The "Middle East and Terrorism" Blog was created in order to supply information about the implication of Arab countries and Iran in terrorism all over the world. Most of the articles in the blog are the result of objective scientific research or articles written by senior journalists.
From the Ethics of the Fathers: "He [Rabbi Tarfon] used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."
House and Senate lawmakers from both parties are preparing war powers resolutions for votes next week
President Donald Trump's
joint strikes with Israel against Iran have intensified a growing
bipartisan push in Congress to rein in his war powers, with lawmakers in
both parties demanding votes on resolutions aimed at limiting his
authority to use military force in the region.
Members in both chambers
had already planned to force votes before the first bombs fell
Saturday. Now, they are doubling down on calls to restrict the
president’s military authority.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has
repeatedly forced votes to curb Trump’s war powers abroad — he was
nearly successful in halting further military action in Venezuela until
Republicans blocked the effort earlier this year.
President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with governors at the White House in Washington, Feb. 20, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Kaine had already prepped his latest resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul,
R-Ky., for a vote in the Senate next week. He argued Saturday that the
strikes, carried out without congressional approval, further underscore
why a vote should be held immediately.
"These strikes are a
colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in
uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives," Kaine said
in a statement. "The Senate should immediately return to session and
vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in
hostilities against Iran."
In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., are preparing their own war powers resolution for a vote.
Sen.
Tim Kaine, D-Va., plans to force a vote on his war powers resolution to
rein in President Donald Trump's military action in Iran. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Massie said in a post on X that he opposed "this war. This is not ‘America First.’"
"When Congress reconvenes, I will work with [Khanna] to force a congressional vote on war with Iran,"
Massie said. "The Constitution requires Congress to vote, and your
representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this
war."
The effort has the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem
Jeffries, D-N.Y., who earlier in the week noted that the resolution
would require "the president to come to Congress to make the case for
using military force against Iran."
Reps.
Thomas Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., conduct a news
conference after reviewing unredacted portions of the Jeffrey Epstein
files outside a Department of Justice office in NoMa on Feb. 9, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
The resolution’s fate in the House remains uncertain, given that a handful of House Democrats have broken with their party and backed the administration’s strikes in Iran.
Massie and Khanna’s push may also have the support of at least one more Republican in the lower chamber.
Rep.
Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, appeared ready to back their war powers
resolution following news of the strikes Saturday. He reiterated a
position he made earlier in the week in a post on X.
"I have asked
for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran," Davidson said.
"In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers
Resolution in the House next week."
"War requires congressional authorization," he continued. "There are actions short of war, but no case has been made."
Meanwhile, back in the Senate, the success of Kaine and Paul’s push will require Senate Republicans to cross the aisle.
They
found a short-lived bipartisan coalition earlier this year, when their
resolution targeting military action in Venezuela survived a key
procedural vote. The group included Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Lisa
Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind.
Both
Hawley and Young later flipped their positions after assurances from
the administration that there would be no boots on the ground in
Venezuela and that Trump would seek congressional approval for any
future military action in the region.
Whether that same standard
will apply to operations in Iran remained unclear Saturday. Murkowski
and Young both said they hope to receive thorough briefings in the days
ahead.
"Last summer, following Operation Midnight Hammer, I
supported the administration’s targeted actions in Iran after receiving a
comprehensive briefing from senior officials," Murkowski said on X.
"Events are rapidly unfolding, and I expect Congress to receive the same
level of engagement so we fully understand the scope, objectives and
risks of any further military action."
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir confirmed that Israel and the US intend to “destroy capabilities” of the Iranian regime.
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir
attends the funeral of Israeli soldier Hadar Goldin, who's body had been
held captive by Hamas in Gaza since 2014 and released a few days ago,
at the Kfar Saba military cemetery. November 11, 2025.(photo credit: CHAIM GOLDBERG/FLASH90)
Israel
and the US conducted an “unprecedented” joint planning process in the
months prior to the strike on Iran, including engagement with US Central
Command, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Saturday.
Zamir confirmed that Israel and the US intend to “destroy capabilities” of the Iranian regime
He
said Home Front Command, emergency services, and police are prepared to
respond to impacts in civilian areas, while warning that “there is no
hermetic defense.”
IAF
pilots have struck hundreds of targets across Iran while Israel’s air
defenses, navy, and ground forces were deployed on high readiness across
multiple arenas.
Zamir
urged the public to follow Home Front Command directives, saying
compliance saves lives. He also said Israel would act “with
uncompromising force” against any enemy threatening Israeli security.
Satellite
imagery from an alleged Israeli strike on the bunker where Iranian
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being guarded. (credit: FAIR USE UNDER
ISRAELI COPYRIGHT LAW, ARTICLE 27A)
A broader effort to prevent Iran from restoring capabilities
Zamir
framed the latest operation as part of a broader effort to prevent Iran
from restoring and expanding capabilities that Israel says threaten its
security, including missile production and support for proxy forces. He
said the IDF was focused on “victory and defeating the enemy,” adding,
“Trust us and rely on the IDF’s strength to act with force without
compromise on all fronts.”
The
IDF did not immediately provide a full public list of targets, but said
the air force was continuing strikes and that senior commanders were
holding ongoing situational assessments as developments unfolded.
The strike happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the Associated Press.
The United States and Israel
launched a massive aerial attack Saturday on Iran after negotiations
failed to strike a deal over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and President
Donald Trump urged the Iranian people to use the moment to seize control
of their government.
“I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand,” Trump told
Iranians in an eight-minute video posted on his TruthSocial platform in
which he confirmed the U.S. military had launched “major combat
operations” against Tehran alongside Israel.
“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating
imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard,
terrible people," he added. "Its menacing activities directly endanger
the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies
throughout the world."
The American leader's statement came shortly after Israeli Defense
Minister Israel Katz confirmed his country had launched a "preemptive
strike” on Iran and smoke could be seen billowing from numerous
locations in the capital city of Tehran.
