With the 2026 midterm elections fast approaching, Democrats have been scrambling to find new ways to connect with voters — particularly young men, a demographic with which the party struggled mightily in 2024 — and thus far, they appear to have settled on a popular streamer who claimed that the United States &#8220;deserved&#8221; 9/11.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sad-michigan-muslims-drove-dem-senate-hopeful-to-silence-on-khamenei">Hasan Piker</a>, who boasts over four million followers between YouTube and Twitch, has hosted Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-NYC), and endorsed Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) — and is set to campaign with Democratic Michigan Senatorial hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
Not all Democrats are willing to stretch the party&#8217;s tent quite that far, however, and have warned others not to welcome Piker too warmly.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who is also vying for the Democratic Senate nomination, has accused El-Sayed of intentionally bringing in someone with a reputation for spreading &#8220;antisemitic rhetoric.&#8221;
El-Sayed defended his choice, saying, &#8220;If we want to have a conversation where we’re actually bringing people together about the things that we need and deserve, we’re gonna have to go to unlikely and uncommon places.&#8221;
He also defended his association with Piker — who said the sexual violence and rapes that occurred during the October 7 terrorist attack did not change his opinion that Hamas was &#8220;1,000 times better than Israel&#8221; — during a recent appearance on Fox News.
&#8220;America&#8217;s Newsroom&#8221; anchor Bill Hemmer asked El-Sayed, &#8220;With regard to October 7th, he said that what Hamas did is the lesser of two evils. Why saddle up with that?&#8221;
El-Sayed claimed that his interested in appearing with Piker was no different than his interest in appearing on Fox News, and was nothing more than an attempt to reach more potential voters.
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Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed defending his event with Hasan Piker: &#8220;Doesn&#8217;t matter if r*pes happened on October 7th.&#8221;
This is what passes for leadership in today&#8217;s Democratic Party. <a href="https://t.co/Im4h7WGJQp">pic.twitter.com/Im4h7WGJQp</a>
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GuntherEagleman/status/2039345494724387039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Senator John Fetterman voiced his shock that some in his party weren&#8217;t just agreeing with Piker, but were seeking him out: &#8220;I mean, my God, you have many in my party, they&#8217;re proud to do events with Hasan Piker. This is the individual that said that America deserved 9/11.&#8221;
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BREAKING: Senator Fetterman slams members of the Democrat party for associating with Hasan Piker.
“I mean, my God, you have many in my party, they&#8217;re proud to do events with Hasan Piker. This is the individual that said that America deserved 9/11.” <a href="https://t.co/DBpXQyAt6S">pic.twitter.com/DBpXQyAt6S</a>
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2040935080575598663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Bulwark&#8217;s Tim Miller and Sarah Longwell <a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/p/is-hasan-piker-toxic-or-gettable">debated</a> whether or not the Democratic Party would be wise to embrace Piker or reject him. Miller argued that although he didn&#8217;t agree with Piker&#8217;s politics, he thought that Democrats would be wise to appear on his show — and then said that if the party establishment were to shun him entirely, they would only make him more powerful.
Longwell laid out a number of the problematic things Piker had said, arguing that he was &#8220;all the toxic things&#8221; and his &#8220;worldview&#8221; was entirely incompatible with anything any Democrat in America claims to stand for.
Some of the comments that Longwell laid out as problematic were as follows:
<h4>&#8220;If you cared about Medicare fraud &#8230; you would kill Rick Scott.&#8221;</h4>
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Democrat spokesperson Hasan Piker urged his audience to kill Republican lawmakers.
PIKER: “If you cared about Medicare fraud&#8230;you would kill Rick Scott.”
This is the SICK LUNATIC who Democrats are campaigning with. <a href="https://t.co/vgccGZSbem">pic.twitter.com/vgccGZSbem</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2041540038714929217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h4>On landlords who choose not to rent properties, &#8220;KiII the motherf*ckers. Let the streets soak in their red, capitalist bIood!&#8221;</h4>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hasan Piker: &#8220;KiII the motherf*ckers. Let the streets soak in their red, capitalist bIood!&#8221;
Democrats are campaigning with him <a href="https://t.co/YxiL47tOOw">pic.twitter.com/YxiL47tOOw</a>
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href="https://twitter.com/EndWokeness/status/2041269836399940076?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h4>&#8220;Hezbollah &#8230; I think as a resistance group, they&#8217;re pretty successful &#8230; I don&#8217;t have an issue with them.&#8221;</h4>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Hasan Piker, who endorses Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff, also endorses terrorists:
PIKER: &#8220;Hezbollah&#8230;I think as a resistance group, they&#8217;re pretty successful&#8230;I don&#8217;t have an issue with them&#8230;they are a terrorist organization&#8230;&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/ossoff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ossoff</a>, why haven&#8217;t you condemned this? <a href="https://t.co/6hEhC20FPf">pic.twitter.com/6hEhC20FPf</a>
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) <a href="https://twitter.com/RNCResearch/status/2040157561333125437?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h4>&#8220;America deserved 9/11. I do not support the United States of America.&#8221;</h4>
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Hasan Piker: “America deserved 9/11. I do not support the United States of America.”
This is Gavin Newsom’s new friend btw.
<a href="https://t.co/LDjizrQgVN">pic.twitter.com/LDjizrQgVN</a>
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2037028037556941014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h4>&#8220;Overall, my favorite flag is Hezbollah.&#8221;</h4>
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Hasan Piker, sitting at a table with an LGBTQ+ flag, says: “Overall, my favorite flag is Hezbollah.”
This is progressivism today—a guy in a tank top, in the West, praising a terror group that executes gay people, right in front of a pride flag. <a href="https://t.co/9QrtKqMKnl">pic.twitter.com/9QrtKqMKnl</a>
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2040544322278338951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<h4>&#8220;Hasan Piker closed his Stanford speech by framing the U.S. as the &#8216;belly of the beast,&#8217; urging students to use their position inside it to &#8216;fight&#8217; the system, warning of &#8216;techno-fascist danger,&#8217; and ending with &#8216;Free Palestine.'&#8221;</h4>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
For those curious, Hasan Piker closed his Stanford speech by framing the U.S. as the “belly of the beast,” urging students to use their position inside it to “fight” the system, warning of “techno-fascist danger,” and ending with “Free Palestine.” <a href="https://t.co/8OdSZgE3M8">pic.twitter.com/8OdSZgE3M8</a>
— Stu Smith (@thestustustudio) <a href="https://twitter.com/thestustustudio/status/2039706184261795984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
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If the 2024 election taught Democrats that they need to do more outreach to young men, the 2026 midterms might teach the party that the voice they choose to do that outreach matters.

