U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 11 Iranian nationals, who were residing in the country illegally, over the weekend, and a U.S. citizen, who “threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran,” the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

“We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out, and we are,” stated Tricia McLaughlin, U.S. assistant secretary for homeland security. “We don’t wait until a military operation to execute. We proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.”

Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against a Nuclear Iran, told JNS that “Iran has long tried to establish surrogate networks inside the United States as a means of having the option to carry out terrorist plots upon the decision of the Iranian leadership.”. 

“This report about the ICE arrests raises many serious questions as to whether these individuals were part of a broader network the Islamic Republic sought to use to carry out terrorism,” Brodsky said.

The department identified one of the 11 as Ribvar Karimi, who “had an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card” on him and who served as an Iranian army sniper from 2018 to 2021. 

Karimi, who was arrested in Alabama, had been admitted into the United States in October 2024 on a visa for noncitizens who are engaged to citizens. 

“Karimi never adjusted his status, a legal requirement, and is removable from the United States,” Homeland Security said. “He’s currently in ICE custody, where he’ll remain pending removal proceedings.”

The ICE website listed Karimi as detained in Etowah County Jail in Gadsden, Ala.

Homeland Security identified another of the 11 as Mehran Makari Saheli, who was once a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has admitted to having ties with Hezbollah, the department said. 

Saheli was sentenced to 15 months in prison for felony possession of a firearm. Despite an immigration judge’s order that he be deported in June 2022, Saheli has remained in the country. He was arrested in St. Paul, and the ICE website lists him in Sherburne County Jail in Elk River, Minn.

Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s border security and immigration center, told JNS that “this is why mass deportations are necessary.”

“The Biden administration endangered Americans with its open border policies,” Ries said. “As a result, we have no idea who entered this country the last four years, where many of them are or how many are really here, but we know it was north of 11 million inadmissible aliens.” 

“This is also why radicals obstructing ICE operations need to be arrested and prosecuted,” Ries said. “They have no idea who ICE may be going after. It could be a known or suspected terrorist.”

Republicans and Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee veered between accusations of partisanship and appeals to national unity in an at-times fiery hearing on antisemitic terrorism on Tuesday.

Lawmakers and witnesses at the Judiciary’s subcommittee on oversight hearing, which was called in the wake of a spree of violent attacks on Jews in recent months, could not agree whether the primary threat to American Jewry came from the anti-Israel left or the white supremacist right.

“Why is there this massive spike in antisemitism? It’s not because of a handful of neo-Nazis in their mother's basements,” said Dan Schneider, a vice president at the Media Research Center. 

“I believe it’s because there are a few of these massive, mega-corporations that now create, curate and distribute information to an unprecedented degree, and these corporations are intent on amplifying narratives that harm Jews,” he said.

He named media outlets like the Associated Press and big tech companies like Google as examples of organizations that are biased against Jews and Israel.

Another of the Republican witnesses, Debra Cooper, chief of digital activism at End Jew Hatred, pointed to teachers unions throughout the country as one set of institutions that were “insidiously antisemitic” and spreading Jew-hatred in K-12 schools and on college campuses. 

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who is Jewish, pushed back on those arguments.

“My constituents are afraid to go to synagogue, because of neo-Nazis living in the basement, not because of the American Federation of Teachers, not because of the American Association of University Professors, not because of the Associated Press,” he said. 

“Somehow, the people who have great antisemitism detectors in major media institutions can’t see what it means to have neo-Nazis at large in America threatening people’s lives,” he said.

The chairman of the subcommittee, Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.), argued that the notion raised by some Democrats that U.S. President Donald Trump contributes to nationwide antisemitism wasn’t borne out in the statistics from the FBI and others about anti-Jewish violence and bigotry.

“I get you don’t like President Trump. I get it. I do, you don’t. It’s okay,” Van Drew said. “The statistics that we’re using, because it takes a number of years to actually develop them, are not from when he was even in the presidency. They are from when Joe Biden was the president of the United States.”

“I’m not going to lay that on Joe Biden’s feet either, but the point is to push that all on President Trump is inherently unfair, so let’s stop it,” Van Drew said.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, acknowledged antisemitism on both the left and right and said that the threat in America is not because of Israel, but squarely directed at Jews.