Iran vowed immediate retaliation, and the Israeli military ordered
civilians to remain in secure locations and to avoid public gatherings
amid fears of counterstrikes. Israel said a volley of missiles had been
launched toward its country.
Iranian forces said they have launched strikes across the Middle East.
Explosions have been reported in Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, Jordan, and Kuwait, all of which host U.S. military
installations. These countries were not reportedly involved in the
attack led by the U.S. and Israel.
Some of the strikes in Tehran happened near the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the Associated Press.
Katz described the attack as being done “to remove threats" without being more specific.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message in
Hebrew that the joint attack was launched “to remove the existential
threat” posed by Iran and to "create the conditions” for Iranian regime
change.
“Our joint action will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands," he said.
“The time has come for all parts of the Iranian people — the
Persians, the Kurds, the Azeris, the Baloch, and the Ahwazi — to cast
off the yoke of tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran,"
he added.
The Israeli military announced a "prohibition on educational
activities, gatherings, and workplaces" but exempted "essential sectors"
as it prepared for counterattacks by Tehran.
The strikes came just hours after Trump declared he was "not happy"
with the negotiations in which Iran was offering some reductions in
nuclear enrichment but refusing any deal on ballistic missiles. The
American president said he was pushing for "no enrichment."
"Sometimes you have to use force," Trump said Friday, though he stressed he "would rather do it the peaceful way."
Also Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Iran had been
designated a state sponsor of wrongful detention, positioning it for
additional sanctions.
"When the Iranian regime seized power 47 years ago, Ayatollah
Khomeini consolidated his control of power by endorsing the hostage
taking of US embassy staff," Rubio said. "For decades, Iran has
continued to cruelly detain innocent Americans, as well as citizens of
other nations, to use as political leverage against other states. This
abhorrent practice must end.”
by Shir Perets, James Genn, Tobias Holcman, IDF Spokesman
Preliminary assessment: Supreme leader likely hurt in Israeli strike • Netanyahu says objective to end Ayatollah's regime • Trump confirms US operation in Iran, tells IRGC to lay down arms
Iranian
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has been cut off from contact, and there is
no certainty about his fate, Israeli officials told Walla on
Saturday afternoon. Iranian officials promised to release a recording
from Khamenei soon after Israeli strikes targeted his Tehran compound.
The
preliminary assessment among Israeli officials was that Khamenei was
hurt in the strike. No official confirmation has been received by
Israeli, American, or Iranian sources.
The
strikes came as Israel and the United States launched an attack on
Iran, with Iranian state media reporting explosions heard in Tehran,
Qom, Isfahan, Kermanshah, and Karaj.
Which Iranian officials died in the stikes?
Iran's
Defense Minister Amir Nasirzadeh and Revolutionary Guards commander
Mohammed Pakpour are believed to have been killed in Israeli attacks,
two sources familiar with Israel's military operations and one regional
source said.
Israeli
and Iranian sources said earlier on Saturday that strikes on Iran
killed several senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
commanders and Islamic Regime political officials.
Iran
International reported that the strikes killed four senior Iranian
intelligence commanders: Javad Pourhossein, head of the foreign
intelligence unit; Mohammad-Reza Bajestani, head of the security unit;
Ali Kheirandish, head of the counterterrorism unit; and Saeed Ehya
Hamidi, adviser on the war with Israel.
Additionally, Reuters reported that at least three members of Iran's IRGC-linked Basij paramilitary forces were killed in the Israeli-US attacks.
A member of the Tehran City Council said that Khamenei's son-in-law and daughter-in-law were both killed in strikes.
Iran's
Security Council instructed residents of Tehran, as well as other major
cities, to stay in safe, protected locations until further notice.
IDF: We struck an advanced SA-65 aerial defense system
Shortly
after 4 p.m., the IDF said it had completed a broad strike on the
strategic Defense system of the Iranian regime, noting that it
successfully struck an advanced air defense system.
"One
of the strikes was directed toward an advanced SA-65 aerial defense
system located in the Kermanshah area in western Iran," the IDF said.
The
IDF said later on Saturday evening that it was conducting another
flyover aimed at striking missile launchers across Iran to thwart the
threat posed to Israel.
Meanwhile,
security forces blocked roads in the Tehran area that is home to the
offices of Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and parliament,
witnesses said. Earlier on Saturday, an Iranian official told Reuters
that Khamenei was not in Tehran and had been transferred to a "secure
location." Satellite imagery showed the destroyed complex where Khamenei
was reportedly being guarded.
Iranian
media reported strikes targeting the IRGC's intelligence headquarters,
as well as explosions in central Tehran. The country has closed its
airspace in response to the strikes. A US official also told Reuters
American strikes in Iran were "underway," adding that strikes against
Iran are being carried out by air and sea.
Iranian
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said to NBC Live that the regime may
have "lost a few commanders, but that's not such a big problem." He also
said, "As far as I know, Khamenei is still alive."
Satellite
imagery from an alleged Israeli strike on the bunker where Iranian
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is being guarded. (credit: FAIR USE UNDER
ISRAELI COPYRIGHT LAW, ARTICLE 27A)
Netanyahu: Goal is to remove Ayatollahs from power
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement, saying that the aim of
the operation was to remove the Ayatollah's regime from power.
The
operation "will create the conditions for the brave Iranian people to
take their destiny into their own hands," he said. "The time has come
for all sections of the people in Iran... to remove the yoke of tyranny
from (the regime) and bring a free and peace-loving Iran," he added.
"For
47 years, the Ayatollah regime has called for 'Death to Israel' and
'Death to America.' It has spilled our blood, murdered many Americans,
and massacred its own people," Netanyahu said, while thanking US
President Trump for his "historic friendship."
"This
murderous terrorist regime must not be allowed to arm itself with
nuclear weapons that would enable it to threaten all of humanity," he
added.
"The
time has come for all segments of the Iranian people - Persians, Kurds,
Azeris, Balochis, and Ahwazis - to rid themselves of the yoke of
tyranny and bring about a free and peace-seeking Iran," Netanyahu
stated, mentioning the largest ethnic groups across Iran.
