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Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Trump's strike against Iran was ‘America First' in action
My young family and I were in Israel when the military and the Mossad began their offensive operations against Iran on Friday, June 13, commencing what President Trump has since called the '12-Day War.' Although the Mossad's intelligence and the Israel Defense Forces' rapid establishment of air superiority inside Iran proved to be nothing less than extraordinary, my wife and I lived on pins and needles for those first few days of the war. We had to be ready day or night, at a moment's notice, to drop everything, grab our 6-month-old baby and race to the house's 'safe room' (that is, bomb shelter). Trust me: This is not a fun way to live — especially not with an infant. Meanwhile, too many of Iran's ballistic missiles — considerably more lethal than the rockets typically fired into Israel from Gaza and Lebanon — were evading Israeli air defense. They were finding their targets. Too many homes were being destroyed, and too many people, tragically, were being killed. Though a proud Jew and Zionist, and even the author of a recent book on Israel's fate, I decided to do what any American parent of an infant would do in such a situation: get us home. I am a Floridian, and I heard about a program the state of Florida had launched to evacuate American citizens from the war zone. We first took a bus to the Jordanian border. We next got to Amman, where we spent the night. We then flew to Cyprus, a hub for those fleeing (and returning to) Israel, where we also spent a night. And finally, we flew from Cyprus to Tampa, where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis surprised our group by meeting us at the airport. The day after my family got home to Florida, the world changed in an instant: Trump ordered Operation Midnight Hammer, delivering a devastating — perhaps fatal — blow to the Iranian regime's three most prized nuclear facilities, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. In his brief remarks at the White House following the strikes, Trump repeatedly linked the national interests and fates of the United States and Israel. Despite months of tendentious leaks, palace intrigue and the often-parroted media reports of a rift between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that bilateral relationship is clearly stronger than ever. Looking back at both the pre-strike debate and the post-strike fallout, the more interesting question — especially given the hostility toward Trump's move from certain high-profile talking heads within the broader MAGA fold — is perhaps this: Is Midnight Hammer an aberration from Trump's 'America First' foreign policy doctrine, or is it entirely consistent with it? As the definitive essay on the topic, a 2019 Foreign Policy magazine article — appropriately titled 'The Trump Doctrine' — from former Trump administration national security official and current State Department Director of Policy Planning Michael Anton put it, Trump's conception of 'America First' means that he has 'no inborn inclination to isolationism or interventionism, and he is not simply a dove or a hawk.' By contrast, Trump's foreign policy instinct is 'Jacksonian': It is a strand of pragmatic conservative realism that is intuitively skeptical. The mindset echoes George Washington's famous farewell address, which warned against getting overly involved overseas, but it also remains able, willing and eager to lash out and strike if necessary to defend core American national interests. In short, Trump has no interest in reprising the Bush-era moralistic nation-building enterprise, but he also has no interest in burying America's head in the sand and pretending that we simply have no interest in events abroad. It was Trump himself, after all, who both withdrew from President Obama's flawed nuclear deal with the Iranian terror regime and eliminated Islamic State founder Abu Bakr Baghdadi and Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general who commanded the Quds Force. There are indeed some fools, ignoramuses and scoundrels on the right who keep trying to mislead their MAGA-friendly audiences by imputing to 'America First' views that do not put America first and are not held by the president himself. But they are losing that battle: According to a recent CBS News poll, an astounding 94% of self-identified MAGA Republicans support Operation Midnight Hammer. It certainly seems that in voting for Trump, these Americans favored stopping the world's No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism — a regime whose raison d'être is eliminating the 'little Satan' of Israel and the 'big Satan' of the United States — from acquiring the world's most dangerous weapons. After decades of debate about the Iranian nuclear program and months of pearl-clutching about the alleged imminence of World War III, the United States has devastated the illicit nuclear weapons program of a terrorist regime that chants 'death to America' on a daily basis — without a single American casualty, without any extended American troop presence on the ground and with a quick post-strike ceasefire to boot. To achieve a decades-long-sought foreign policy objective in this fashion is nothing less than astonishing. Operation Midnight Hammer is one of the greatest acts of presidential statesmanship and leadership in modern American history. It's also 'America First' in action. And looking back at the entire ordeal years from now, I strongly suspect it will also make everything my family went through in evacuating the Middle East more than worth it. Josh Hammer's latest book is 'Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.' This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. @josh_hammer