“This theory out there that, ‘Oh, you can be anti-Zionist, or you can be anti-Israel and not be antisemitic,’ I would say that theoretically, you could, but that is not what’s happening,” Moskowitz said. 

“That was not what was happening when they were holding up signs saying, ‘Go back to Poland.’ It’s nothing to do with Netanyahu,” he said. “I have police outside my house 24 hours a day. You think that’s because of Netanyahu?”

Moskowitz said that he appreciated Van Drew calling the hearing but didn’t think it addressed the scale of the problem.

“Mr. Chairman, this hearing ain’t gonna fix s***. Okay?” Moskowitz said. “This is a virus that is spreading, and until we’re serious about stopping what’s going on online and the brainwashing of our kids, this is going to get worse.”

“More people are going to die in this country, and it is going to be us,” he said.

“Mr. Moskowitz, you say that this isn’t enough, but damn it, we had to start somewhere,” Van Drew replied.

This week, hundreds of Jewish leaders from across the country will descend on Washington, D.C., for an Emergency Leadership Fly-In convened by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America. We do not come as lobbyists or advocates. We come as witnesses—bearing testimony to a moment of profound vulnerability and rising danger for Jews in the United States, in Israel and around the world.

What began as a response to the harrowing attacks on Jewish communal events in Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colo., has become something more. It is now a national moment of resolve—a clarion call that we will not be cowed, we will not be silent, and we will not be divided.

The Jewish people are under siege—at home and abroad. On American soil, synagogues, schools and community centers have become targets. Jewish students face intimidation on campus. Peaceful events are disrupted by mobs. Threats pour in daily. Law enforcement at all levels is unable to keep up.

Meanwhile, the Jewish state is locked in an existential war with Iran. Two weeks ago, Israel made the courageous decision to strike key Iranian nuclear infrastructure. It was an act not of aggression, but of necessity, borne of the duty to protect Israeli lives. In response, Iran has launched a barrage of missiles, killing civilians and even targeting hospitals. Also this week, the United States acted decisively to degrade Iran’s nuclear program further. These coordinated actions are not only legitimate; they are vital to restoring deterrence, stability and the prospect of peace.

Our enemies do not distinguish between Jerusalem and Manhattan, Tel Aviv and Los Angeles. And so we must respond with equal clarity, coordination and courage. The Fly-In will address both pillars of our communal security: the physical safety of Jews in America and the sovereign defense of the State of Israel.

Over the course of 36 hours, participants will meet with congressional leaders, senior White House and Cabinet officials, and top homeland security and law-enforcement authorities. Together, we will deliver six urgent messages drawn from recent events and anchored in longstanding Jewish values:

1. Guarantee the full protection of Jewish institutions across America, both the physical facilities and the massive increase in costs for security personnel.
2. Ensure the FBI has the resources it needs to fight domestic terror.
3. Provide assistance to local law enforcement to increase their patrols and capacity to protect events and public spaces.
4. Fight incitement to violence on social media.
5. Prosecute hate crimes to the full extent of the law.
6. Affirm America’s enduring commitment to Israel’s security.

None of these are partisan positions. They are moral imperatives. They are Jewish responsibilities. And they are American values.

We do not come to Washington for spectacle or symbolism. We come because the stakes are real. Our brothers and sisters in Boulder and D.C. never imagined their gatherings would end in violence. Patients at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva likely believed hospitals were off-limits, even to the Iranian regime. But we have learned—again and again—that what begins with slogans often ends with suffering.

The chants of “globalize the intifada” are not just words. The ayatollah’s threats are not just rhetoric. They are incitement. And they demand action.

This is a moment that calls for clarity, for courage, and above all, for unity. There are times when our community must turn inward to wrestle with internal divisions. But not now. Now is a time to stand shoulder to shoulder and declare to the nation’s leaders that we will not allow fear to dictate the Jewish future.

We thank the leaders of every participating organization, the dedicated professionals in our Washington offices, and the hundreds of Jewish leaders who are stepping away from their daily lives to help secure the future of our people.

In 2025, we face grave threats, but we do not face them alone. We carry with us the strength of generations, the resolve of a people, and a sacred mission: to ensure the safety, dignity and continuity of Jewish life—everywhere.