Hasan Piker online streamer, influencer, and left-wing

Dems Are Scrambling To Campaign With Terrorist Groupie Who Says America ‘Deserved’ 9/11

Dems Are Scrambling To Campaign With Terrorist Groupie Who Says America 'Deserved' 9/11

9/11

Democrats

Hezbollah

John Fetterman

Jon Ossoff

Ro Khanna

terrorist

Newly released photos show the extent of destruction inside Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, following last week&#8217;s Hezbollah-linked terrorist attack.
Images obtained by The Daily Wire and released by the synagogue capture a burned-out truck lodged at the end of a hallway, debris scattered across the floor, and sprinkler water pooling around a child’s red tricycle.
The attack occurred last Thursday when 41-year-old Ayman Mohamad Ghazali rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel and opened fire before committing suicide when confronted by security. Authorities say the vehicle ignited after the crash, causing extensive damage and <a href="https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/a-truck-rammed-a-michigan-synagogue-with-more-than-a-hundred-children-inside-here-s/article_c50e2347-3b5f-552e-bcb6-c2f58785a54f.html">resulting in</a> 63 first responders needing treatment for smoke inhalation. 
The attack took place while the synagogue’s preschool was in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mentally-unstable-ex-wife-warned-police-within-minutes-of-temple-israel-terrorist-attack?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=%E2%80%98Mentally+Unstable%E2%80%99%3A+Ex-Wife+Warned+Police+Within+Minutes+Of+Temple+Israel+Terrorist+Attack">session</a>, but all 140 children and staff were safely evacuated without injury.
<div id="attachment_1063135" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1063135" class="size-large wp-image-1063135" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Bebas-Neue-3-1024x576.png" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Bebas-Neue-3-1024x576.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Bebas-Neue-3-300x169.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Bebas-Neue-3-768x432.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Bebas-Neue-3.png 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />(Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, Michigan)</div>
Large quantities of fireworks and gasoline containers that were ignited were recovered from his truck.
Additional images show charred hallways, broken glass, burnt photos, and destroyed ceilings. One preschool classroom appears frozen in time, with snacks still laid out on tables, underscoring how suddenly the attack unfolded while young children were inside.
In a statement, the synagogue said it chose to release the photos to “take back control of our narrative.”
<div id="attachment_1063139" style="width: 886px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1063139" class="size-large wp-image-1063139" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n-876x576.jpg" alt="" width="876" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n-876x576.jpg 876w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n-300x197.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n-768x505.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n-1536x1010.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/653713026_921736420465178_5230362133539875900_n.jpg 1770w" sizes=" (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px" />(Temple Israel, West Bloomfield, Michigan)</div>
“We have chosen thus far not to make public photos of the devastation of our building,” the synagogue said. “This week, several videos and photos have made their way into the media, which have caused considerable harm to the survivors of last week&#8217;s attack.”
It added that its “community deserves to see our building through eyes of love, not through the lens of spectacle.”
“This is our sacred space, and we will be the ones to tell its story,” Temple Israel said.
According to the Israel Defense Forces and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Ghazali had family members in Lebanon connected to the U.S.-designated terror group Hezbollah. 
Ghazali, a naturalized American citizen originally from Lebanon, was reportedly described as “mentally unstable” by his ex-wife. She said he had been distressed following the deaths of family members in an Israeli airstrike.

Temple Israel

New Photos Reveal Devastation Inside Michigan Synagogue After Hezbollah-Linked Terror Attack

