Yesterday morning, like most mornings this past week, many of us in Israel were jolted awake by warning alarms of an incoming missile barrage from the Iranian regime, prompting us to seek immediate shelter. But as the sirens blared and the sound of explosive interceptions thundered overhead, what truly surprised us was learning that, after days of reports and deliberation, US President Donald Trump had joined Israel's military campaign against Iran's nuclear program and delivered a long-awaited blow to its nuclear facilities.
American B-2 bombers deployed six bunker-buster bombs (used for the first time) to target three nuclear sites in Iran: Natanz, Isfahan, and the notorious Fordo. All three sites appear to be completely devastated. While the United States has likely destroyed Iran's nuclear program, the tunnels at Fordo, hidden deep inside a remote mountainside, remain a question mark. We have yet to confirm if the MOP bombs were successful, though they are the only weapons capable of penetrating that depth.
This is a historic moment, unlike anything we've seen before, that has demonstrated to world leaders that the United States still has the conviction to act decisively when facing enemy threats. Overnight, the largest existential threat to Israel was decimated.
Yet, when it comes to Israel and the Jewish community, there is very little daylight between the far-left and the far-right. It's no surprise that members of Congress like Bernie Sanders or members of the Squad are outraged about US involvement in this war. Representative Ilhan Omar even claimed that "no one is attacking or has attacked Americans"– a statement that is flatly false. Now, major isolationists within Trump's own camp argue that America should not be involved in these wars and that this does nothing for US interests.
Let's be very clear: even if you set aside the regime's open threats to destroy Israel, the Islamic Republic has consistently harmed Americans, and dismantling its nuclear program is squarely in America's interests.
You don't need an extensive Google search to see the evidence. In 1979, militant supporters of Iran's new Islamic regime seized the American embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. This was in response to the US granting asylum to Iran's deposed Shah for medical treatment. For 444 days, the Islamic Republic humiliated those hostages, subjecting them to physical and psychological abuse and using them as propaganda (just as Hamas, an Iranian proxy, has done to Israeli hostages).
In April 1983, a suicide bomber drove a van packed with explosives into the US embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans. That attack was carried out by Hezbollah, backed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, marking a turning point in Iran's use of proxies to target American interests. Since then, hundreds of Americans have been killed by Hezbollah.
Also in 1983, Hezbollah bombed the US Marine barracks in Beirut, killing 241 American servicemen. Years later, Iran supplied deadly roadside bombs (IEDs) to militias in Iraq and Afghanistan, responsible for the deaths of over 600 American troops and injuries to thousands more. The regime was also behind the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 US Air Force personnel and wounded hundreds more.
On what planet can anyone seriously believe that the Iranian regime has "never attacked Americans"? Iran and its proxies (including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis) have kidnapped American citizens, killed hundreds of US soldiers, attacked US bases across the Middle East, harassed naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, plotted to assassinate a former US president and senior officials, hunted dissidents on American soil, and even planned a bombing at a restaurant in Washington, DC. And they do all of this while chanting "Death to America."
Those making excuses for the regime (or clinging to isolationist fantasies) are simply historically illiterate. Isolationism contributed to America's involvement in World War II by allowing threats to grow unchecked. The US refused to defend its allies, and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, killing Americans and decimating the Pacific Fleet. In 1939, Germany defied threats from the UK and invaded Poland, knowing that the British reluctance to act gave them a green light to launch a global war.
History teaches us that the West's failure to confront rising authoritarian threats early only empowers them, and ultimately drags us all into much bigger, costlier wars.
The "America First" agenda does not mean America should withdraw from the world. It means defending American interests before they are under direct attack. And that is why America needs Israel to win, because Israel is on the front lines of a global battle that the US cannot afford to ignore. The Iranian regime is not just Israel's problem; it is a threat to global security and a sworn enemy of the United States. Every missile Israel intercepts, every nuclear site Israel dismantles, every terror proxy Israel weakens – that's one less threat aimed at American soldiers, diplomats, and civilians.
If the US wants to avoid another world war, it must recognize that strength and deterrence (not retreat and denial) are what keep America safe. Supporting Israel now isn't charity. It's strategy. And it's the only strategy that works in the Middle East.