Kosher dining options in the nation’s capital are few and far between, but a sushi restaurant opening in the coming days will add to the handful of choices available.

Oro Nami is slated to hold a pair of pre-opening events this week ahead of its official launch on Sunday. The restaurant and bar, operating under the supervision of the ​Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington, is situated in the West End at 2512 N.W. Pennsylvania Ave., which was the site of The Setting Restaurant and Bar.

Oro Nami will seat around 30-35 people, with “a lounge feel, where people can have business meetings, where they can go for date night, just like a vibe like that,” co-owner Harrison Furman told JNS.

The restaurant will host a VIP event on Wednesday evening, followed by a Young Jewish Professionals gathering on Thursday night, before the grand opening for the general public on Sunday.

Furman, a financial professional, is teaming with Harold Willner, owner of College Park’s Sushi 7, and Dino Lonzano, who owns the adjacent Market Street Diamonds and was the proprietor of The Setting.

Due to the current security climate, armed guards will initially be on hand, and Lonzano’s diamond business next door has a guard on duty.

Regular hours will be Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Oro Nami will open with a staff of about 10, including a combined general manager-slash-mashgiach, who directly supervises the restaurant’s kosher status.

The menu features the standards, plus specialties like jalapeno, fried salmon and green dragon rolls, an appetizer list that includes fried tuna sticks and Asian fries, along with poke bowls, sashimi and nigiri.

That’s in addition to the drink list.

“We have over 70 bottles of Japanese whiskey, bourbon, rye, Scotch, Irish and even Israeli whiskey,” Furman said. “Even if you don’t like whiskey, we have many other options from sake to cocktails.”

Oro Nami will also offer catering options.

Furman told JNS his background in the restaurant business comes from working for his father’s restaurant in his youth, and through his former work doing food and beverage analytics and labor analytics for MGM National Harbor Hotel and Casino in the Washington suburb of Oxon Hill, Md.

He said he’s taken some of the models he learned as a senior analyst and is applying them to Oro Nami.

Furman, who attended school in the capital and has been back on and off for the last 10 years, is currently based in Miami.

He told JNS that he loves Char Bar, Washington’s most well-known kosher restaurant, but has become spoiled in the Surfside area. He said he wants to bring a greater selection to D.C., and after kicking around some ideas in his head over the last couple of years, he and one of his partners agreed kosher sushi was the way to go.

“I reached out to the Vaad, and the Vaad told me to reach out to Harold, and the sushi lounge partnership was formed,” Furman told JNS. “I love sushi. I love a nice whiskey lounge, and I figured these two would be great together to create a second sit-down restaurant in D.C.”

Anti-Israel New York City representative Zohran Mamdani, who is running for mayor in the Democratic primary today, said on Monday evening on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” that Israel is guilty of killing civilians indiscriminately in Gaza.

The comedian asked Mamdani how he would protect Jewish New Yorkers amid “a crisis of antisemitism.” The representative said he plans to increase funding for anti-hate crime programming by 800%.

“I know there are many New Yorkers with whom I have a disagreement about the Israeli government’s policies, and also there are many who understand that it is a disagreement still rooted in shared humanity,” Mamdani said.

“The conclusions I’ve come to, they are the conclusions of Israeli historians like Amos Goldberg. They are echoing the words of an Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who said just recently, ‘What we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation,’” Mamdani said.

“It is cruel, it is indiscriminate, it is limitless, it is criminal killing of civilians,” he said. “These are the conclusions I’ve come to.”

New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, who is Jewish, also appeared on the show. He and Mamdani have cross-endorsed each other, urging voters to rank the other as their second choice under the city’s ranked-choice voting system, which reallocates votes until a candidate reaches a majority.

Asked if the Jewish state has a right to exist, Lander said he supports a vision of “Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, but I hate what the Netanyahu government is doing in Gaza, and I’ve been saying that for a long time.”

“No mayor is going to be responsible for what happens in the Middle East,” he said. “But there is something quite remarkable about a Jewish New Yorker and a Muslim New Yorker coming together to say, ‘Here’s how we protect all New Yorkers.’”

Lander stated that Jewish New Yorkers and Muslim New Yorkers “are not going to be divided from each other.”

“We build a city where you have affordable housing and good schools and safe neighborhoods for everyone,” he added.