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump's deception game, 420000 pounds of GBU-57 bunker busters, 3 nuclear sites dusted: How Iran buckled under US firepower
The Israel-Iran ceasefire seems to be a done deal with US President Donald Trump once again claiming to have played a pivotal role in it. The ceasefire announcement by Trump came just hours after US forces "obliterated" Iran's three main nuclear facilities in Fordow , Natanz and Isfahan , an operation which according to the American military leadership was a masterclass in deception. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran June 13, targeting its military and nuclear bases. Even as its top generals and nuclear scientists were eliminated by Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) precision strikes, Iran did not backoff and instead rained missiles and drones on its western adversary. The two sides then indulged in a tit-for-tat response. As the conflict rages on, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded the US to join the war after his forces failed to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, especially the one in Fordow. President Trump dilly-dallied for a few days and then gave the go ahead to the US Air Force and Navy to take out Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Fordow was marked for special treatment as it was buried several meters under the mountain and only the US possessed the firepower to blast a target hidden so deep. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Also Read: Trump claims ceasefire between Israel and Iran, ending 12-day war While Israel and Iran were involved in a bruising match, Trump and his advisors played out a massive deception game to keep everyone in the dark. As reports of Israel running low on missile interceptors came out with Iranian projectiles routinely punching holes in Jerusalem's multi-layered air defenses, Trump and US military laid bare an elaborate plan to force the regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to lay down its arms. Live Events Trump plays a deception game Over 7000 miles away from Tehran, at the US Whiteman Air Force Base base in Missouri, the massive B-2 Spirit bombers were being armed with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker busters. Their mission, named Operation Midnight Hammer, a closely guarded secret. As the US military was readying its strike package, Trump made a big statement after Iran threatened to target American bases in the Middle East and refused to back down in the face of constant Israeli bombings. The US President on June 20 announced his intention to take a decision on striking Iran within two weeks. Meanwhile, his military was gearing up to deliver a decapitating blow to Iran. Trump's statement sent the Iranian government a message that US was not yet keen to join Israel's offensive mission. Also Read: B-2 bombers flew 37 hours non-stop, covered over 7000 miles: US outsmarted Iran's Russian air defense missiles to strike its nuclear sites Yet, hours later on June 21, several B-2 bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base base. Armed with bunker busters, seven moved towards the east while between two to four flew west. The bombers flying east maintained total silence and were not tracked but the ones moving westwards towards the US air base in Guam were widely publicised. The deception plan was well and truly in play. News websites, channels and social media was filled with information about the B-2s being moved to Guam. There were speculations that the bombers would eventually move to the US air base in Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for their mission against Iran. But another group of seven B-2s were flying over the Atlantic, their over 18-hour long journey to Iran made possible by multiple refueling by tankers of US Central Command. Obscured from coverage, this was the strike package that would deliver what Trump wanted - obliterating Iran's nuclear sites. Each B-2 tasked with hitting Iran was carrying two GBU-57s, a combined weight of 60,000 pounds (28,000 kilograms), each. Operation Midnight Hammer was the first ever use of the GBU-57s in a combat. US B-2 bombers hit Iran's nuclear sites Eighteen hours after taking off from the Missouri airbase, the B-2 were over the Mediterranean Sea, within sniffing distance of their targets. They were joined by F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning II US stealth fighters, F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18 Hornets and several reconnaissance aircraft. Meanwhile, deep inside the Indian Ocean, US submarines launched 30 Tomahawks at Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites whereas Fordow was destined to face the full fury of the bunker busters. Also Read: Khamenei posted 'Iran Does Not Surrender' before Trump announced Iran-Israel ceasefire The entire strike package remained out of Iran's sight, its air defense caught napping. Neither were Iran's fighters scrambled, not its surface-to-air missile batteries activated. Perhaps a sign that Israel's precision strikes had indeed neutered Iran's air defenses. An hour later at 6:40 pm. (EDT) June 21 (10:40 pm