Anti-Semitism

Michigan

A violent synagogue terror attack in Michigan is taking on an even darker dimension after new intelligence revealed a chilling connection: the attacker’s brother was a Hezbollah terrorist commander responsible for rocket attacks on Israeli civilians.
According to the official Israel Defense Forces social media account, Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali oversaw weapons operations inside the group’s Badr Unit, a branch responsible for launching hundreds of rockets toward Israeli civilian areas during the war.
His brother, Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, carried out the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-respond-to-reports-of-active-shooter-as-michigan-synagogue-goes-up-in-smoke">terror attack </a>in Michigan on Thursday, where <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-trained-michigan-temple-how-to-stop-a-shooter-just-weeks-before-attack">armed synagogue security guards </a>exchanged gunfire with him during the confrontation. His body was later found burned inside the vehicle he rammed into the building.
Israeli forces reportedly eliminated Ibrahim Ghazali in an Israeli Air Force strike on a Hezbollah military structure, just days before the synagogue attack unfolded in the United States.
The newly revealed family connection is now prompting investigators to take a closer look at whether the Michigan attacker had deeper ties to the Iran-backed terror group.
Hezbollah is designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. The group has spent decades building global networks while carrying out attacks against Israeli and Western targets.
Authorities have not yet said whether the terrorist had direct operational ties to Hezbollah or whether the attack was carried out independently. But the discovery that his brother served as a weapons commander inside the group is likely to intensify scrutiny around the case.
The disturbing link comes as Operation Epic Fury — the ongoing U.S. military campaign targeting Iran’s military infrastructure and proxy networks — has intensified in recent days, with American and Israeli forces coordinating strikes aimed at weakening the regime’s military capabilities. The joint effort has targeted missile systems, military facilities, and infrastructure tied to Iran’s nuclear and weapons programs.
In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said U.S. Central Command carried out one of the most powerful bombing raids in Middle East history, “totally obliterating” military targets on Kharg Island, which he described as Iran’s “crown jewel.” The island serves as a critical hub for the regime’s operations in the Persian Gulf. Trump said the strike deliberately spared the island’s oil infrastructure but warned that could change if Iran attempts to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

IDF_Michigan_montage

New Intel Reveals Killer Blood Tie To Hezbollah Behind Synagogue Terror Attack

Operation Epic Fury

Terrorism

As Israel faces mounting threats from rockets, drones, and mortar fire across multiple fronts following the weekend strikes on Iran, attention is turning to a new system poised to reshape modern air defense: Iron Beam.
Israel’s highly anticipated laser-based defense platform is expected to be delivered to the military by the end of the month, according to Israeli officials. The system is designed to intercept short-range rockets, mortar rounds, and unmanned aerial vehicles using a high-powered directed-energy beam rather than traditional interceptor missiles.
One of the most striking features of Iron Beam is its cost efficiency. Each laser interception is estimated to cost as little as $2 in electricity, a dramatic reduction compared to the interceptor missiles used by Israel&#8217;s existing layered defense systems — roughly $100,000 per missile fired by Iron Dome, which counters short-range rockets, and up to $1 million per interceptor launched by David&#8217;s Sling, designed to defeat longer-range missiles and aircraft.
Iron Beam, first <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/rafael-unveils-laser-shield-at-premier-defense-show/">revealed</a> to the public in 2014, has been heralded as the future of air defense and is capable of intercepting the ever-growing threat of suicide drones, unguided rockets, and even traditional kinetic ordnance such as mortars and artillery. Iron Beam was developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the same firm behind Iron Dome, in partnership with U.S.-based defense giant Lockheed Martin. The system consists of an air defense radar, a command and control unit, and two High Energy Laser (HEL) systems, enabling it to track and destroy incoming threats at the speed of light.
According to publicly available material from <a href="https://www.rafael.co.il/system/iron-beam/">Rafael</a>, Iron Beam is designed to integrate into Israel’s existing multi-layered air defense architecture, complementing systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow. While missile interceptors remain essential for higher-altitude and long-range threats, a directed-energy platform offers a potentially transformative solution against short-range projectiles and drone swarms, particularly in scenarios involving sustained, high-volume attacks.
According to <a href="https://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/defense-systems/iron-beam/">missile defense analysts</a>, Iron Beam is intended to relieve pressure on Iron Dome by handling lower-end threats, reserving expensive interceptors for more complex or long-range attacks. The system has reportedly demonstrated successful interceptions, particularly short trajectory targets during extensive testing, though operational details remain classified.
These missile defense analysts have also long argued that directed-energy weapons represent the next phase of air defense evolution. Unlike traditional systems that require physical interceptors and complex resupply chains, laser platforms can, in principle, operate indefinitely as long as power is available, eliminating reloads and significantly reducing per-shot costs.
The technology is also reportedly being shared with the U.S. Army’s directed energy program, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-unveils-iron-beam-laser-weapon-while-achieving-record-15b-arms-sales">Fox News</a>, underscoring growing American interest in laser-based air defense capabilities.
While questions remain about operational constraints, including weather limitations and line-of-sight challenges, Iron Beam’s imminent fielding marks a major milestone in the development of practical battlefield laser systems. If it performs as advertised, it could fundamentally alter the cost calculus of missile defense and provide Israel with a powerful new tool to counter the increasingly sophisticated arsenal of Iranian-backed proxy groups.

Iran fires missiles at Israel

What Is Iron Beam? The Israeli Laser Defense System Explained

Global Politics

Iran

Iron Dome

Israel

Politics

Israel isn’t just striking Iran — it’s staring down thousands of Hezbollah rockets and daring the terror group to try.
As Operation Epic Fury targets Iran’s missile and military infrastructure, Israeli intelligence officials say Hezbollah still retains significant firepower. According to two officials who spoke to Fox News, the terror group has between 11,000 and 12,000 rockets and missiles remaining in its arsenal.
Roughly 5,500 to 6,000 of those are believed to be within range of Israel.
That’s about one-fifth of Hezbollah’s pre-war firepower — a dramatic reduction — but still enough to threaten civilian population centers, including parts of central Israel. Hundreds of the remaining weapons are medium-range missiles capable of reaching deep into the country.
And Israeli officials say Hezbollah isn’t backing down.
“They are actually trying to increase their capabilities,” one intelligence official said. “Both in the fire capabilities with rockets and rocket launchers, and ground units that they still have.”
In short, even after taking heavy losses, the Iran-backed group is trying to rebuild.
The warning comes as Israel expands its campaign following Operation Epic Fury, the joint U.S.–Israel strike aimed at dismantling Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure. Israeli leaders have described the mission as controlled and decisive — not a regime-change war and not an endless conflict — while making clear they prepared for retaliation from Tehran’s proxy network.
That includes Hezbollah.
Lebanon’s government says it is committed to the ceasefire framework brokered in part through U.S. diplomacy during President Donald Trump’s tenure.
Hezbollah terrorists appear to be operating outside that framework.
Despite Lebanon’s stated commitment, the group has continued rocket activity and military positioning that Israeli officials say undermines the ceasefire and increases the risk of escalation.
For Israeli leaders, that is precisely why preparations were made ahead of Operation Epic Fury.
The posture from Jerusalem is straightforward: Israel knows exactly what Hezbollah has left — and it is prepared for it.