"We shall stand together, fight together, and ensure the eternity of Israel together," he concluded.
Iranian
Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi also issued a similar statement, while also
calling on Iranian military and police officers to aid anti-regime
activity and depose the Islamic Regime.
IDF, US military striking across western Iran
The
IDF issued a statement, confirming the name of the operation as
"Roaring Lion," which was launched to "thoroughly degrade the Iranian
terrorist regime and to remove existential threats to the State of
Israel over time."
The
Israeli and US strikes targeted dozens of military targets as part of a
broad, coordinated, joint operation against the regime.
"The
regime has not abandoned its plan to destroy Israel. In recent months,
and despite the severe blow it sustained during Operation Rising Lion,
the IDF identified that the regime continued efforts to advance
production, fortify, and conceal its nuclear program, alongside
rehabilitating its missile production processes," the military
continued.
"Additionally,
the regime has continued financing, training, and arming proxies
positioned on Israel's borders, posing an existential threat to Israel,
and a danger to the Middle East, and the rest of the world," it added.
"In
the months preceding the strike, close and joint planning was conducted
between the IDF and the US military, enabling the execution of the
broad strike in full synchronization and coordination between the two
militaries. The IDF, across all its branches, carried out a meticulous
and long-term preparation process for this operation, both in defensive
systems and in various offensive plans," the military confirmed.
IDF
chief Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and other commanders are conducting a
situational assessment, the military stated, adding that the Israel Air
Force is continuing strikes against Iran.
This includes IAF strikes on a number of military targets belonging to the Iranian regime in western Iran.
An Israeli military official stated that the IDF targeted "essential personnel who are part of Iran's plan to destroy Israel.
Israel
went into a state of emergency Saturday morning as the IDF sent a
national warning to all citizens to stay near protected spaces.
"This
is a proactive alert to prepare the public for the possibility of
missiles being launched toward the State of Israel," the IDF said.
Iranian
officials said Tehran is preparing for a retaliatory attack. "Tehran is
preparing for retaliation; the response will be crushing," the
officials said, according to Reuters. Sirens later sounded across
northern Israel at approximately 10 a.m. and across central Israel,
including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, at approximately 10:30 a.m., as
Iranian missile launches were detected.
A rocket impacted in northern Israel, a Magen David Adom source told Walla.
Some of the missiles were launched from Lebanon, a security source told Walla, but the IDF denied this.
Mossad
launched a Farsi-language Telegram channel for Iranians to follow news
updates on Saturday morning, calling out to "Our Iranian brothers and
sisters," saying that "you are not alone."
"We
have launched a super secure and special Telegram channel for you [and]
together we will return Iran to its glorious days," Mossad wrote.
IDF issues evacuation warning for Iranians near military facilities
The
IDF issued an urgent evacuation warning for any Iranians "inside or in
the vicinity of military weapons production factories and military
infrastructure facilities," due to ongoing Israeli and US airstrikes
against the Iranian regime on Saturday morning.
"You
are located near weapons and military facilities that are considered
dangerous," the military warned, publishing the message in English.
"Dear
[Iranian] citizens, for your safety and well-being, we urge you to
immediately evacuate these areas and remain outside of them until
further notice," the IDF stated.
"Your presence in these locations puts your lives at risk," the military emphasized.
An Israeli security official told Reuters that the operation was planned for months and its timing was set several weeks ago.
Sources
in the defense establishment stated one of the objectives of the
strikes will be to "remove threats to the Israeli home front, with an
emphasis on missile launchers and unmanned aerial vehicle bases."
Smoke was seen billowing above Bahrain's Juffair area, housing a US Navy base, witnesses told Reuters on Saturday morning.
The
US Embassy in Bahrain urged citizens to shelter in place while citing
media reports of threats of missiles and drones over Bahraini airspace.
The
Bahraini Interior Ministry later confirmed that a warning alarm siren
had been activated, with citizens and residents requested to head to the
nearest safe place.
A
source living in Manama, Bahrain, confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that
blasts were heard in the area. Bahrain hosts the US Central Command's
5th Fleet.
Additionally,
the US Embassy in Qatar implemented shelter-in-place for all personnel,
recommending that all of its citizens do the same until further notice.
Later on Saturday, loud blasts were also heard in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, witnesses said.
An
Iraqi site associated with Iran-backed Shiite militias was reportedly
struck by an Israeli missile, according to Iraqi outlet Shafaq News on
Saturday.
The
site, in the Jurf al-Sakhr area, specifically targeted the headquarters
of Kataib Hezbollah (KH), part of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
According to the outlet, the attack resulted in two deaths and eight injuries.
KH
is an influential, powerful militia closely linked to the IRGC. Then-KH
leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was in the car with then-IRGC-Quds Force
leader and arch-terrorist Qasem Soleimani when they were both killed by a
US airstrike in Baghdad in January 2020.
This is a developing story. Seth J. Frantzman, Danielle Greyman-Kennard, Tobias Siegal, Amir Bohbot, and Yoav Etiel contributed to this report.
Shir Perets, James Genn, Tobias Holcman, IDF Spokesman
In the Tabriz area, the IDF struck a major site from which the Islamic Republic has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel.
The
IDF said that over 200 Israeli Air Force aircraft had struck 500
Iranian targets on Saturday night, in the largest aerial attack ever
conducted by Israeli forces.
An IDF video showed two major initial waves of attacks.
The
first wave struck what appeared to be dozens of radars and anti
aircraft defenses, especially in the part of Iran closer to Israel and
the Tehran area.
During
the second wave, the Air Force struck Iran's ballistic missile
apparatus to attempt to reduce its ability to strike the Israeli home
front.
Israeli Air Force fighter pilots prepare to strike Iran, February 28, 2026 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
In
the Tabriz area, the IDF struck a major site from which the Islamic
Republic has fired dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel.