GMT) and 2:10 am June 22 in Iran, the first of six B-2s opened its bomb door to drop a 30,000 pounder GBU-57 on Fordow. This was followed by 11 other bunker busters while two found their mark in Natanz, dropped from the seventh B-2. The six holes in Fordow and one in Natanz a testimony to the bunker busters drilling through the earth to find their mark. So precise were the strikes that two bunker busters each passed through a single hole in Fordow and the same was repeated in Natanz. The bombing runs continued for 30 minutes and a few moments later, the Tomahawks too landed on Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. With their mission complete, the B-2 turned west to fly back to their base, a journey that would take another 18 hours. US military leadership later on June 22 announced 125 military aircraft were involved in the entire mission. The B-2s dropped 14 GBU-57s, their subs launched 30 Tomahawk missiles and 31 other precision-guided weapons, the details of which were not released. While US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared 'our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now", a report by the Associated Press quoting a US military official claimed that one of the B-2 pilots was a woman. Also Read: Israel-Iran ceasefire new addition to Trump's many peacemaker claims; some found to be false Iran's facile response and the ceasefire More than 40 hours later, Iran responded to the US bombings by launching missiles at American airbases in Qatar and Iraq. US officials said Tehran had already informed them and Qatar of the impending attacks and there was minimal damage with no casualties as the missiles were tackled by air defense systems. After the missiles were stopped and the world anticipated another round of US strikes, Trump sprang a surprise yet again. He took to Truth Social to announce the ceasefire between Israel and Iran. While Iran initially denied the ceasefire and fired some missiles towards Israel, which too responded by sending in its fighters, the two sides seemed to agree that the time for the conflict is over.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel issues Tehran evacuation order as Iran threatens to leave nuclear weapons treaty
Israeli forces have issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran, warning them of the imminent bombing of 'military infrastructure' in the area in a social media post very similar to those regularly directed at Palestinians in Gaza over the past 20 months. The post on Monday on X was from the account of the Israel Defense Forces' Arabic spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee, and is a further sign of the evolving nature of the Israeli campaign against Iran, which began with attacks on air defences, nuclear sites and the military chain of command, but appears to have drifted towards a war of attrition focused on Iran's oil and gas industry and on the capital. Related: Israel attack on Iranian state broadcaster shown live on TV In another sign of the changing targets of the Israeli offensive, Iran's state TV announced on Monday evening during a live transmission that it was under attack. The sound of an explosion could be heard, and the news presenter hurried off camera as dust and debris appeared in the studio. Cries of 'Allahu Akbar' or 'God is greatest' could be heard off-screen and the broadcast abruptly switched to pre-recorded programming. Live programming resumed some time later. Adraee's online post included a map depicting a significant area of the third district in northern Tehran shaded in red in the same manner he has presented evacuation orders for Palestinians. 'Dear citizens, for your safety, please leave the described area in the 3rd district of Tehran immediately,' the message said in Farsi. 'In the coming hours, the Israeli army will attack the military infrastructure of the Iranian regime in this area, as it has done in recent days in Tehran. Your presence in this area endangers your life.' Later on Monday, the US president, Donald Trump, urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran, and reiterated that Iran should have signed a nuclear deal with the US. 'IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' he said in a post on Truth Social. Speaking to personnel at Tel Nof air force base, the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed the evacuation orders. 'The Israeli air force controls the skies over Tehran. This changes the entire campaign,' he said. 'When we control the skies over Tehran, we strike regime targets, as opposed to the criminal Iranian regime which targets our civilians and comes to kill women and children. We tell the people of Tehran to evacuate, and we act.' Netanyahu later said killing Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, would 'end the conflict' in what would be another ominous escalation. After the surprise Israeli attack on Friday morning, Iran has carried out retaliatory missile strikes on Israeli cities, focusing on the most populated areas between Tel Aviv and the port of Haifa. Both sides have targeted each other's oil and gas facilities, increasing the threat of environmental disaster, and explosions were reported on Monday near oil refineries in southern Tehran. Earlier on Monday, Iran threatened to leave the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) as Israeli bombing raids entered a fourth day, underlining the conflict's potential to trigger a broader war and Tehran's race to construct a nuclear weapon. The human cost of the war continued to escalate with both sides broadening their range of targets, as G7 leaders convened in the Canadian Rockies with no clear plan to end the conflict. There were reports on Monday that Trump was refusing to sign a joint statement calling for the conflict to be scaled down. 