Mark Levin Calls for Regime Change in Iran as MAGA Israel Fissure Grows
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Fox News host Mark Levin is calling for regime change after Israel launched what it described as "preemptive strikes" against Iranian nuclear facilities early Friday.
Levin, a prominent conservative media figure and ally to President Donald Trump, has been a vocal advocate for military action against Iran and abandoning diplomatic negotiations.
The Context
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Friday that the country is under "a special state of emergency" after the Iran strike and warned of potential drone and missile attacks against Israeli civilians.
An Israeli military official told Newsweek that the strikes were part of what's been dubbed "Operation Rising Lion," carried out in response to intelligence Israel says it has indicating Iran has enough material to produce up to 15 nuclear bombs.
The operation was said to involve dozens of strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and military sites, commanders and personnel. Iranian state media confirmed later that General Hossein Salami, head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, was killed in the strikes, along with at least four senior officials.
Levin took a victory lap on Fox News' eponymous show Hannity after Israel announced its strikes, telling host Sean Hannity: "The Iranians are about to get their asses kicked and it's been coming since Jimmy Carter."
"They think this is Joe Biden's administration, that they would get away, get nuclear weapons and then the world would sit there, wouldn't know what to do about it," he said, adding that Israel "is not going to sit there and take it."
MAGA Divide Over Iran Policy
The current split within Trump's circle mirrors tensions that emerged in January 2020 after Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
Following the drone strike, conservative host Tucker Carlson delivered a forceful monologue on his popular Fox News show questioning the wisdom of military intervention, asking viewers: "Is Iran really the greatest threat we face? And who's actually benefiting from this?"
His commentary stood in stark contrast to Hannity, who praised the strike and repeated administration talking points. Carlson's influence proved decisive when Trump ultimately walked back threats to bomb Iranian cultural sites and avoided broader military escalation.
The episode demonstrated the significant impact Fox News personalities can have on presidential decision-making, with Trump closely monitoring cable news coverage and incorporating media commentary into policy decisions.
What To Know
Levin has been waging a months-long campaign against diplomatic engagement with Iran, positioning himself as the leading voice for military action within Trump's circle.
In his opening monologue on his Fox News evening program Life, Liberty & Levin, the MAGA acolyte described Iran as an "evil country with evil men running them" and warned that Iran possesses thousands of ballistic missiles capable of reaching Israel.
He emphasized Iran's threats to "wipe Israel off the face of the Earth" and characterized the conflict as a battle between "a free country that believes in life that wants to be left alone versus an evil terrorist regime."
Levin's position put him directly at odds with Steve Witkoff, Trump's Middle East envoy overseeing nuclear negotiations, whom Levin previously mocked on social media and called a "fifth column isolationist."
According to Politico, Levin warned Trump during a private June 4 lunch that Iran was days from developing nuclear weapons, contradicting U.S. intelligence assessments.
Iranian officials have repeatedly denied seeking a nuclear weapon, while Israel has neither confirmed nor denied already possessing nukes.
Hours after the reported lunch, Levin received blowback from Carlson, who wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that "there is zero credible intelligence that suggests Iran is anywhere near building a bomb, or has plans to. None."
Carlson continued to blast fellow Fox News hosts Hannity and Levin, as well as conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and megadonors Isaac Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson on social media.
"The real divide isn't between people who support Israel and people who support Iran or the Palestinians. The real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it — between warmongers and peacemakers," Carlson wrote on X.
Newsweek reached out to Fox News for comment via email on Friday for comment.
What People Are Saying
Mark Levin on Fox News: "The Iranians are about to get their asses kicked and it's been coming since Jimmy Carter. Thank God we have Donald Trump as President of the United States."
Senate Intel Chair Tom Cotton on Sunday's Face the Nation said Iran is: "Very close to having enough pure weapons-grade uranium for several weapons" and the "signs" are that it is "once again exploring" those weapons designs.
Conservative host Charlie Kirk on X: "Our focus must not be on seeking regime change or any further escalation of America's involvement. The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible."
He added: "Israel believed their existence was at stake, and they acted accordingly and impressively. This is Israel's fight to finish as they see fit, not America's."
Tucker Carlson on X: "Who are the warmongers? They would include anyone who's calling Donald Trump today to demand air strikes and other direct US military involvement in a war with Iran. On that list: Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Rupert Murdoch, Ike Perlmutter and Miriam Adelson. At some point they will all have to answer for this, but you should know their names now."
President Trump on Truth Social: "Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region."
Mark Levin speaks, with President Donald Trump behind him, during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Attorney General Edwin Meese, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct....
Mark Levin speaks, with President Donald Trump behind him, during a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Attorney General Edwin Meese, in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Washington. More
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
What Happens Next
The internal MAGA divide over foreign policy is likely to intensify as the administration navigates the fallout from Israel's unilateral action and the collapse of diplomatic efforts.
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