For at least the last 10 years, the government of Turkey, led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been enabling Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza in an apparent attempt to create a route that will anchor neo-Ottoman supremacy in the Middle East. In 2020, Erdoğan claimed Jerusalem by saying in televised comments that “Jerusalem is our city; It is a city from us.”

In line with the same goal, Turkey has supported the Sunni Islamist insurgency in Syria, which led to the conquest of Damascus in December of 2024 by jihadist forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, once the head of the Syrian al-Qaeda. Turkey’s government appears to pursue similar Islamist expansionist objectives in South Asia, as well.

Recent reports from Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, have sparked worries that Turkey is supporting the creation of a so-called “Greater Bangladesh,” after the emergence of a new regional map that would include parts of India, particularly in its eastern and northeast areas, as well as Myanmar’s Arakan state. The map is being promoted by a shadowy organization called Saltanat-e-Bangla, which operates under the NGO name “Turkish Youth Federation.”

This cannot be dismissed as fringe rhetoric or cartographic errors. Rather, it reflects a more profound and perilous undercurrent of radicalism that is being tolerated, if not subtly endorsed, by influential figures in Bangladesh.

The notion of “Greater Bangladesh” originates from various Islamist and ultranationalist narratives that have gained momentum in Bangladesh since the late 20th century. Additionally, factions sympathetic to Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, for instance, have suggested the incorporation of India’s northeastern states into their country. These ideas are sometimes articulated under the pretense of cultural unity or demographic continuity, yet they often carry a clear irredentist implication.

The public dissemination of the “Greater Bangladash” map, which was reportedly placed in the teacher-student center of the Dhaka University, marks a transition from subtle ideological influence to explicit political communication, raising concerns in a region already burdened by intricate ethnic, linguistic and religious identities. Sources indicate that the teacher-student center serves as the temporary headquarters for Saltanat-e-Bangla.

A number of Turkish NGOs are active in Bangladesh, presenting themselves as providers of humanitarian aid, education and health services while subtly advancing the cause of pan-Islamic unity. Among these groups is the IHH, Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, which has been scrutinized for its alleged connections to terrorist groups, such as the Islamic Jihad of Palestine, the Popular Front of India and various radical organizations based in countries from Syria to Nepal.

Turkish influence is also on the rise in education, facilitated by numerous collaborations and memoranda of understanding between universities in Turkey and Bangladesh. The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has initiated educational programs and established a technical institute in Lalmonirhat, near the Silguri Corridor, an important land route for India.

Turkey is also utilizing a soft power approach to its influence through religious and cultural outreach, such as through TV programs that have captivated the Bangladeshi audience by depicting a glorious narrative of Turkey’s role in the Islamic world. These dramas, which are dubbed into the Bengali language, often glorify historical figures and events associated with Islamic conquests and empires, which may resonate with viewers seeking an Islamic identity.

In this light, such portrayals could inadvertently cultivate jihadist sentiments among some audiences, making them easy targets for Islamist terrorism; as highlighted in a study titled “Understanding female jihadism in Bangladesh: New trends in ‘new normal’?” which found that Islamist groups recruit new members by appealing to the notion of the idea of Islam’s so-called golden age.

Ironically, almost the entire Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, used to be majority Hindu before the Islamic invasions began in the eighth century. Throughout the centuries, the demographic structures of the region were altered to the advantage of Islam as a result of Islamic persecution, including massacres and the forced conversions to Islam, committed against Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and other non-Muslims.

As the threat of jihad and further Islamization continues to target non-Muslims on the Indian subcontinent, the emergence of a Turkish-backed “Greater Bangladesh” map initiative cannot be considered a standalone event. It is a project that resonates with Turkey’s larger goal of enhancing its geopolitical reach by rallying Islamist sentiments in regions that are receptive to such ideologies. It aims to take advantage of demographic and cultural weaknesses and disrupt the regional equilibrium.

Pakistan, India and Bangladesh comprise the largest block of the world’s Muslim population, which Turkey’s Erdoğan cannot ignore if he is to create the neo-Ottoman caliphate in his dreams; Hence, these maneuvers to try and destabilize the Indian subcontinent, particularly Bangladesh.