'They should talk, and they should talk immediately,' Trump said of Tehran during the summit. 'I'd say Iran is not winning this war.' The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Iran was sending a message to Israel and the US through Arab intermediaries that it was seeking a cessation of hostilities and a resumption of talks on its nuclear programme. The same report, however, said its stance was that it would only go back to the table if Israel halted its offensive. There was no sign on Monday of Israel contemplating a pause. Iran's health ministry said 224 people in Iran had been killed by Israeli attacks, 90% of them civilian, and more than 1,400 had been injured. Israel's defence minister, meanwhile, threatened further bombing strikes on Tehran, where an exodus of residents has been reported, clogging roads out of the capital. The Iranian Red Crescent said that three of its rescuers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in northwest Tehran, adding: 'This incident is not only a crime against international humanitarian law but also a blatant attack on humanity and morality.' In Israel, at least 23 civilians have been killed in Iran's retaliatory missile strikes since Israel's initial surprise attack on Friday morning, and nearly 600 have been injured, according to official sources. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, announced on Monday that Iran's parliament, the Majlis, was preparing a bill that would withdraw the country from the 1968 NPT agreement, which obliges it to forego nuclear weapons and to undergo international inspections to verify compliance. Baghaei added that Tehran remained opposed to the development of weapons of mass destruction. The country's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, also insisted that Iran did not intend to develop nuclear weapons but would pursue its right to nuclear energy and research. He pointed out that Ali Khamenei, had issued a religious edict against weapons of mass destruction. Israel is the only Middle East state with nuclear weapons and did not sign the NPT, but has never formally acknowledged its arsenal. It is seeking to maintain its monopoly with airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, claiming that Tehran was close to building a bomb. Previous assessments by US intelligence and the UN nuclear watchdog found no evidence that Iran had begun work on assembling a nuclear weapon. Israeli critics of the offensive say it cannot destroy Iran's reserve of nuclear knowhow – though Israel has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists, claiming to have killed 14 – and could push the leadership into ordering the assembly of nuclear warheads. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the BBC it was very likely all the roughly 15,000 centrifuges at Iran's biggest uranium enrichment plant at Natanz had been badly damaged or destroyed because of a power cut caused by an Israeli strike. But he said there had been very limited or no damage at the separate Fordow plant. There were reports on Monday of Israeli strikes on the Tehran headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards al-Quds force, an expeditionary arm deployed in foreign wars. Despite Israeli claims to have air superiority over much of Iran, Iranian forces have still been able to launch ballistic missiles from their territory and some continue to evade Israel's multi-layered air defences. Israel Defense Forces officials estimate that it is has been able to intercept 80-90% of Iran's missiles, with 5-10% hitting actual residential areas. Eight more Israelis were killed overnight by Iranian missile strikes, including four in Petah Tikva where a missile hit an apartment block. Three people died from blasts in Haifa and an elderly man was killed when his home collapsed from the shockwave from an explosion in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have begun 'more powerful and deadly' strikes and to have found a way of causing confusion in Israeli air defence systems. There was no immediate way of independently verifying the claim. US forces have so far helped Israel intercept Iranian missiles, but have not taken part, at least overtly, in offensive bombing operations. On Monday, however, Reuters quoted two unnamed US officials as saying the movement of more than 30 military refuelling aircraft to Europe was intended to give Trump more options in the Middle East. Such tankers allow warplanes to refuel in mid-air and enable more sorties a day in wartime. The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said on Monday he had ordered the deployment of additional defensive capabilities to the Middle East, but did not disclose what military capabilities he sent to the region. As Tehran residents evacuated the capital in increasing numbers, Israel's defence minister, Israel Katz, threatened to make Tehranis 'pay the price' for Ali Khamenei's decision to keep firing missiles at Israel in retaliation for the Israeli attack. The Iranian state-backed news agency Fars reported that the authorities had executed a man found guilty of spying for Israel's intelligence agency, the Mossad. It was the third execution of an alleged spy in recent weeks.