Hezbollah rocket Lebanon

Hezbollah Terrorists Down To A Fraction Of Their Arsenal — Here’s What Remains

Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

President Trump

World

Israel is not waiting to be attacked — it is dismantling threats in real time.
As Israeli aircraft strike underground bunkers in Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed it is also targeting Hezbollah command centers and launch sites in Lebanon, warning the terror group it is entering a fight it cannot win.
An IDF official said the strikes against Hezbollah were part of preparations tied to the broader operation against Iran’s regime leadership and military infrastructure.
“We were ready for this,” the official said. “As part of the preparations for our operation in Iran, the IDF prepared for an attack from Hezbollah, allowing us to carry out a swift response.”
According to the IDF, retaliatory strikes hit Hezbollah command and control centers, launch sites, and what the official described as senior terrorists embedded within the organization’s operational network.
Israeli strikes inside Iran were still underway.
“As I am speaking right now, our aircraft are striking targets in Iran, including Tehran,” the official said, noting that underground bunkers tied to the regime are among the targets.
The objective, the IDF stressed, is to eliminate threats before they reach Israeli civilians.
“We are operating to eliminate any threats to our civilians, and will continue doing so,” the official added.
The warning to Hezbollah was blunt.
“Hezbollah is entering a fight it cannot win.”
The escalation comes after the unprecedented joint U.S.–Israel operation targeting Iranian regime assets, a move that military analysts have long warned could trigger retaliation from Tehran’s proxy network — particularly Hezbollah, which maintains a vast arsenal of rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.
As the military campaign unfolds, a political voice long in exile is positioning himself for what could follow.
Appearing on Fox &amp; Friends, Reza Pahlavi — the exiled crown prince of Iran — thanked President Donald Trump for giving Iran a chance to take his country back, while signaling he is ready to return to Iran and help lead a democratic transition should the regime collapse.
“If you were to give me the opportunity to say to the Iranian people and the world, when is it that I go back there?” Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, said. “It will be the first minute I get the opportunity to do that. And that has to be, of course, orchestrated properly.”
He added that he is prepared to return.
“I’m ready to go there as soon as possible. I would like to be there, whether it is before the regime collapses or right after the regime collapses. It is important for me to be among my compatriots to fight the final battle and bring it to fruition.”
Pahlavi has pledged that any transition would involve free and fair elections and a democratic system of government.
For now, however, the battlefield remains active. Israeli aircraft continue striking Iranian regime targets while signaling to Hezbollah that escalation will be met immediately.
The message from Israeli officials is clear: retaliation was anticipated, preparations were made, and the response is already underway.

israel_hezbollah

Blunt Warning To Hezbollah Terrorists As Israel Widens War Footing

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control took decisive action on Thursday against individuals channeling tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terrorist group that dominates Lebanon and threatens Israel.
The sanctions, issued under Executive Order 13224, targeted Hezbollah operatives such as Ossama Jaber, Ja’far Muhammad Qasir, and Samer Kasbar — key players in the terrorist organization’s sprawling financial network. Using Lebanon’s cash-based economy and unscreened exchange houses, they laundered more than a billion dollars since January 2025, funding terror operations, weapons smuggling, and Hezbollah’s entrenched control over Lebanese politics.
The Trump administration framed these sanctions as part of a clear policy: choking off Hezbollah’s financial oxygen to isolate Iran and protect American allies. Treasury Under Secretary John Hurley declared that Lebanon could only achieve freedom and stability by severing its ties to Tehran’s terror machine, <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0308">saying,</a> “Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous, and secure—but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control. We will work with our Lebanese partners to create a resilient economy that puts the interests of all Lebanese citizens front and center.” This action followed a consistent Trump doctrine — one that identifies Hezbollah as an Iranian tentacle and treats its dismantlement as central to peace in the region.
This focus on direct enforcement and partnership contrasts starkly with the Biden-Harris administration’s record of strategic leaks and policy hesitation that undermined Israel’s sovereignty and security. During Biden’s tenure, Washington repeatedly betrayed Jerusalem’s trust by divulging sensitive Israeli operations to the press. In September 2024, as Israel prepared a limited ground invasion of Lebanon to neutralize Hezbollah along its northern border, Biden officials <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-said-to-inform-us-of-plans-for-imminent-limited-ground-op-in-lebanon/">leaked the plans</a> to The Washington Post, handing Hezbollah critical information and prompting public backlash. That act mirrored earlier episodes — such as exposing Israeli strikes on Iranian interests in 2021 and revealing covert cooperation with allies during the Obama-Biden years — each leak serving to cripple Israeli initiatives while shielding Iran from reprisals.
For years, Democratic administrations under Biden and Obama displayed the same pattern: rhetorical support for Israel paired with behind-the-scenes meddling. The Biden team joined United Nations efforts to shield UNRWA employees who aided Hamas, delayed the congressional notification of weapons transfers to Israel, and warned the Israel Defense Forces not to take Rafah, Hamas’s last bastion.
These actions echoed Barack Obama’s tenure, when U.S. <a href="https://www.frontpagemag.com/obamas-leaks-sabotaging-israels-defense-joseph-klein/">leaks</a> sabotaged Israel’s counter-Iran strategy.
By sanctioning Hezbollah’s financiers and tightening the noose on Iran’s proxies, the Trump administration demonstrates that America’s words are backed by action, not whispers to the press. While the Biden-Harris team played politics with leaks that endangered an ally, Trump draws a bright line: the enemies of Israel and the enemies of freedom are one and the same — and both will be confronted without apology.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Trump Admin Cracks Down On Hezbollah’s Money Men