For Indian and Western governments and their strategic analysts, this situation should act as a wake-up call. The security framework of South Asia cannot afford to be indifferent to such cross-border transnational ideological projects.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday amid the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Katz wrote in a social media post.

Katz stated that he thanked Hegseth for U.S. President Donald Trump’s “bold decision to act with Israel against the Iranian nuclear threat.” Hegseth then “praised” Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces “for the historic achievements made.”

Katz also “emphasized that Israel will respect the ceasefire—as long as the other side does.”

Iran initially broke the ceasefire announced by Trump hours after it went into effect by launching missiles into Israel. Two launches were detected and intercepted, according to reports, shortly after Jerusalem agreed to the U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The Israeli Defense Minister also stated that he and Hegseth “agreed to deepen the close U.S.-Israel security cooperation.”

On May 18, 2022, House Resolution 1125, condemning the rise of antisemitism in America, was set for a vote. How to parse it seemed a no-brainer, particularly since it was essentially symbolic. You were either against an increase in hate or you didn’t have a problem with it. And, in fact, at 420-1, the vote to condemn antisemitism was nearly unanimous. So, who was the lone holdout? Not Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) or Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), well-known extremists on both sides of the aisle, whose votes would likely have been dismissed as meaningless, their views out of touch with the vast majority of Americans. No, it wasn’t any of them. The nay vote was cast by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.

This wasn’t a one-off for Massie, not by a long shot. But because he’s been under the radar until recently, he hasn’t received the scrutiny or pushback reserved for others.

In late November 2023, a similar softball bill, House Resolution 888, came up for a vote. This one was to reaffirm Israel’s right to exist and reject as antisemitic any calls for the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state. As 412 members of the House of Representatives voted to approve, Massie stood alone in his rejection of the bill.

Not satisfied with simply casting indefensible votes, he became more proactive. He posted a meme in December 2023 with visuals showing American patriotism being rejected in favor of Zionism, implying that Congress prioritizes the latter. The Biden White House labeled the post as “virulent antisemitism.” Although it sparked a bipartisan backlash, it was soon forgotten.

Six months later, perhaps under the belief that nothing he could say would result in negative consequences, Massie was at it again. During a June 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, Massie said that “everybody” in Congress, except for him, has an “AIPAC babysitter managing their votes.” It was yet another classic trope, which suggested a pattern from the congressman.

The Kentucky Jewish Council noted Massie’s obsession with such tropes and stated in a post in January that he has been “called the Republican member of the Hamas ‘Squad.’” In late May, almost to prove the council’s point, Massie said that the United States should stop “all” military aid to Israel, not distinguishing between offensive and defensive weapons as Israel’s other critics have done, citing the mounting civilian casualties in Gaza.

Which brings us to the current situation in Iran. Because he has been such an outspoken Republican critic of President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, going as far as to propose a bipartisan War Powers Resolution with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), key media outlets are falling all over each other for additional comments. Reuters, the AP and Politico have quoted him extensively, resulting in massive attention. This has allowed Massie to not only rail against Trump with his charge that the president has broken his campaign promise to the American people regarding participation in foreign wars, but it has also provided the congressman with an unfettered opportunity to spread his dangerous views about the so-called “Israel lobby” to a much wider audience.

For instance, on the CBS Sunday-morning news program, “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan, Massie not only pitched the dubious comparison between protracted U.S. campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and a brief, highly targeted, aerial strike in Iran, he went on to suggest that Trump’s America First policy had fallen victim to advice from advisers close to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “AIPAC is very persuasive. For instance, the Israel lobby in Congress,” he said, “if you look at my colleagues’ feeds … they all look the same. They’re all tweeting the same message that we’ve got to support Israel.” His implication was that top U.S. leaders are thoroughly controlled and put Israel’s interests ahead of American concerns, rather than concede the possibility that those interests are shared. His rhetoric feeds into a current ugliness that will only worsen should Massie remain in the limelight. He nurtures people’s fears, rhetorically asking Brennan, “What happens when Israel gets bombed again? Is Trump going to sit by and say, ‘No, we’re not going to further engage in this war?’”

Of course, no one in the Trump administration has suggested that at all. Israel has navigated the conflict remarkably well by itself. But Massie has planted the seed.

In these dangerous times, with anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiments raging, the patterns of people like Massie need to be recognized and called out for what they are.