India.com
17-06-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Israel-Iran WAR: Donald Trump tells Tehran to 'Vacate Immediately', slams Iran for ignoring nuclear deal
After Iran-Iraq, Donald Trump now targets Hindus of this country…, to be expelled from… Israel and Iran continued their exchange of strikes for the fifth straight day on Tuesday, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to urge civilians to evacuate Tehran immediately. Trump tied his warning to Iran's rejection of a proposed agreement intended to limit its nuclear weapons program. The US President has said 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' hours after Israel issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran on Monday. 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!,' the US president said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. Washington and Tehran had been in the midst of nuclear negotiations when Israel launched its shock attack on Iran on Friday. Hours before Trump's comments Israeli forces had issued an evacuation order to residents of a large part of Tehran, warning them of the imminent bombing of 'military infrastructure' in the area in a social media post very similar to those regularly directed at Palestinians in Gaza over the past 20 months. The post on X was from the account of the Israel Defense Forces' Arabic spokesperson, Col Avichay Adraee. It is a further sign of the evolving nature of the Israeli campaign against Iran, which began with attacks on air defences, nuclear sites and the military chain of command, but appears to have drifted towards a war of attrition focused on Iran's oil and gas industry and on the capital.
Vancouver Sun
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Eight killed, hundreds injured by Iranian ballistic missiles
Eight people were killed and nearly 300 wounded in the early hours of Monday by an Iranian ballistic missile barrage on Israeli civilian population centers in the central and northern regions of the country. The impacts were spread across four locations. Four of the deaths took place in the greater Tel Aviv area — four in Petach Tikvah and one in Bnei Brak. Three people who were initially reported as being trapped in Haifa were later declared dead, while a 30-year-old woman is hospitalized in serious condition. The Israel Defense Forces' Home Front Command is investigating the deaths of three victims—two women and a man in their 70s—who were killed in Petach Tikvah while sheltering in a protected space. An 80-year-old man was also found dead at the site of a missile strike in Bnei Brak. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. As of Monday morning, Magen David Adom teams had evacuated 87 people to hospitals—five in moderate condition and 81 in mild condition. Rescue operations and searches for additional casualties were ongoing at two of the four affected sites. According to an Israeli Health Ministry update on Monday morning, a total of 287 wounded individuals arrived at hospitals during the night. The ministry's numbers include information from both MDA and independent arrivals. As of Monday morning, one person was in serious condition, 13 were in moderate condition, 240 were in mild condition, 11 were suffering from anxiety and 25 patients were under medical evaluation with their condition not yet determined. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee announced that a nearby Iranian missile strike had damaged the U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv. Israel's Channel 12 News reported that the home of MK Hanoch Milwidsky (Likud) in Petach Tikvah was damaged by an Iranian missile. Several people were lightly wounded on Sunday night in the preceding Iranian missile attack. At least 13 people were killed overnight Saturday as Iranian ballistic missiles struck civilian areas across Israel. 'Israel is in an existential war. Since 1948, I can't recall a war as vital, important and crucial as the one we are facing now,' Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told JNS on Monday. 'I am confident the Iranians have understood that we are not joking—our mission is to eliminate any nuclear or missile threat, both for this generation and the generations to come,' he added. Bismuth called on free nations, the Iranian people and those who support freedom and Israel to stand with them. The fight, he said, is for the safety of children everywhere, as the Iranian regime poses a significant threat to global security and stability—something regularly acknowledged by NATO countries at their parliamentary assembly, where he leads the Knesset delegation. 'When this regime falls—and the sooner, the better—millions of Iranians will rejoice alongside Israel. This is a fight for stability, security, and the future of coming generations,' he added. 'For me, the people of the year are the Israeli people,' he continued. 'Despite the shaking buildings, the trembling babies and the loss of life, they understand that this is a threat we must confront and overcome. Because, sooner or later, those conventional missiles that strike us today could be nuclear tomorrow,' Bismuth said. Likud MK Dan Illouz stressed that Israel must complete its dual goal of removing the threat of Iran's nuclear capabilities and ballistic missiles. 'These are two existential threats to Israel that Iran has developed, while saying time and time again that it wants to destroy Israel. We cannot wait for them to push the button before we respond,' Illouz told JNS. 'However, there is also a larger opportunity here. The greatest victims of the current regime in Iran are the Iranian people, who are the children of an incredible civilization that has been hijacked by extremists. Iran used to be one of Israel's allies, and this can become a reality again,' he continued. 'There is a unique opportunity for the people of Iran to rise and take hold of their destiny and future. This is not a goal for us, because it is something the Iranian people will have to decide on their own. But the opportunity is clear and present,' said Illouz.