Department of the Treasury

Lebanon

It is, in fact, possible to win wars.
I have spent my entire life watching the United States and the West lose wars, or at least not win wars. Initial victory, followed by gradual defeat or bizarre interventionism without the full force, weight, and commitment necessary to carry it through.
What President Trump is demonstrating, however, along with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel, is that it is, in fact, possible to win wars.
Let’s recall the timeline here.
On October 7, 2023, the genocidal terror group Hamas invaded Israel&#8217;s borders and killed 1,200 Israelis, mostly Jewish, and abducted 250 Israelis and took them back to their terror tunnel hellholes. In those tunnels, Hamas amassed a vast arsenal of rockets, grenades, and small arms over the course of 20 years with the support and funding from nations in the region, including Iran, Qatar, and Turkey.
There was also a serious possibility that Hezbollah was going to enter the war on the same day. In fact, Hezbollah started attacking with small rockets in the beginning and then gradually escalated. And, according to the military experts, Hezbollah was similarly genocidal and was a far better armed Iranian terror proxy based in Lebanon.
Israel also faced down a continuing terror threat from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria, the so-called West Bank. Syria was being used as a thoroughfare for Iranian arms for Hezbollah. The Houthis in Yemen were another Iranian-backed terror threat. And, of course, the Iranian government wasn&#8217;t merely spreading terrorism, they were also fast-tracking a nuclear weapons program.
That&#8217;s where things stood two years ago.
Now, two years later, the Middle East has turned completely upside down.
Israel has completely decimated Hamas, killing its entire top leadership from Gaza all the way to Iran. Israel has destroyed Hezbollah&#8217;s efficacy and killed its terror master, Hassan Nasrallah. Its attacks on Hezbollah were so effective that the Assad regime in Syria completely collapsed.
Judea and Samaria have been quieted by the work of the IDF during this time. Iranian proxies in Iraq went silent as well thanks to the Israeli Air Force. The Houthis in Yemen are sort of the one remaining outstanding enemy, and they&#8217;ve been thoroughly bombed. They are a nuisance, but they&#8217;re not an existential threat to Israel. And Iran&#8217;s nuclear program, the greatest existential threat to Israel, has been set back years, if not decades, thanks to the courage of the Israeli Air Force, and, of course, a timely, brave intervention from President Trump that led to an amazing mission flown by the United States Air Force.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2295-the-trump-effect-how-to-win-a-war?elementPosition=4&amp;row=2&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
And now President Trump has brokered an amazing deal, one that seemed unthinkable not long ago. The release of the final 20 live Israeli hostages all at once, along with all the remaining bodies released. Israel maintains a secure posture in the Gaza Strip itself as a transitional plan toward a future without Hamas, supported by regional allies, including countries that one moment ago were sending cash and weapons into for Hamas to use, like Qatar and Turkey.
The possibility of future Abraham Accords with countries like Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are now on the table.
So, here is the question for the West: How is it that this war was won?
Because it&#8217;s hard to win wars.
Well, the answer is the conventional wisdom was stupid — and it has been stupid for decades.
And the decision makers here are ”out-of-the-box” thinkers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is someone who truly understands the nature of the Middle East and Middle Eastern history. But President Trump is the real difference maker here, because President Trump decided that America would no longer just go along with the 80-year-old slogans promoted by the Arabists at the State Department. 
The conventional wisdom was that military action does not guarantee security in the Middle East. That is a lie. It was always a lie. It was always catastrophically wrong.
In fact, every time Israel has provided for its own security, it was not through a peace deal. It was a peace deal after a victory. 
Military action is the only guarantor of support and security in the Middle East. It was military action that removed every supporting pillar beneath Hamas&#8217;s feet.
The conventional wisdom said the United States ought to play a weird, neutral role between Israel and its genocidal enemies. You saw this from Joe Biden. Kamala Harris talks like this all the time. Bill Clinton tried it until he realized that Yasser Arafat was totally uninterested in peace. 
But this was the conventional wisdom. Was that, sure, Israel was a strong ally of the United States, but America had to play honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians. And it turns out that that was not just wrong, it was idiotically wrong.
The Trump administration openly supported the IDF.
They openly provided the weapons. 
They openly provided the rhetorical support for Israel to win. And it was that that led to Hamas giving up the ghost and to Hamas, his allies, realizing that actually Israel was not going to be forced to simply accept the risk of its own survival. 
The conventional wisdom said that if you threaten to kill terror leaders abroad, that&#8217;d be conflagrationist and terrible. That, too, was wrong. 
Israel killed terror masters in Iran itself. Israel killed Ismail Haniya, the political leader of Hamas. And of course, it was the strike in Qatar that actually led to Qatar and Turkey deciding to press for Hamas’s ouster. 
Israel then hit inside Qatar in an attempted strike on Hamas&#8217;s leadership. They missed, but the message was made clear: Israel would be willing to do it again. 
And then the president essentially said, “Okay, you know what? We&#8217;ll come in. We&#8217;ll give a security guarantee to Qatar so this doesn&#8217;t happen again. But we need you to end this war. We need you to work with Turkey to stop all of this.”
It was a carrots-and-sticks approach led by President Trump.
President Trump understands the Middle East better than all the so-called experts.
And, by the way, he understands the Middle East far better than the supposed neocons, the total interventionists pushing for ”Democracy in the Middle East.” Trump is not one of those.
He also understands it better than the isolationists in his own party who wanted to reject Trump&#8217;s tempered and rational ”Peace through Strength” in favor of what might be called “Cowardice through Catastrophism,” the idea that World War III is lurking behind every corner — despite the fact that President Trump is the most rational purveyor of American force in modern American history. There was no shot that World War III would break out over one B-2 sortie over Iran. That was not going to happen because Trump was backing the IDF&#8217;s capacity to destroy Hamas in the Gaza Strip. That was not going to happen. The catastrophism was nonsense and it was nonsense from the beginning.
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Prime Minister Netanyahu, who soldiered through withering criticism both at home and abroad, of course, for the great crime of seeking victory over those who would destroy his country, deserves credit here.
Huge credit, obviously, as Jared Kushner says, to the Israeli people who mobilized in an unprecedented way to defend their nation and their civilization, we&#8217;re talking about 45-year-old guys leaving four kids at home and their business to go fight in Gaza in the “Sherut Miluim,” the Israeli Army Reserve Service.
And of course, huge props to the American people who provided Israel the support it needed to win, both in terms of material and mostly by making the right decision and electing Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. So, thank you to all the voters of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
It turns out that victory over genocidal enemies is indeed possible. What it requires is a smart strategy that bucks the conventional wisdom, a desire and willingness to win, and the perspicacity to dismiss people who promote either a starry-eyed millenarianism, in which every nation is going to break out into democracy someday, or a benighted conventional wisdom that fails every single time it&#8217;s tried.

