“As far as I am concerned, there is no coalition or opposition here. Israel must win the war against the forces of evil that threaten our existence, as well as the stability of the region and the entire world,” Eitan Ginzburg of the opposition Blue and White Party told JNS on Saturday. It was a sentiment shared by lawmakers from across the political spectrum.
The elimination of Iran’s senior leadership, said Ginzburg, marks a major achievement for Israel and the United States, reflecting unprecedented cooperation and exceptional military capabilities.
“We must now continue working to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities and create the conditions necessary to replace the murderous regime—for the benefit of the Iranian people and for peace in the region, the world and Israel,” he added.
“I look forward to the day when we can reopen an Israeli embassy in Tehran,” he added.
Tzvi Sukkot, a member of the Religious Zionism Party, told JNS on Saturday that the objective of Israel’s operation against Iran must be—and will be—the fall of the regime.
Referring to the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins this week and commemorates the survival of Persian Jews in the face of attempted extermination, Sukkot said that in those days the Jewish people were called upon to rise and act.
“With God’s help, we will bring about a Purim miracle this time as well. Just as it happened then, it will happen again, and we will succeed in bringing about the fall of the regime,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, of the New Hope Party, wrote on X on Saturday that Israel had taken “the only correct decision early this morning for the security of Israel and the future of our people,” referring to the launch of “Operation Roaring Lion.”
He argued that inaction would have posed a far greater risk, saying any delay “would have allowed the Iranian regime to achieve immunity for its nuclear program and to accelerate the mass production of long-range ballistic missiles.”
“The Iranian people are not our enemy,” Sa’ar emphasized. “Their aspiration and courageous struggle for freedom in the face of brutal oppression deserve admiration. Our enemy is the fanatical and murderous Iranian regime, which has made the destruction of Israel its mission and has consistently worked to realize that goal.”
He added that Israel’s partnership with its “great friend and ally, the United States of America, led by @POTUS, is unprecedented in depth and importance.”
Israeli and U.S. forces have struck hundreds of targets in Iran since Saturday, including weapons stockpiles, missile launchers and senior leadership.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli strike in Tehran on Saturday. According to Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster, the body of the 86-year-old was recovered from the rubble of his compound in Tehran.
Since the start of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury,” the joint Israeli-American military action against the Iranian regime that began on Saturday morning, Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and dozens of drones at Israel.
Nine people were killed and dozens were wounded by an Iranian missile strike in Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem on Sunday, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical services. Another fatality was reported on Sunday in Tel Aviv when a woman in her 60s died after suffering from severe shortness of breath while rushing to a safe room.
On Saturday, a woman was killed and at least 21 people were injured when Iranian missiles struck a Tel Aviv residential block.
“The people of Israel have proven time and again that in times of war they stand firm and unite,” Ginzburg told JNS.
Ginzburg urged the public to keep in mind the Israeli pilots flying over Iran. “We must cultivate resilience and patience to allow them to secure the future of the country and our future within it,” he said.
Moshe Solomon, a coalition lawmaker from the Religious Zionism Party, stressed the importance of freeing the Iranian people from what he described as an extremist Islamist regime, making its fall one of the campaign’s goals.
“We hope the Iranian people will assume responsibility when conditions permit and establish a healthy Western government—one that seeks not to kill others but to build a strong economy and a healthy life in Iran,” he said.
“We see great value in the success of the Iranian people. We believe all 100 million of them want to live normal lives and have been held hostage by this leadership for nearly 50 years. I hope the goals of this war are fulfilled and that this leadership is destroyed,” he continued.
Solomon said that Israel has demonstrated over the past two-and-a-half years that it can operate effectively on multiple fronts. “For our soldiers and forces on the front lines to succeed, the people of Israel must remain strong on the home front and follow instructions. God willing, this military campaign will end soon,” he added.
Another Religious Zionism lawmaker, Simcha Rothman, told JNS that the United States and Israel are fully aligned in their view that the regime poses a global threat and must be removed.
“We stand with our brave soldiers and support everyone working to ensure the success of this war. We must ensure that our enemies’ efforts to harm Israel do not succeed,” he said.
Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud) voiced support on X for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, writing that they had “demonstrated leadership, courage and historic decision-making in the face of the Persian threat.”
“The prime minister’s words reflect a simple truth—after 47 years of ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America,’ a murderous terror regime cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and threaten the entire world,” said Regev. “This action also brings hope to the brave Iranian people—Persians, Kurds, Azeris, Balochs and Ahwazis—to choose freedom over tyranny.”
Israeli Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen wrote on X that his ministry had conducted a readiness assessment following the launch of the operation.
“We prepared for this in advance, boosted stockpiles, secured backup systems and diversified electricity production sources,” he wrote.
He thanked energy and water sector companies and employees “working around the clock to ensure a stable and continuous supply for all Israeli citizens.”
Cohen added that coordination between Washington and Jerusalem “has never been closer,” saying Netanyahu and Trump are leading the operation together.
Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Tzvika Foghel, chair of the Knesset National Security Committee, wrote, “When faced with a nuclear threat and terrorist strongholds, we cannot stand idly by.”
“The joint and determined action by the U.S. and Israel against Iran is not only an act of self-defense, but a critical step toward ensuring a more stable and secure future for all,” he continued.
“It is time for additional countries to align themselves with efforts to safeguard global security. We will continue working to strengthen Israel’s national security,” he added.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett voiced support on X for the IDF, the Israeli government and the prime minister.
“The entire nation of Israel stands behind you until the Iranian threat is eliminated,” he wrote. “The Iranian people, who have recently shown rare courage, now face a historic opportunity to free themselves from a violent, detached, corrupt and failed terrorist regime. The Jewish people are praying for you.”
Bennett cautioned that the days ahead would be difficult, urging Israelis to follow Home Front Command instructions and suspend normal routines, underscoring the operation’s importance.
He also thanked Trump, writing, “Time and again, he has demonstrated rare courage and determination. The entire nation of Israel thanks you. With God’s help, we will overcome this together. We are a nation of lions.”
While most opposition lawmakers rallied behind the government, some—including Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif of the Arab Hadash-Ta’al Party—voiced strong opposition to the renewed hostilities.
“There is no opposition in Israel, only 50 shades of militarism,” Odeh wrote on X. He accused opposition parties of knowing how to join calls for “unity,” congratulate “President of Peace” Trump and Netanyahu’s “bloody government,” and adopt the same political-security line, while failing to propose an alternative.
“Time and again, the same formula is tried: another ‘round,’ another operation, more blood. Each time we are promised it will bring security, and each time reality proves otherwise,” he added.
Cassif described the preemptive strike on X as “initiated aggression by the governments of the U.S. and Israel.”
“This war has nothing to do with the interests, security or welfare of the Iranian, Israeli or American peoples, or any other people,” he wrote. “The unnecessary bloodshed will first and foremost be borne by the region’s populations, and the devastation risks spreading globally.”
Opposition Yisrael Beiteinu Party leader Avigdor Liberman accused both lawmakers of treason during wartime. “Iran threatens to destroy us—and they attack the State of Israel, accuse IDF soldiers of ‘massacre and ethnic cleansing,’ and echo enemy propaganda. This is a disgrace,” he wrote.