The
IDF is also working to establish stand in air supremacy which it
achieved in June 2025 to be able to keep drones and other aircraft
hovering in areas from which Tehran might try to fire on Israel in order
to blow up the missile teams before they can fire.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran also publicly outlined a ten-point plan for the country's future if the Iranian regime falls
The National Council of Resistance
of Iran, an anti-Iranian regime group, announced on Saturday a
"provisional government to transfer sovereignty" to the Iranian people
and establish a Democratic Republic after the United States and Israel
launched strikes against the regime.
The organization also publicly outlined a ten-point plan for the
country's future after the U.S. and Israeli military operation launched
on Saturday.
"In these difficult circumstances, I call on all of you, especially
the courageous youth of our country, to care for civilians and the
general public, particularly children and the elderly. Protect them and
help one another. Now is the time for solidarity," said Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the NCRI.
"Our strength lies in the unity and cohesion of our people against
the religious dictatorship and the remnants of monarchical fascism that
seek to steal the democratic revolution. At this critical moment, I call
upon our compatriots and all forces of Iran’s democratic revolution to
remain vigilant and prepared," she added.
The ten-point plan includes
"freedom of speech, freedom of political parties, freedom of assembly,
freedom of the press and the internet" as well as the "dissolution and
disbanding of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the
terrorist Qods Force, plainclothes groups, the unpopular Bassij, the
Ministry of Intelligence, Council of the Cultural Revolution, and all
suppressive patrols and institutions in cities, villages, schools,
universities, offices, and factories."
The group's plan calls for
"commitment to individual and social freedoms and rights in accordance
with the Universal Declaration of Humans Rights. Disbanding all agencies
in charge of censorship and inquisition" as well as "seeking justice
for massacred political prisoners, prohibition of torture, and the
abolishment of the death penalty."
It also recommends "separation of religion and state, and freedom of religions and faiths."
Noem says she is in "direct coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland."
The Department of Homeland Security and FBI are on heightened alert after the U.S. and Israeli strikes in Iran.
FBI counterterrorism teams are on elevated alert nationally, Fox News
reported, citing an official, after "Operation Epic Fury" was
launched.
Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she is in "direct
coordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners
as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to
the homeland."
DHS is currently grappling with a shutdown right now as Congress and the White House continue to negotiate a funding deal.
Some major cities such as Washington, D.C. are beefing up security after the launch of the Iran operation.
President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel," says Fetterman
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.,
expressed support on Saturday for the military operation launched by the
U.S. and Israel in Iran on Saturday.
"Operation Epic Fury. President Trump has been willing to do what’s
right and necessary to produce real peace in the region. God bless the
United States, our great military, and Israel," said Fetterman, who was
the only Democrat seen shaking hands with Trump during the State of the
Union address on Tuesday night.
Other Democrats, such as Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., ranking member of
the Senate Intelligence Committee, were critical of the Iran operation.
“Iran’s leadership has long supported terrorism across the region,
undermined regional stability, continued to advance its nuclear
ambitions, and brutally repressed its own people,” Warner wrote in a
statement. “But acknowledging those realities does not relieve any
president of the responsibility to act within the law, with a clear
strategy, and with Congress.
“The American people have seen this playbook before – claims of
urgency, misrepresented intelligence, and military action that pulls the
United States into regime change and prolonged, costly nation-building”
Warner also wrote. “We owe it to our service members, and to every
American family, to ensure that we are not repeating the mistakes of the
past. The president owes the country clear answers: What is the
objective? What is the strategy to prevent escalation? And how does this
make Americans safer?”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called for a vote on
a war powers resolution "immediately" when Congress reconvenes.
"Donald Trump promised to keep America out of costly and endless foreign wars.
He is now doing the exact opposite in the Middle East.
The official estimates that Tehran missile stockpile is in “high hundreds to low thousands” and says it “hasn’t abandoned its plan to destroy Israel.”
The
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS “Roosevelt” (DDG 80)
transits the Strait of Hormuz in the U.S. Central Command area of
responsibility, Dec. 5, 2025. Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 1st
Class Indra Beaufort/U.S. Navy.
Israel and the United States
launched a massive, joint preemptive military campaign against Iran on
Saturday, triggering immediate missile retaliation and a state of
emergency across the Jewish state.
An Israeli military official said that the
assault is targeting military targets in Iran, noting that the Israeli
Air Force fighter jets have been striking based on precise intelligence.
The official explained the Israeli goals in launching the campaign, dubbed “Operation Roaring Lion,”
at this time. “Our objective is to thoroughly degrade the Iranian
regime’s capabilities and remove existential threats to the State of
Israel,” he said.
He added that the Iranian regime has not
abandoned its plan to annihilate the State of Israel, a strategy that is
built on the three pillars of the nuclear threat, the ballistic missile
threat, and the proxy threat. After the previous successful operations
that significantly degraded the Iranian ballistic missile capabilities,
the Tehran regime has been making extensive efforts to rearm itself,
said the official.
“In recent months, our intelligence has
identified a sharp acceleration in Iran’s missile production program,”
the Israeli military official said. “They are developing dozens of
ballistic missiles each month, and their pace of production is getting
faster and faster.”
Referring to reports that the IDF had
targeted Iranian leaders, the official said, “A lot of their leadership
is involved in promoting attacks against Israel and promoting the plan
to destroy Israel. And people who are involved in the plan to destroy
Israel can be targets.”
In addition to the ballistic missile
threat, the official noted that intelligence identified the regime
acting to conceal and fortify its nuclear program so that it could
advance it once again. Furthermore, the proxy threat remains highly
active, with Iran funding a ring of fire around Israel while the Iranian
people suffer severe economic hardship.
“I can declassify now and tell you that
they have spent in the last year somewhere around $700 million to $900
million on proxies, most of it going to Hezbollah,” the Israeli military
official stated.
The timing of the operation was deemed
crucial by Israeli decision-makers, as waiting would have allowed these
interconnected threats to mature further, quantitatively and
qualitatively.
“Our main lesson from Oct. 7 is to deal
with existential threats in a proactive and preemptive manner,” the
Israeli military official explained. “The cost of inaction is too
heavy.”