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The Trump Effect: How To Win A War

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Opinion

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The State Department is looking to revoke the visa for Bobby Vylan, a British rap duo whose performance at a festival over the weekend went viral for his virulent anti-Israel lyrics that included a call for death to all Israeli soldiers.
A senior State Department official told The Daily Wire that it is “already looking at revocation” of their visas ahead of a roughly twenty-city tour through the United States, with performances planned in several major cities, including Washington, D.C.
“As a reminder, under the Trump Administration, the U.S. government will not issue visas to any foreigner who supports terrorists,” the senior official said.
Vocalist Pascal Robinson-Foster uses the stage name Bobby Vylan for his punk duo Bob Vylan—a name that nods to legendary Jewish singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, who released the pro-Israel song &#8216;Neighborhood Bully&#8217; in 1983.
While performing at England’s annual Glastonbury Music Festival — which was live streamed on the BBC — Vylan incited his crowd of thousands to chant, “Death, death to the IDF.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“Death, death to the IDF” chanted from the stage by Bob Vylan in front of 200k people at <a href="https://twitter.com/glastonbury?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@glastonbury</a>.
Tens of thousands singing happily along.
This is coming to NYC <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZohranForMayor?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#ZohranForMayor</a> <a href="https://t.co/t6vtHVhNQa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pic.twitter.com/t6vtHVhNQa</a>
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) <a href="https://twitter.com/StopAntisemites/status/1939051372810240348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
“Free, Free Palestine,” Vylan chanted with the crowd at Britain&#8217;s biggest summer music festival. “But have you heard this one though? Death, death to the IDF! Death, death to the IDF!”
After repeating the chant several times, Vylan referenced another violent slogan: “Hell yeah, from the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, inshallah, it will be free.”
Following his remarks, StopAntisemitism <a href="https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1939324518759116883" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called for</a> Vylan to have his visa revoked ahead of his upcoming concerts in the United States for his Inertia Tour. He currently has concerts scheduled in New York City. Boston, Los Angeles, and Nashville, Tennessee.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-epa-employee-charged-with-threatening-jews-attempting-to-provide-guns-and-money-to-isis?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=California+EPA+Employee+Charged+With+Threatening+Jews%2C+Attempting+To+Provide+Guns+and+Money+to+ISIS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CALIFORNIA EPA EMPLOYEE CHARGED WITH THREATENING JEWS, ATTEMPTING TO PROVIDE GUNS AND MONEY TO ISIS</a>
“The antisemite must have his visa denied/rescinded &#8211; his hate is not welcome here,” the StopAntisemitism wrote.
The chair of the Department of Justice’s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, Leo Terrell, said his “first call” on Monday morning will be to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ensure Vylan cannot enter the United States.
“These abhorrent chants, which included calls for the death of members of the Israeli Defense Forces, are abhorrent and have no place in any civil society,” Terrell said in a statement. “We understand that Mr. Vylan is planning to travel to the United States as part of the Inertia Tour. In response, Mr. Terrell’s Task Force will be reaching out to the U.S. Department of State on Monday to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”
Avon and Somerset Police in the United Kingdom <a href="https://x.com/ASPolice/status/1939025011844485405" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said they are investigating</a> the duo’s performance and will determine “whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-has-been-clear-for-14-years-that-iran-cannot-have-a-nuclear-weapon?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Has+Been+Clear+For+14+Years+That+Iran+Cannot+Have+A+Nuclear+Weapon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TRUMP HAS BEEN CLEAR FOR 14 YEARS THAT IRAN CANNOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON</a>
A spokesperson for Lisa Nandy, England’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c33514nryy1o" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said she</a> “strongly” condemned Vylan’s “threatening comments” and demanded “an urgent explanation” from the BBC regarding its vetting process.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the chants “appalling hate speech.”
In a statement, the BBC conceded that “some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive.”
“During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language,” the BBC added.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hamas-is-preparing-attacks-on-american-contractors-helping-distribute-aid-in-gaza?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Hamas+Is+Preparing+Attacks+On+American+Contractors+Helping+Distribute+Aid+In+Gaza" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HAMAS IS PREPARING ATTACKS ON AMERICAN CONTRACTORS HELPING DISTRIBUTE AID IN GAZA</a>
Vylan responded to the controversy in an Instagram post on Sunday saying that it is important to “encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
“Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change,” he wrote. “Let them see us marching on the streets, campaigning on the ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.”
Liora Rez, the executive director of StopAntisemitism, applauded the State Department preparing to take action against the musician who called for violence against the military of one of America’s strongest allies.
<a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a>
“StopAntisemitism is committed to doing everything in our power to ensure the United States does not follow the UK’s dangerous descent into institutionalized antisemitism,” Rez told The Daily Wire. “We are grateful to the State Department for swiftly prioritizing this matter and remain confident they will agree that individuals who promote such hatred have no place on American soil.”
Other songs performed at the festival — which was filled with Palestinian flags in the crowd and one on stage, along with the slogan, &#8220;This country was built on the backs of immigrants&#8221; — sent the message that the United Kingdom has already been conquered by immigrants.
&#8220;I hear you want your country back,&#8221; Vylan says. &#8220;Well, shut the f*** up.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The whole crowd is white. Singing about how they’ve been conquered and need to shut the fuck up. <a href="https://t.co/5W8Pebv0ys">pic.twitter.com/5W8Pebv0ys</a>
&mdash; Brent Scher (@BrentScher) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentScher/status/1939321880374104557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At the music festival, Irish rap group Kneecap, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-consider-criminal-charges-after-rapper-leads-death-to-the-idf-chant-at-festival?author=Daniel+Chaitin&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Police+Consider+Criminal+Charges+After+Rapper+Leads+%E2%80%98Death+To+The+IDF%E2%80%99+Chant+At+Festival" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also performed</a> and chanted “free Palestine,” being embroiled in controversy supporting Hezbollah—including one member who was charged under the Terrorism Act for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London last November, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/glastonbury-bob-vylan-israel-police-d7faf32c07b2ccadf25b29d57a530486" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press.</a>

