the U.S. would consider a victory
Defending international law with the charming @iancollinsuk @TalkTV pic.twitter.com/YR7JK9ptBW
— Natasha Hausdorff (@HausdorffMedia) March 4, 2026
Ben Shapiro: We Are Winning
As Iran takes heavy body blows from the US-Israeli combined operation, Iran tries to activate its American friends; we discuss just why the US went active against Iran now; and we talk about whether America is safer.
After classified briefing, senators reject claims Israel forced U.S. into Iran war
Following a classified briefing on Tuesday, Senate Republicans strongly rejected claims that Israel had effectively forced the U.S.’ hand into war with Iran or dictated the timeline of the conflict, claims that were fueled by comments on Monday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and top lawmakers who were briefed on the Trump administration’s plans.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told Jewish Insider he had been in touch with the administration since the war began, and that no one in the administration had told him that Israel had triggered the U.S. to act.
“Anybody that thinks they’re going to get President Trump to do anything — talk to anybody that’s done business with him for his entire business career,” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told JI, calling the idea that Israel had forced Trump’s hand “a joke.”
Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) added, ”We work very closely with our ally Israel for maximum effect to take out Iran’s capabilities when they are the weakest so we minimize the risk to our military and civilians in the region.”
Democrats also distanced themselves from the narrative that emerged on Monday.
Asked whether Israel had prompted the start of hostilities, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who was also briefed on Monday, told JI, “No one wants an endless war, but we certainly don’t want a nuclear Iran, that’s for sure.”
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) said that the responsibility for the operation “always falls squarely on President Trump. Regardless of what other countries are doing, he is the one that owns this.”
“Look, I certainly have my concerns about how this all unfolded, but I think it’s very important for the American people to know that this was still Donald Trump’s decision,” Kim continued.
US DEMOCRAT SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER SAID WHAT!!
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) March 4, 2026
Senior leftist Jew-ish Democrat Senate Minority Leader has to get pulled up by his minders after he confuses nuclear Iran with nuclear Israel.
"What did I say?... Let me say that again..." pic.twitter.com/qvZ0jhN91E
"Hezbollah has turned Lebanon into hell!"
— Center for Peace Communications (@PeaceComCenter) March 3, 2026
"Why are you firing rockets and killing us in the name of Iran?"
Lebanese react to Hezbollah's missile attack on Israel.@JusoorNews
WATCH: pic.twitter.com/oI0JTGDKtY
"By launching rockets without warning, Hezbollah stabbed its own Shi'ite community in the back."
— Center for Peace Communications (@PeaceComCenter) March 4, 2026
Lebanese Shi'ite poet Zeinab Hamade voices growing anger at Hezbollah for starting a new war, displacing countless civilians. pic.twitter.com/zfYmwVOmyt
Qatar reads Iran the riot act over ‘flagrant’ civilian attacks
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani slammed his Iranian counterpart for “flagrant” violations of Qatar’s sovereignty on Wednesday in the first publicly revealed call between a Gulf Arab state and the Islamic Republic since the start of the recent conflict.
According to the Qatari readout of the discussion, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi claimed that Iran’s missile and drone strikes against Qatar were “directed at American interests and were not intended to target the Gulf state.”
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the Qatari prime minister, “categorically rejected” that assertion, per the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
The Qatari foreign minister cited “the civilian and residential areas inside the country struck by the attacks,” including “the vicinity of Hamad International Airport, as well as vital infrastructure and industrial zones” and “facilities linked to liquefied natural gas production,” per the readout.
“He added that the attacks were not limited to missiles but were ongoing through drones, as well as aircraft that had entered Qatari airspace and were intercepted by the country’s armed forces,” the Qataris added.
“These Iranian actions reflected ‘an escalatory approach’ and did not indicate any genuine desire for de-escalation or resolution,” per the readout, which added that Tehran is “seeking to harm its neighbors and draw them into a war ‘that is not theirs.’”
As of Tuesday, Iran had fired about 150 drones and missiles at Qatar since the United States and Israel launched combat operations against Iran on Saturday. Qatar announced on Monday that it also shot down two Iranian Su-24 tactical bombers.
Iran Regime Tells UN: “We target only the military objectives of the hostile forces. We don't target civilians. We don't target the interests of neighboring states.”
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) March 4, 2026
Fact-Check: FALSE.
The truth is that Iran's regime this week attacked:
UAE: Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports,… pic.twitter.com/vYn50OEwzt
Russia tells UN: “Schools must not be attacked even during an armed conflict.”
— UN Watch (@UNWatch) March 4, 2026
Forgot to Mention: Russia has damaged or destroyed over 1,600 schools in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/6EnHgygAHQ
This photo shared by UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese is 97% fake. By spreading false information, she is in gross violation of the UN Code of Conduct.
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 4, 2026
We call again on @VUBrussel @UAntwerpen & @ugent
to reconsider their decision to award her an honorary doctorate on April 2. 🧵 https://t.co/0NMtiGOZVZ pic.twitter.com/k5RGXz19po
3/ Albanese violates her basic duty to “establish facts, duly cross-checked, based on objective, reliable information, from credible sources.”