Regarding the division of operational labor between the allied militaries, The New York Times reported
that a plan was presented to U.S. President Donald Trump outlining
distinct areas of responsibility. According to the report, Israel will
focus the majority of its efforts on missile storage sites, production
facilities and launchers, while U.S. forces are expected to focus on the
Iranian nuclear project and additional targets related to the
Revolutionary Guards forces and the government.
To prepare for all possible scenarios and
retaliations from various borders and proxies, the IDF sent call-up
orders to approximately 70,000 reservists, focusing mostly on aerial
defense, the Home Front Command and border presence.
The official noted that the campaign
involves close coordination between IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal
Zamir and CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper, capitalizing on the shared
interests and specific advantages of each military.
“This is a coordinated operation that has
been in the planning for many weeks,” the Israeli military official
said. “It’s built on a corporation and mechanisms that have been built
and used in the last two-and-a-half years.
“In our opening salvo, we went after
targets that are relevant for freedom of operation and targets that are
high-profile people who are involved in the plan to destroy Israel,” the
military official explained.
Earlier on Saturday, the IDF
Spokesperson’s Unit confirmed the commencement of the broad and joint
campaign, referring to it as “Operation Roaring Lion,” and noted that it
targeted dozens of military targets. The military emphasized that in
the months leading up to the strike, meticulous, long-term joint
planning was conducted between the IDF and the U.S. military, enabling
full synchronization.
The IDF added that despite the severe blow
sustained by the Islamic Republic during “Operation Rising Lion” in
June 2025, the regime continued efforts to advance production, fortify
and conceal its nuclear program, alongside rehabilitating its missile
production processes.
Reinforcement of IDF brigade-level combat
teams has been carried out in the Northern Command, Southern Command and
Central Command. Along the Lebanese and Syrian borders, local first
responder squads in communities adjacent to the security fence have been
activated.
In the second line of defense for Israeli
border communities, patrol and security forces have been reinforced,
while command and control centers have been opened to ensure optimal
protection of the home front.
Forces have also been strengthened and
reinforced along the Jordanian and Egyptian borders. Several divisions
are prepared for reinforcement. The IDF Operations Directorate is
prepared with plans that will be implemented in response to developments
across all sectors. A significant expansion of search and rescue forces
has been implemented, with dozens of battalions deployed nationwide.
Following a situational assessment on
Saturday morning, the Home Front Command shifted all areas of the
country from “Full Activity” to “Essential Activity,” prohibiting
educational activities, gatherings and nonessential workplaces. The head
of the Home Front Command, Maj. Gen. Shay Klapper, urged the public to
act responsibly.
“Past experiences prove that the public’s
strict following of protocol has saved many lives,” he said. “The grit
and responsibility of everyone is a key element in countering the
threat.”
Throughout the morning on Saturday, the
IDF reported barrages of missiles fired from Iran toward the territory
of the State of Israel, prompting air-raid sirens across several areas
of the country.
Air-defense systems and the Israeli Air
Force operated to intercept the threats, while the military repeatedly
instructed the public to stay in protected spaces and to refrain from
publishing footage or locations of hits. The military official said that
as of around midday, there were no significant hits reported in the
Israeli home front.
Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a
severe nationwide emergency status. “The State of Israel has launched a
preemptive strike against Iran to remove threats to the State of
Israel,” Katz said.
He warned the civilian population that immediate retaliation was anticipated.
To ensure maximum civilian safety and
legal authority for home front restrictions, the minister activated his
full emergency powers.
“Therefore, and in accordance with his
authority under the Civil Defense Law, Defense Minister Israel Katz has
now signed a special order according to which a special state of
emergency will henceforth be imposed on the home front in the entire
territory of the State of Israel,” Katz’s office said in a statement.
Concurrently, an urgent warning was
published directed at the Iranian civilian population, alerting them to
the impending strikes on strategic targets. The message was specifically
directed to all individuals located inside or in the vicinity of
Iranian military weapons production factories and military
infrastructure facilities.
“You are located near weapons and military facilities that are considered dangerous,” the Israeli warning said.
“Dear citizens, for your safety and
well-being, we urge you to immediately evacuate these areas and remain
outside of them until further notice,” the text continued.
Israeli Navy Cmdr. (res.) Eyal Pinko, a
Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies researcher and a lecturer in
intelligence, cyber, espionage and national security at Bar-Ilan
University, provided an assessment of the first five hours of the
conflict.
During a briefing organized by the Jerusalem Press Club, Pinko noted that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and Israeli aircraft were actively carrying out standoff (long-range) strikes above Iraq toward targets in Iran.
He detailed the Iranian counterattacks,
noting that Tehran had targeted American bases in Qatar and Bahrain, and
had begun launching heavy munitions toward Israel.
“As we are counting for now around 40 missiles were launched from Iran towards Israel,” Pinko said.
Pinko assessed that removing the Iranian
regime would require more than aerial bombardments and that it was
already deploying tank battalions across Iranian cities to brutally
suppress any civilian riots.
“The regime change must have some, some
kind boots on the ground operation,” Pinko said. “It can be made by the
local population that wants to change the regime. But without any kind
of operation like that, the regime will not fall.”
He analyzed the global economic
implications of striking Iranian oil assets, noting the deep
complexities involving international superpowers that rely heavily on
the regime’s exports.
“A third of the Chinese energy oil source is coming from Iran,” Pinko noted.
He further warned of the specific
capabilities of the Iranian cruise missiles, noting they can travel
around 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) carrying 250 kilograms (550
pounds) of explosives at very low altitudes, making them difficult to
detect before impact.
“It goes around 0.8 Mach of the speed of sound,” Pinko noted.
Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem
Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) and former head of the
Counter-Terrorism Unit in the Mossad, speaking during a conference call
also organized by the Jerusalem Press Club, said that the Iranians
mismanaged negotiations by assuming Trump wanted to avoid military
conflict and would accept intermediate concessions.
“First of all, we have to understand that
the Iranians were walking on a very thin line regarding their approach
to the Americans,” Ailam said.