Bobby Vylan And Marco Rubio

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Looks To Revoke Visa For British Rappers Who Chanted ‘Death To The IDF’

Marco Rubio

State Department

Federal immigration officials have arrested 11 Iranian nationals since Sunday, including a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member with &#8220;admitted connections to Hezbollah&#8221; and an individual on the U.S. terrorist watchlist.
The operations, which occurred amid heightened tensions following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, spanned eight states and nine cities, with all 11 Iranians accused of crimes exceeding civil immigration violations, according to CBS News. The arrests come as security experts warn that Iran&#8217;s proxy network, which includes Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, has established connections within the United States that could be activated.
Federal agents <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-arrests-11-iranian-nationals-48-hours/">discovered</a> an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card on Ribvar Karmi when he was apprehended in Alabama. He served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and entered the U.S. in October 2024 on a K-1 visa for migrants engaged to American citizens. Karmi is set to remain in ICE custody until removal proceedings begin.
Mehran Makari Sahel, arrested in Minnesota, is a former member of the Iranian military&#8217;s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had &#8220;admitted connections to Hezbollah,&#8221; <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/06/24/ice-arrests-11-iranian-nationals-illegally-us-over-weekend">according</a> to ICE.
Another arrestee, Yousef Mehridehno, had been living illegally in America for nearly eight years after lying on a visa application. He was apprehended on Sunday in Mississippi, four months after being added to the U.S. terrorist watchlist.
During the last fiscal year, ICE arrested just 68 Iranian foreign nationals.
&#8220;We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out — and we are,&#8221; DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CBS. “We don&#8217;t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump&#8217;s mandate to secure the homeland.”
ICE told CBS the arrests represent part of the Trump administration&#8217;s illegal immigration crackdown, with average daily arrests climbing from 660 in President Donald Trump&#8217;s first 100 days to 1,200 in June as the White House aims for 3,000 arrests per day.
In addition to the 11 Iranians arrested over the past 48 hours, Linet Vartaniann, a U.S. citizen, was also apprehended during the operation. Vartaniann faces federal charges for threatening to “shoot officers in the head” during the arrest of an unlawfully present Iranian national she was allegedly harboring.
The Department of Homeland Security activated its National Terrorism Advisory System hours after the weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The advisory warned of potential retaliatory actions, including physical attacks or cyber operations targeting American infrastructure.
The Trump administration has directed federal agencies to increase monitoring of suspected Iranian agents and sympathizers following the weekend&#8217;s military action.