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) March 4, 2026
We ask the Belgian university rectors planning to honor her on April 2: Are these the values of @VUBrussel @UAntwerpen and @ugent? pic.twitter.com/IPAw4Ai2vo
Francesca Albanese and her wannabe, Vanessa Frazier, Guterres’ Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, are both doubling down on the use of fake and misleading images.
— Leslie Kajomovitz (@kikas6652) March 4, 2026
“Fun” fact: Vanessa Frazier, formerly Malta’s Ambassador to the UN, once appeared to find it… https://t.co/bhJdNBrjJP pic.twitter.com/h8QSImZ8u1
So much going on here... pic.twitter.com/OwglLRV2gl
— Marc Goldberg (@MarcGoldberg111) March 4, 2026
Even ex-head @hrw @KenRoth, who appeased @khamenei_ir's regime for decades, is now posting about IRI's massacre of Iranians. Roth was forced to fire Scott Long @scottlong1980 after Long, the now disgraced ex-head of @hrw's LGBT desk, aided Khamenei's regime in a genocide… https://t.co/kxDSBDoKyb
— Benjamin Weinthal (@BenWeinthal) February 4, 2026
MPs call for ban on London’s Al Quds Day march amid extremism concerns
MPs and peers are calling for the annual Al Quds Day march, which has long seen displays of support for the Iranian regime, to be banned over extremism fears.
The demo is scheduled to take place on March 15 and is organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which is under investigation by the Charity Commission over funding concerns.
It has previously seen attendees carrying Hezbollah flags, before the group was proscribed, and a video promoting this year’s demonstration showed protesters holding signs bearing the IHRC logo, which said the late Ayatollah Khamenei was on the “right side of history”.
In a statement on Sunday, the IHRC said Khamenei was a “rare role model”, and his “legacy will be etched into history as someone who resisted oppression and stood on the right side of history”.
The Al Quds demonstration, held in London each year during Ramadan, is part of an international day of demonstrations established in 1979 by Ruhollah Khomeini after the Iranian revolution.
At the centre of the messaging is hatred of Israel.
David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, said: “The police must stop this march from going ahead. We cannot allow hundreds of supporters of Iran’s hardline regime to march through London calling for strikes on Israel and death to the West. “The march is organised by a charity with a history of support for the ayatollahs and Islamist terrorism. In the past, we have seen open support for terrorist organisations at these demonstrations. These are people who clearly hate Britain. Why should we be OK with them marching on our streets?”
Debate: Me vs Corbynista.
— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) March 4, 2026
Should Britain be allowing a huge pro-Iranian regime march to take place in London next week?
Um... pic.twitter.com/Av9GPzq0QJ
OMG the number of people who don’t realize this is AI.
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) March 5, 2026
We are so doomed. https://t.co/YecBvdi8y9
Ben Shapiro GOES AFTER Megyn Kelly: “First of all, the ugly suggestion that Mark Levin is somehow a traitor to the United States, that it’s Israel’s war and Mark Levin wanted it because it’s Israel’s war, or I want it or Lindsey Graham or Miriam Adelson, really disgusting stuff,… pic.twitter.com/r76WEHupia
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 4, 2026
1/7 🧵
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 4, 2026
A strange (and frankly ridiculous) narrative is spreading in parts of the American right/MAGA sphere right now:
That the U.S. confrontation with Iran isn’t about American security…
…it’s about Israel manipulating Trump.
(See below @CNN’s sudden interest in “prominent… pic.twitter.com/wowzqlVwXM
3/7
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 4, 2026
The same applies to comments from Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East.
Speaking on @seanhannity, Witkoff warned that Iran is developing advanced missile technology capable of reaching the United States.
That is not an Israeli talking point, but a direct…
5/7
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 4, 2026
But some commentary has gone further than policy disagreement.
It claims Netanyahu – or Israel more broadly – is somehow “controlling” Trump or “holding his leash.”
That language should set off alarm bells.
Because it echoes one of the oldest anti-Jewish tropes in…
7/7
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 4, 2026
Disagreeing with U.S. policy is legitimate. Debating intervention is valid.
But claiming Israel/Jews secretly control leaders or "drag" the U.S. into war isn’t analysis – it’s a conspiracy with a dark history.
Criticize strategy. Debate policy. But call out the tropes.
Tucker Carlson suggested that Iran didn't actually plot to kill President Trump, let alone twice.
— Joel Mowbray (@joelmowbray) March 3, 2026
Why? Because he claimed the intelligence "came from Israel," which has "manipulated [the US] a lot."
Except, in both cases, those indicted told authorities Iran WAS behind their… pic.twitter.com/LdBviCyBfh
Hello President @JoeBiden!
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 4, 2026
This is the moment when a man hired by the Islamic Republic showed up at my door in New York with an AK-47 to kill me.