“Two aircraft carriers that are in the area, the Lincoln and the Gerald Ford, and … the surface fleet is an enormous armada,” Ailam noted. “It’s the biggest since the 2003 war against Iraq.”
He warned that while the allied forces
possessed overwhelming superiority, the Iranian regime still held
strategic leverage over global shipping lanes that could be utilized in
desperation.
“The weak point, of course, is the Hormuz
Strait, 32 kilometers [20 miles] wide,” Ailam explained. “And once, if
the Iranians decide to block it or to close it or to mine it, that of
course will mean a severe blow to the economy as well as themselves.”
Ailam argued that the power of the joint
American and Israeli coalition would likely force a rapid conclusion to
the hostilities by destroying the infrastructure Iran needed to launch
massive barrages, as well as what remains of its nuclear facilities.
“I think it’s going to be a matter of
days, maybe one, two weeks at the most, and then eventually the Iranians
will come around to the table with a different approach and with
different concessions,” Ailam said.
Yaakov Lappin is an Israel-based military affairs correspondent and analyst. He is
the in-house analyst at the Miryam Institute; a research associate at
the Alma Research and Education Center; and a research associate at the
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University. He is a
frequent guest commentator on international television news networks,
including Sky News and i24 News. Lappin is the author of Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet. Follow him at: www.patreon.com/yaakovlappin.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres not only also trivialized the Holocaust; he tried to claim that the United Nations fights antisemitism. If only! The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs wrote in 2005 that the UN "has become the leading global purveyor of anti-Semitism."
In January, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk spoke of the "unspeakable
atrocities" suffered by millions of Jews, but added that the atrocities
had also been suffered by "members of other minorities." Not quite.
Although other minorities were indeed persecuted by the Nazis, none of
them faced attempted extermination. Speaking in this way trivializes the
Holocaust and makes it comparable to other crimes.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres not only also trivialized
the Holocaust; he tried to claim that the United Nations fights
antisemitism. If only! The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign
Affairs wrote in 2005 that the UN "has become the leading global
purveyor of anti-Semitism."
Italian legal scholar Francesca Albanese, the UN's "Special
Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories" (her title already
indicates a stance hostile to Israel), has made countless antisemitic
remarks. Nevertheless, in 2025, she was kept in her position for an
additional three years.
Despite a budget crisis at the UN, roughly $100 million a year is
allocated just to target Israel, along with a UN commission of inquiry
that "promotes genocide against Jews."
Historically, a "Palestinian people" – as opposed to various
Arabs who happened to be living in the area at the time along with
various Jews, Christians, Europeans and others -- was totally
fabricated. There is simply no trace of a "Palestinian people" or a
"national liberation struggle" before 1964.
In the Qur'an, Israel and Israelites are mentioned 43 times,
Palestine and Palestinians zero. Moreover, the Qur'an itself states that
the Land of Israel belongs to the Children of Israel:
"And remember when Moses said to his people, 'O my people!
Remember Allah's favors upon you when He raised prophets from among you,
made you sovereign, and gave you what He had never given anyone in the
world. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which Allah has destined for you
˹to enter˺. And do not turn back or else you will become losers." —
Quran 5:20–21 (Al-Mā'idah)
"And We said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely in the land.'" — Quran 17:104 (Al-Isrā')
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a
Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against
the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no
difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only
for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence
of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we
posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."
— Zuheir Mohsen, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, in 1977.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with
defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a
Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and
Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine,
we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan." — Zuheir
Mohsen, 1977.
Palestinian terrorism became treated as acceptable terrorism. The
need to create a Palestinian state to get the better of those overly
successful, upstart Jews emerged as an imperative.
Consequently, it also became possible to say that the Holocaust
was just one crime among others; that Jews, too, could commit atrocious
crimes. For the Europeans, this manufactured overhaul of the facts may
have come as a relief: they could now tell themselves that if the Jews
were as bad as the Nazis, then murdering Jews was perhaps not such a
terrible undertaking.
Palestinian terrorism became treated as acceptable terrorism. The
need to create a Palestinian state to get the better of those
successful, upstart Jews emerged as an imperative.
Particularly unacceptable to many people is the Israelis refusing
to sit back and let themselves be wiped out. All the same, the Israelis
would warn Gazans to evacuate in advance of impending military strikes,
with large numbers of leaflets, text messages and phone calls in
Arabic, and the IDF even organized mass evacuations to safe zones. If
Palestinians tried to leave, their own leaders would shoot them. The
international community called these Israeli efforts to save Palestinian
lives a "genocide."
"If Israel is attempting genocide, they are really, really bad at it." — US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
That Israel was fighting for its survival against a terrorist
organization that itself has explicitly genocidal aims was painstakingly
ignored.
By preserving the memory of slavery in Egypt at the time of the
pharaohs nearly 4,000 years ago, the memory of the Holocaust, and the
many persecutions in between, Israeli Jews maintain their determination
not just to fight and survive, but to excel.
For Westerners, Jew-hate, sadly, is just a distraction, a means
of denial to keep them from seeing the real threat to their existence:
the hijrah, Muslim migration to the West to make it Islamic.
For Westerners, Jew-hate, sadly, is just a distraction, a
means of denial to keep them from seeing the real threat to their
existence: the hijrah, Muslim migration to the West to make it Islamic. (AI image generated by Google Gemini)
General Dwight D. Eisenhower, when he liberated Europe's
concentration camps, insisted that journalists and photographers
document the atrocities immediately, or, he predicted, the world would
soon say they had never actually happened.
In a few years from now, the last survivors of the Holocaust will
have disappeared, and the memory of what happened will fade even
further.
The Holocaust was infinitely more than an attack on "dignity and
human rights." It was a unique crime: the attempt at the total
extermination of an entire people by industrial means in supposedly
civilized countries of the West.
In January, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk spoke
of the "unspeakable atrocities" suffered by millions of Jews, but added
that the atrocities had also been suffered by "members of other
minorities." Not quite. Although other minorities were indeed persecuted
by the Nazis, none of them faced attempted extermination. Speaking in
this way trivializes the Holocaust and makes it comparable to other
crimes.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres not only also trivialized the
Holocaust; he tried to claim that the United Nations fights
antisemitism. If only! The Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign
Affairs wrote in 2005 that the UN "has become the leading global
purveyor of anti-Semitism."