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Hezbollah Link Among 11 Iranians Arrested By ICE In 48-Hour Sweep

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Israeli secret service operatives used a fake phone call to trigger what appeared to be an &#8220;emergency meeting&#8221; among Iran&#8217;s top military leaders — and then targeted the location of the meeting.
According to a <a href="https://www.thejc.com/news/israel/israeli-secret-services-used-fake-phone-call-to-lure-irans-air-force-elite-to-their-deaths-ejqk7guy">report</a> published Tuesday by The Jewish Chronicle, Mossad used Iranian communication channels as part of a coordinated disinformation campaign targeting top Iranian Air Force officials and luring them all to the same location for what they believed to be an important meeting.
Amit Segal told the Call Me Back podcast on Monday: “What Israel did was create a fake phone call for 20 members of the air force senior staff an calling them to a specific bunker in Tehran.”
This meant there was no one to give the order to fire the initial salvo of 1,000 ballistic missiles as Iran had previously threatened to do, he added.
The added bonus for the Israelis was that Iranian military leadership was essentially crippled from the moment of Israel’s first strike against the world’s top sponsor of terrorism.
As The Chronicle reported, Mossad had used “falsified communications through Iranian channels” to call the meeting — which successfully lured “the entire senior leadership of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, including Commander General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, his deputies, and key technical personnel, into a fortified bunker outside Tehran.”
Shortly before the first Israeli missiles struck other targets across Iran, “that bunker was hit in a precision airstrike, eliminating Iran’s top missile command.”
As a result, no one was “alive to give the command to strike back” when Israel hit Iran with the first missile barrage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that his country had no choice but to act as Iran has continued to pursue nuclear weapons capabilities — and President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly voiced support for Israel, has said on numerous television appearances dating back more than a decade that the Iranian regime could not be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Templates-13

Fake Israeli Phone Call Triggered Meeting Of Iranian Leaders. Then Israel Targeted Meeting Location.

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Mossad

Terrorists

Israel’s recent strikes on Iranian terrorist infrastructure have predictably reignited debates about the legality of preemptive self-defense under international law. Let’s dispense with the posturing: these strikes were not only lawful, they were necessary, and there is nothing controversial about what happened — legally, morally, or strategically.
The concept of preemptive self-defense has long occupied a contested space in legal scholarship. Article 51 of the UN Charter affirms that:
<blockquote>Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs&#8230;</blockquote>
Critics argue that this language imposes a strict temporal requirement: self-defense can only begin after an armed attack has already occurred. But this interpretation has always been tenuous — and increasingly divorced from operational realities. The law is not meant to incentivize victimhood, which is why many scholars, more rooted in reality, point out that waiting for a missile to land before acting is not international law — it’s international suicide.
That debate, however, is irrelevant here. Because Israel’s right to self-defense is not merely being invoked preemptively.
For decades Iran has openly vowed to destroy the State of Israel, and they have taken many steps to assure the world that they actually mean it. Since October 7, Iran and its proxy forces — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Syria and Iraq — have launched thousands of missiles and rockets at Israeli population centers. Each launch was not merely a political provocation, but a war crime: a direct attack on civilians. Under any reading of Article 51, these constitute armed attacks in the strictest legal sense.
And that brings us to the next question: Once the right to self-defense has been triggered, what exactly are its limits?
Customary international law, particularly as articulated in the Caroline doctrine, imposes two key conditions: necessity and proportionality. As Professor Amos Shapira has explained, the central issue is “the dimensions of the risk created by the adversary and the means reasonably necessary to repel, or remove, that risk.” Likewise, Hans Kelsen rightly warned that a right to self-defense that does not allow for the neutralization of the underlying threat is no right at all.
Israel’s response to persistent attacks falls squarely within this framework. The threat is not hypothetical. It is ongoing, declared, and demonstrated. Iran has openly vowed to destroy the State of Israel. Its proxies act constantly to make good on that promise. In recent days Iran has enriched enough uranium to build 15 nuclear bombs. The existential threat is, as the law requires, “instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation.”
In that context, Israel’s latest actions were proportionate and disciplined. Legally, Israel would have been justified in going much further. But it chose targeted, calibrated strikes instead — demonstrating not only military precision, but also strategic restraint.
Some commentators will nonetheless characterize these operations as escalatory or destabilizing. But that critique inverts the causality. The destabilization began with Iranian aggression. Israel’s actions are a stabilizing response — aimed at restoring deterrence and preventing further loss of life.
History has made one lesson painfully clear: peace is not the product of goodwill gestures or international declarations. It is secured by credible deterrence. The idea of peace through strength — long dismissed by the willfully naive — has never been more relevant. Israel’s recent actions embody this principle. When faced with an implacable adversary whose stated goal is your annihilation, strength is not a provocation; it’s a prerequisite for survival. And demonstrating that strength, responsibly and with restraint, is not just a legal right — it is a moral obligation to one’s citizens and allies.
To be clear, deterrence only works if it is believable. That is why the Israeli response was not just defensive—it was declarative. It sent a message not only to Tehran, but to every state and non-state actor watching: We are not passive targets. We will not wait quietly for missiles to rain down or for uranium to be weaponized. We will act, decisively and proportionately, to protect our people. That is how peace is preserved — not by appeasement, but by the unmistakable resolve to uphold red lines and enforce consequences.
There are only two sides in this war: Those who want to kill millions of innocent people, and those who do not. Each person must choose who they want to stand with. But regardless, the international legal system recognizes the right of states to defend themselves. That right is not a theoretical construct, nor is it a suicide pact. It exists for precisely moments like this one.
If the international community is genuinely committed to law and order, then Israel’s actions should not just be understood. They should be affirmed. In addition, Iranian leaders and regime-aligned institutions have repeatedly issued statements calling for the destruction or downfall of both America and Europe. If anything, the world should say thank you.
* * *
John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point and host of the &#8221;Urban Warfare Project Podcast.&#8221; He is the co-author of &#8221;Understanding Urban Warfare.” 
Mark Goldfeder is Director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center and a law professor at Touro University.
Arsen Ostrovsky is a human rights attorney who serves as CEO of The International Legal Forum and senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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