There are some people in Israel criticizing the ceasefire with Iran. Let me state here why I believe they are wrong.

This war would not have been waged without U.S. President Donald Trump in office. Aside from the "green light" and the diplomatic cover, Trump delivered the weapons Israel needed for this campaign.

Without those weapons, Israel could never have pummeled Iran for 12 days. In particular, Israel used heavy 2,000 lb munitions—the very munitions the Biden administration admitted to withholding from Israel. We know that the Biden administration withheld many other munitions as well.

So, if, after all that, Trump wanted to join and take out the Fordow nuclear reactor from the air, using B-2 bombers and GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, which Israel does not possess, that was his choice to make. Israel is grateful for the assistance, even though it possessed its own plan B to attack Fordow.

Once the United States entered, even in a limited strike, the rules of the game changed. Iran was no longer fighting only against Israel. Trump warned Iran that retaliation would be met with the full force of the U.S. military.

After suffering humiliating losses on the battlefield, Iran knew it could not survive the wrath of Trump. Iran begged for a ceasefire. It was essentially a complete surrender.

Had Israel gone it alone, there is no doubt that Iran would have kept firing ballistic missile barrages at Israel. Israelis would have been forced into bomb shelters multiple times a day, perhaps for several more weeks. The airport would have remained closed.

This would have stretched Israeli resilience to the extreme.

Meanwhile, Israel accomplished its two primary goals: First, destroying Iran's nuclear facilities as well as their ability to enrich uranium and develop a nuclear weapon and, second, neutralizing the ballistic missile threat by destroying manufacturing facilities, storehouses and launchers.

Even though Iran still likely has several hundred ballistic missiles, its program has been stopped in its tracks, along with its ability to fire large barrages.

Additionally, Israel had already succeeded in significantly degrading each of Iran's major terror proxies. Hamas is down to its final fighters in Gaza. Hezbollah's command and control hierarchy was taken out at the top and mid-levels, and their missile capabilities were degraded by nearly 80 percent.

The Houthis suffered significant losses after over 1,000 U.S. airstrikes and massive Israeli strikes on weapons facilities, Sanaa airport and Hodeidah port.

The unstated goal, of course, and the major remaining question is regime change in Iran. Israel struck hard at regime symbols and infrastructure. Even in the final hours, Israel struck hard at Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps infrastructure and leadership, as well as that of the Basij, domestic shock troops that terrorize the population.

While the Iranian propaganda machine boasts of major successes, destroying America's Al Udeid airbase in Qatar and crushing Israeli military facilities and capabilities, Iranians will soon learn the truth: that the Islamic Republic has been weakened and thoroughly humiliated.

It will now be up to the Iranian people to do the rest and take advantage of a golden opportunity to overthrow their regime and take back their country. If and when that happens, it will be the final death blow to the Islamic Republic and can usher in an era of peace.

Just as with the ceasefire declared in Lebanon in November 2024, while Hezbollah was on its heels, Israel has proven that Hezbollah is sufficiently deterred, even if not completely destroyed. Hezbollah did not fire a single shot at Israel during the 12-day War with Iran—an unthinkable occurrence just a year ago.

Further degrading Hezbollah was possible, but likely would have had diminishing returns in terms of time and damage suffered on the Israeli home front. Plus, Israel received a letter of guarantee from the United States that it would permit Israeli strikes if Hezbollah violates the terms of the ceasefire. Israel has regularly struck at Hezbollah even in the wake of the ceasefire.

Now, Israel can turn its attention towards Gaza and conclude the war with Hamas. Hamas has been decimated, and most of Gaza flattened. Israel will focus on getting the remaining hostages home. Focus will then shift towards moving willing Gazans out of the Strip.

Closing the Hamas front will culminate a 600-plus day war, and will give Israel a multifront victory.

And while Trump expressed his frustration with both Israel and Iran over their strikes leading up to and past the ceasefire deadline, all attacks stopped within just a few hours. No one will remember if the ceasefire took hold at 7 a.m. or 11 a.m. It doesn't change the stunning outcome of the war one bit.

Trump will be very happy with his strike on Fordow and the ceasefire he brokered.

Israel should similarly be very satisfied with the ceasefire and very proud of its stunning war accomplishments.