Italian legal scholar Francesca Albanese, the UN's "Special
Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories" (her title already
indicates a stance hostile to Israel), has made countless antisemitic
remarks. Nevertheless, in 2025, she was kept in her position for an
additional three years. South African jurist Navi Pillay, UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, is also prone to
antisemitic remarks, and in September 2025 she submitted to the Human
Rights Council a report full of lies and overflowing with hatred towards
Israel.
The United Nations now has a long history marked by the spread of
antisemitic rhetoric, antisemitic acts, and defamatory and hateful
accusations against Israel. Despite a budget crisis at the UN, roughly $100 million a year is allocated just to target Israel, along with a UN commission of inquiry that "promotes genocide against Jews."
Unfortunately, the trivialization of the Holocaust and the pretense
of fighting antisemitism while simultaneously fueling it through the
expression of hateful lies against Israel exist in the Western world far
beyond the UN, and the reactions observed earlier this year confirmed
that.
In the United States, President Donald J. Trump published an honest, dignified message, writing:
"Today, we pay respect to the blessed memories of the
millions of Jewish people who were murdered at the hands of the Nazi
Regime and its collaborators during the Holocaust..."
Vice President J.D. Vance, however, published a message in which neither the word "Jewish" nor the word "Nazi" appears:
"Today we remember the millions of lives lost during the
Holocaust, the millions of stories of individual bravery and heroism,
and one of the enduring lessons of one of the darkest chapters in human
history: that while humans create beautiful things and are full of
compassion, we're also capable of unspeakable brutality. And we promise
never again to go down the darkest path."
That was almost right up there with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar's epic remark about the 9/11 jihadists attacks on the US: "Some people did something."
Europe was even worse. Some presidents and prime ministers, not all,
published statements on Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, that were
minimalist and trivialized the Holocaust by associating it with other
crimes, just as Türk and Guterres had done. Many people who claim to be
fighting antisemitism constantly criticize Israel harshly and falsely,
thus inciting hatred of Israel, which, as Israel is a Jewish state,
fuels the very antisemitism they claim to be fighting. Some, such as
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, have even accused Israel of genocide.
While most mainstream American media outlets covered Holocaust
Remembrance Day, most major European media outlets did not. These same
media outlets, which regularly publish hateful and false articles about
Israel, thereby fueling antisemitism, also speak of the Holocaust as if
it had been just a ho-hum crime, similar to other crimes
Why? Well, what happened in the Western world after 1945?
Western leaders, particularly European leaders, understandably did
not talk about the Holocaust and seemed desperate to forget it. Most of
the Jews sent to the death camps did not survive. The testimonies of
those who did were for years ignored. When Primo Levi, an Italian
survivor of Auschwitz, wrote If This Is a Man in 1947, no major
Italian publishing house would accept it. After a small publisher
finally did, the book sold roughly a thousand copies. When Elie Wiesel,
another Auschwitz survivor and later Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, wrote Night
in 1958, all the most prominent French publishers rejected it. Finally,
it also was finally accepted by a small publishing company; hardly any
copies were sold.
After World War II, 24 leaders of Nazi Germany were put on trial for
war crimes, crimes against humanity and mass murder. They were tried and
sentenced in Nuremberg in 1945-46. Even though the industrial-scale
murder of millions of Jews was mentioned, it was never the center of
attention.
After the trial, silence surrounding the Holocaust quickly followed,
as if the page could not be turned fast enough on it. When the trial of
SS officer Adolf Eichmann in 1961 brought the subject back into the
spotlight, it seemed that talking about the Holocaust would finally
become possible, but after the interest generated by the trial's
opening, the major Western media turned to other topics, such as the
Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's space flight or the Cuban Missile
Crisis.
It was only after the broadcast of Marvin Chomsky's Holocaust
television miniseries in 1978 that the Holocaust became a widely
discussed topic. Millions of Americans and millions of Europeans watched
the series. Those Europeans who did not want to confront this chapter
of European history were forced to do so. Claude Lanzmann's documentary
film Shoah, released in 1985 and broadcast throughout Europe,
also showed the horror of the Holocaust based on documents and
testimonies damning for the Nazis and everyone who collaborated with
them. Levi's If This Is a Man and Wiesel's Night began to be read more widely and considered iconic.
In 2005 -- 60 years after the Holocaust -- the Shoah Memorial was
created in Paris; the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe erected in
Berlin, and other prominent memorials started being erected all over
Europe. It was also in 2005 that International Holocaust Remembrance Day
was instituted by the United Nations. The concept of the "duty of
remembrance" emerged.
And faded fast.
The fabricated
"Palestinian cause," on the horizon for years, began permeating the
minds of many Westerners. Hatred of the Jew had resurfaced in a new
guise.
For many years, the commitment of Arab Muslim leaders to destroy
Israel and murder Israeli Jews had not attracted the attention of the
Western world. The survival of Israel -- born in 1948 and attacked by
five better-equipped Arab armies -- even aroused astonishment and sometimes admiration
in the West. Jew-hate existed – as it has since the time of the
pharaohs -- but was not expressed in polite society. In Europe, a
feeling of shame prevailed, possibly even among some antisemites.
The creation of the Palestine Liberation Organization in 1964 changed
everything. The will of Arab Muslim leaders to destroy Israel and
murder Israeli Jews was replaced by the new narrative
that Israel had monstrously dispossessed a "small, oppressed people" of
all its rights and that this "people" was waging a supposedly justified
"national liberation struggle" against an imperialist, predatory, and
criminal state: Israel. Historically, a "Palestinian people" – as
opposed to various Arabs who happened to be living in the area at the
time along with various Jews, Christians, Europeans and others -- was
totally fabricated. There is simply no trace of a "Palestinian people" or a "national liberation struggle" before 1964.
