Much will be written about last week’s historic pre-emptive strike deep inside Iran. For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Iran poses an existential threat to Israel. Yet Iran continued expanding its nuclear program, while the world, and seemingly Israel, looked on.
In recent months, Netanyahu faced harsh criticism from an unlikely place, the political right. Many on the right questioned why the war that began on Oct. 7, 2023, had not been prosecuted more aggressively. Why was Israel taking so long to decisively defeat Hamas? Why was Israel not directly striking the head of the snake, Iran? Many began to doubt Netanyahu’s resolve.
It turns out, they were wrong. While some criticisms about the pace of the war in Gaza may still hold, the ultimate question has been answered. Netanyahu wasn’t afraid to take a shot at Iran. Quite the contrary. He had been planning and working to strike Iran at the right moment. Netanyahu was playing multidimensional chess while the rest of the world was playing checkers.
Israel’s successful strike deep into Iranian territory will go down as one of its most daring operations, and, perhaps, Netanyahu’s greatest military achievement. More importantly, history books will record that Netanyahu did what was necessary to ensure Israel’s existence. The message for Jews around the world, that the State of Israel represents a shift in Jewish history whereby the Jewish people are no longer helpless in the face of genocidal maniacs, is crystal clear.
Currently, Iranian ballistic missiles are raining down on central Israel, even as the Israeli Air Force flies over Iran with impunity, striking military leaders, installations, nuclear sites and more. The war is far from over, but for any honest observer, Israel is doing what is necessary to ensure its survival and to stop a tyrannical theocracy bent on destroying Israel and America.
The United States played a vital role in making this strike possible. All indications are that President Donald Trump greenlit the operation, and his public remarks suggest that he was briefed beforehand. He provided Israel with much-needed weapons—weapons that former President Joe Biden had refused to transfer. The U.S. military is working closely with Israel to intercept Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israeli civilians. Trump understands that partnering with Israel in this fight is essential to American national security and is consistent with American values. In this partnership, Israel is taking the lead, sending its soldiers and pilots into harm’s way to defeat the enemy. The United States is supporting Israel by selling the weaponry that Israel needs and is helping defend the country from incoming Iranian attacks.
Recent reports from inside the White House and the Pentagon revealed internal disagreements over how to address the growing Iranian threat. The administration issued multiple statements signaling a willingness to negotiate a new deal with Iran, raising alarms in Congress about a possible return to the 2015 failed Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Meanwhile, voices from the so-called “woke right,” led by figures like media personality Tucker Carlson, tried to dissuade the president from any involvement at all. He even parroted Tehran’s narrative that Iran isn’t pursuing nuclear weapons. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), another woke right personality, said ignorantly, “I don’t know anyone that even thinks about Iran,” and claimed, “Americans don’t want to bomb Iran.”
Despite Carlson’s 16.3 million followers on X, he and his allies failed to impact American policy or the president’s resolve. Trump remained committed to ensuring Iran does not obtain nuclear arms. As media personalities Mark Levin and Ben Shapiro, both conservative hosts, made it their mission to keep this issue front and center, and to call out Carlson and the woke right isolationists at every turn. The free world owes Levin and Shapiro a debt of gratitude for their moral clarity and unparalleled persistence.
While the “woke right” remains on the fringe, their arguments have made their way into mainstream media discourse, both conservative and liberal. This is dangerous. Watching elected officials and media figures from both political parties question whether the United States should be involved in this fight is maddening. More than 700,000 Americans live in Israel. Israel is America’s closest ally in a region dominated by regimes that have produced terrorists who have targeted the United States. Israel shares critical intelligence with America and develops some of the world’s most advanced defense systems together with the American military. If the United States should not be involved in this war, then it should call back its military from around the world, build a moat around its borders, bury its collective head in the sand and pretend that there is no evil in this world. Republican Party ideology rejects this, as does common sense.
A strong nation leads. That leadership makes America safe and more prosperous. It strengthens U.S. interests and supports U.S. allies. “America First” does not mean America alone, and it certainly does not mean America last.
In response to critics who claimed his support for Israel violates “America First” principles, Trump replied: “Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First’ … I’m the one that decides that. For those people who say they want peace, you can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon.”
The horseshoe theory of politics, suggesting that those on the far-right and far-left land in similar positions, has never been more true. Today, statements by conservatives like Carlson and Candace Owens echo those of Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Americans must ensure that the real decision-makers around the world continue to stand firmly for Western values, democracy and shared interests, and stand just as firmly against dictatorship, theocracy and extremism. That is what Israel is doing today as it confronts the Islamic Republic of Iran with the support of the United States of America.