That day I sent a message directly to @khamenei_ir: Go to hell.
I also asked you to act.
You didn’t.
But President @realDonaldTrump… pic.twitter.com/DHQksB5KNM
My direct message to you, @KamalaHarris
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 3, 2026
Who are you?
No, honestly. Who are you? A Democrat who built a career talking about women’s rights, yet stayed silent when more than 30,000 people were massacred.
Now suddenly you’ve found your voice?
Thanks to @MariaBartiromo pic.twitter.com/eDSyIEsavo
The same people who demand Israel create a "Palestinian" terror state don't believe the Kurds deserve one. https://t.co/nqjRdkE3XI
— David Harsanyi (@davidharsanyi) March 4, 2026
British students mourn ‘beloved’ Ayatollah
Students at British universities have shared posts mourning the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the dictator of Iran.
More than a dozen student-led societies have expressed their “sincere condolences” to the so-called “beloved” Iranian supreme leader, with one even advertising a “candlelight vigil” in his memory.
Ahlul-Bayt Islamic societies (AbSocs), the student-led groups affiliated with the dominant Shia sect of Islam in Iran, are leading tributes.
AbSoc members at the University of Manchester plan to hold a candlelit vigil on Wednesday “honouring the Ayatollah”.
On March 6, they also plan to host a “commemorative” gathering to “remember the martyrs of the recent strikes”, and they encourage attendees to bring food.
On Instagram, alongside a giant picture of a tearful Khamenei bowing his head, organisers wrote: “Bring your families, bring your placards, bring your voices.”
At the University of Cambridge, students affiliated with AbSoc shared a picture of Khamenei embracing a young girl with the caption: “This is the man who was killed by the leaders in the Epstein files.”
Students at UCL posted a warning against the “policing of Muslim” grief on campuses, explaining: “Students are entitled both legally and morally to mourn, to speak, and to organise within the law.”
At the University of Edinburgh, students shared a black and white photo of the Ayatollah alongside the caption: “Condolences on the martyrdom of Ayatollah Sayyid Khaemenei.” An Instagram story by City AbSoc 'on the martyrdom of Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei' An Instagram story by City AbSoc ‘on the martyrdom of Ayatolla
Racist fantasies to justify exterminating Jews. Now on the streets of liberal San Francisco:
— Alex Hearn (@hearnimator) March 4, 2026
“No more Jews, no more wars”
Ht @jobellerina pic.twitter.com/JRFpMAMWqU
“You led us and ruled over us.” This guy lives in Australia but thinks of himself as an agent of the Iranian regime. Deport.
— Drew Pavlou 🇦🇺🇺🇸🇺🇦🇹🇼 (@DrewPavlou) March 4, 2026
Ctrl + Alt + Deport
— Kofy Time (@kofy_time) March 4, 2026
The moment notorious Islamist agitator Tasnim Sammak learns that Supreme Tyrant Ali Khamenei is no more — and delivers the “sad” news to a crowd in Melbourne, Australia.
Sammak is married to alleged kidnapper Mohammad Sharab and has spent the last two years… pic.twitter.com/Xi1THYbA6u
🚨 DSA National Leader Says Billionaires Are the Real Enemy. Not Tehran, Caracas, Havana, or Gaza.
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) March 4, 2026
“My enemies are not in Tehran, Caracas, Havana or Gaza. My enemies live on Billionaires Row in Manhattan and they work on Wall Street and DC.”
Strange framing.
I have never heard… pic.twitter.com/x26HurVyCF
Note to @chrislhayes Americans were shocked, angered, and frightened on September 11, 2001. The Iranians are celebrating. If you cannot recognize the difference you are a moron. https://t.co/4MMVU8N3xN
— JamiethaFounder (@JamiethaFounder) March 4, 2026
Crazy - What do you think of what Western Sydney Women founding director Amanda Rose said on Sunrise? pic.twitter.com/KFJKVbmrlZ
— Australian Jewish Association (@AustralianJA) March 4, 2026
Since the beginning of the war, 10 civilians have been killed in Israel, including:
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 4, 2026
▪️A woman pregnant with her first child
▪️3 young teenagers
▪️A mother and daughter
But we guess Israeli victims don't count for @Newsweek.
Disgusting! pic.twitter.com/6zrcXRYiBc
🚨 This Wasn’t a Random Protester — It Was a NIAC Communications Manager
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) March 3, 2026
This appears to be just a concerned Iranian American speaking from the heart, but it’s not an organic moment. It’s Isabella (Bella) Javidan, the Communications Manager for the National Iranian American… pic.twitter.com/iGYMFfdoc2
On his Instagram page he is prompting Flashloop, a site that allegedly pays people to upload AI videos:https://t.co/w3NZx8M8OZ pic.twitter.com/O8N7VXc0W0
— Tal Hagin (@talhagin) March 4, 2026
'Winston Starmer'. pic.twitter.com/YIEthItx8V
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) March 4, 2026
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"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024) PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022) |
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