In the year 135, Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed Judea
"Syria Palaestina" in an attempt to erase any connection of Jews to
their land. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the area which was
never called "Palestine" by its Ottoman rulers, was renamed "the British
Mandate for Palestine." It was populated mainly by assorted Muslims,
Christians and Jews and lasted until Israel's independence in 1948. In
the Qur'an, Israel and Israelites are mentioned 43 times, Palestine and Palestinians zero. Moreover, the Qur'an itself states that the Land of Israel belongs to the Children of Israel:
"And remember when Moses said to his people, 'O my
people! Remember Allah's favors upon you when He raised prophets from
among you, made you sovereign, and gave you what He had never given
anyone in the world. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which Allah has
destined for you ˹to enter˺. And do not turn back or else you will
become losers." - Quran 5:20–21 (Al-Mā'idah)
"And We said to the Children of Israel: 'Dwell securely in the land.'" - Quran 17:104 (Al-Isrā')
The late Zuheir Mohsen, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, in 1977 said:
"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a
Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against
the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality, today there is no
difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only
for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence
of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we
posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism.
"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with
defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a
Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and
Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine,
we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."
Hating Israel and Israeli Jews became possible for those who subscribe to this concocted revision of history.
The use of the term Nakba ("catastrophe") to describe the birth of Israel as a moment of ethnic cleansing was tacked on, and the Nakba
was presented as a genocidal act similar to the Holocaust. The actions
of the Israeli army were compared to the actions of Nazi Germany's army.
For those who subscribed to that invented narrative, hatred of Israel
and Israeli Jews could now be accompanied by accusations of ethnic
cleansing, genocide, and Nazi behavior.
Consequently, it also became possible to say that the Holocaust was
just one crime among others; that Jews, too, could commit atrocious
crimes. For Europeans, this manufactured overhaul of the facts may have
come as a relief: they could now tell themselves that if the Jews were
as bad as the Nazis or worse, then murdering Jews was perhaps not such a
terrible undertaking.
Organizations supporting the "small, oppressed Palestinian people"
sprang up throughout the West to spread the fake news, the number of
those who subscribe to it has grown —possibly too convenient a way to
hate Jews to pass up — and journalists and political leaders, especially
those with significant Muslim voting blocs, have run with it.
Palestinian terrorism became treated as acceptable terrorism. The need to create a Palestinian state to get the better of those successful, upstart Jews emerged as an imperative.
The need to remember the Holocaust disappeared. One could still
admire and pay tribute to dead Jews while simultaneously hating living
Jews -- Jews in Israel and Jews everywhere.
When the terrorist group Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023,
murdering 1,200 Jews and others, in the eyes of many in the West, since
those Jews were Israeli they were not all that innocent. Whatever
outrage there was over the massacre was short-lived, if that. Protests
against Israel began the same day
as the massacre. Any atrocities the Palestinians had committed were
denied. Only when Israel released images showing the savagery of the
murderers, did the denials slowly and temporarily diminish.
Particularly unacceptable to many people is the Israelis refusing to
sit back and let themselves be wiped out. All the same, the Israelis
would warn Gazans to evacuate in advance of impending military strikes,
with large numbers of leaflets, text messages and phone calls in Arabic, and the IDF even organized mass evacuations to safe zones. If Palestinians tried to leave, their own leaders would shoot them. The international community called these Israeli efforts to save Palestinian lives a "genocide."
"If Israel is attempting genocide," US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee remarked, "they are really, really bad at it."
Although a "genocide" was obviously not taking place, the thought that it could
happen was, it seems, too good to give up. Accusations of genocide
against Israel multiplied, resembling the deranged blood libels in
medieval Europe, in which Jews were accused of killing Christian
children to bake matzah with their blood.
That Israel was fighting for its survival against a terrorist organization that itself has explicitly genocidal aims was painstakingly ignored.
Antisemitism began surging again throughout the Western world.
The prevailing narrative now is that Jews do not have the right to say that they are, or ever have been, victims.
The US is the only country in the Western world where sympathy for Israel remains high: 77% of Americans across all age groups
support Israel over Hamas. In Europe, sympathy for Israel and the
memory of the Holocaust are again fading fast. The increasing presence
of a Muslim population, who as polls show, loathe Israel and Jews, is
not a help.
When Holocaust remembrance ceremonies are organized in Europe, they attract almost exclusively Jews.
Anti-Israel demonstrations, by contrast, attract huge crowds, along with calls for the destruction of Israel and hatred of Jews.
Jews continue to flee Europe, with many leaving for Israel. They know
that Israel is a country disliked throughout Europe and surrounded by
Muslim hatred, but that Israel offers them a sanctuary.
In Israel, the memory of the Holocaust does not fade. Yad Vashem, the
national Holocaust memorial that includes an outsized room filled with
the shoes of the murdered, was established in 1953, five decades before
Holocaust memorials were created in Europe.
Every year since 1951, Holocaust Remembrance Day is observed: sirens
sound for two minutes, and Israelis stand still in remembrance of the
victims.
By preserving the memory of slavery in Egypt at the time of the
pharaohs nearly 4,000 years ago, the memory of the Holocaust, and the
many persecutions in between, Israeli Jews maintain their determination
not just to fight and survive, but to excel.
Europeans, by allowing the oldest hatred to resurface, based on a
fabricated Palestinian history, and by currying favor with a growing
Muslim population marked by a seeming desire to Islamize their new
European home, appear to be embarking on a very dark path.
Anti-Semitic hatred led entire populations in Europe to crimes so
huge that they are still unable to confront them. If they can instead
cast Jews today as Nazis, it lets them believe what they did to the Jews
was not so terrible, after all.
"The more the West tries to erase the Jews," wrote the journalist Melanie Phillips last month, "the clearer its suicide note becomes for the erasure of its own civilization."
For Westerners, Jew-hate, sadly, is just a distraction, a means of
denial to keep them from seeing the real threat to their existence: the hijrah, Muslim migration to the West to make it Islamic.
Dr. Guy Millière, a professor at the University of Paris, is the author of 27 books on France and Europe.
