MORNING GLORY: The Israel-Iran War is closer to its end than its beginning

In the year and a half since the horrific massacre of 1,200 innocents, the wounding of 5,000 and the kidnapping of 250 victims by the terrorists of Hamas on October 7, 2023, war has raged through and around Israel. It is closer to its end than it is to its beginning, but it rages still.
America's early and strong support for the Jewish State faltered as President Biden's cognitive impairment grew worse and more obvious. We do not know whether the former president's infirmity impacted his original, resolute support for Israel by allowing the anti-Israel wing of his party to ascend within the West Wing or to worry his campaign's guiding hands into advising him that appeasement of Iran and its forces was necessary to win last fall. Thanks to the new book "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House" by NBC's Jonathan Allen and The Hill's Amie Parnes, however, we now know for sure that the divide between the U.S. and the equal of any of its allies on the planet widened and deepened as the months went by.
That very disturbing story was also alluded to by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an interview last week with Israeli journalist Gadi Taub. It wasn't just the halt of a single shipment of 2,000 pound bombs. It wasn't just Vice President Harris's assertion that she'd "studied the maps" and Rafah could not be assaulted. It was a collective turn against Israel at every level of the Biden administration that should shock every friend of our ally.
That has changed, of course, and President Donald Trump is at least the equal of any previous president in his resolute support for Israel. Which is a relief as Iran shows no sign of wanting to do anything but "break out" and build a nuclear weapon to add to its arsenal.
Israel's destruction of most of Iran's proxy forces in the region as well as of the Iranian air defenses which the enemy of the West thought extremely strong, but which proved very weak over the course of the war, has left Iran's nuclear sites and oil refineries defenseless. The choice before Ayatollah Khamenei is stark. There is no public evidence that Iran's "Supreme Leader" has dialed back his fanaticism and accepted President Trump's invitation to peacefully abandon its nuclear ambitions, but we cannot know. Rogue states like Libya and apartheid-era South Africa chose to abandon their WMD programs. It's not impossible that Iran will too. Unlikely, but not impossible.
What is impossible is to erase the record of who did what and said what over the course of what ought to be called the Israel-Iran War "Sometimes a flare goes up and you get to see exactly where everyone is standing," Douglas Murray writes in his profound "On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization." That flare went up on 10/7 and has never for a moment dimmed. Everything is on the record. The reckoning continues.
Murray painstakingly reminds the reader of a few of the awful atrocities of the 10/7 war crimes as well as retracing the instant arrival of apologists for the terrorists. It is a necessary, but troubling revisiting of the facts of the attempt to destroy Israel before he turns to the biggest question. Not even as indefatigable a reporter as Murray can do more than remind us of some of the terrible crimes, some of the victims, some of Israel's many heroes. What he does, elegantly, is set up the reader for the question that has haunted the world since 9/11: "What can Western liberal societies do in the face of such movements" as Hamas and Hezbollah and, of course, Iran.
Murray cannot provide an answer, but he does lead the careful reader to some measured optimism. The West can rally, can reject the death cults, can produce a new generation of warriors and patriots even as Israel has over 18 months.
It does not require persuading the useful idiots in the West who march and scream in defense of the totalitarian killers. "Would there ever be any way to get into the heads of these students that this was not some kind of game?" Murray asks after reviewing some of the most stupid slogans of the apologists of terror. It does not seem likely.
But it also does not seem all that necessary. The United States, Israel and the rest of the West contain within it deep wells of resolve to live freely and without fear, to defeat some enemies and deter others.
Journalists and public intellectuals like Murray arrive at the moments they are most needed, just as Murray has. "Fearless" doesn't begin to describe how he has covered Israel's trauma and its recovery and ongoing march towards a remarkable victory over the evil that surrounded it and overwhelmed it briefly. The cost has been so immense that it is sometimes difficult to recall that, through this long and often ghastly war, civilized people have rallied to Israel and will continue to do so. Indeed, there are signs now that the people of Gaza themselves are done with the butchers who have brought such devastation down on their heads. Lebanon too may be awakening, as did Syria, to the hope that the futures of their countries do not have to be mortgaged to the fanatics of Tehran.
The cost has been so very high and will grow higher still. Murray charts the reality that there is no choice but to confront and defeat the evil. It's a book you should get and read and buy for family and friends. It is a riveting account and a profound assessment of where we have been and the choices we have to make. It should be a best-seller, proudly displayed on the table of anyone who stands for freedom and human dignity against the fanatics of our time.
Hugh Hewitt is host of "The Hugh Hewitt Show," heard weekday mornings 6am to 9am ET on the Salem Radio Network, and simulcast on Salem News Channel. Hugh wakes up America on over 400 affiliates nationwide, and on all the streaming platforms where SNC can be seen. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel's news roundtable hosted by Bret Baier weekdays at 6pm ET. A son of Ohio and a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, Hewitt has been a Professor of Law at Chapman University's Fowler School of Law since 1996 where he teaches Constitutional Law. Hewitt launched his eponymous radio show from Los Angeles in 1990. Hewitt has frequently appeared on every major national news television network, hosted television shows for PBS and MSNBC, written for every major American paper, has authored a dozen books and moderated a score of Republican candidate debates, most recently the November 2023 Republican presidential debate in Miami and four Republican presidential debates in the 2015-16 cycle. Hewitt focuses his radio show and his column on the Constitution, national security, American politics and the Cleveland Browns and Guardians. Hewitt has interviewed tens of thousands of guests from Democrats Hillary Clinton and John Kerry to Republican Presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump over his 40 years in broadcast, and this column previews the lead story that will drive his radio/ TV show today.

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Bloomberg

41 minutes ago

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Israel-Iran War Reaches Second Week as Trump Sends Mixed Signals

Israel and Iran launched new strikes in a second week of hostilities, as Donald Trump deepened uncertainty about his readiness to join the conflict and dismissed European efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Israel struck several targets in central Iran on Saturday, including the Isfahan nuclear site, the semi-official Fars News reported. There were no casualties or leaks of hazardous material, it said. The Israel Defense Forces earlier said it had identified missiles launched from Iran and was working to intercept them. Sirens sounded in central Israel.

Yahoo

41 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Chief Rabbi: I'm witnessing first hand Iran's attempt to eliminate Jews

'We don't have a front row seat,' says the Chief Rabbi, when I suggest he is watching history unfold as he remains trapped in Israel, under Iranian fire. 'We are on the stage. Every single person in Israel right now is a target and that includes Palestinians, Arabs, people of all nationalities and religions. We are experiencing a direct attempt to wipe out the Jewish state.' Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who has been Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth since 2013, should be in Britain, where he is the most prominent Jewish leader, heading the United Synagogue group of orthodox synagogues and representing the country's 270,000 Jews at state events. Sir Ephraim flew to Israel earlier this month for two 'simchas', or family celebrations, on a trip that was supposed to precede his participation in the Conference of European Rabbis in Munich this week. He was preparing for Shabbat on Friday morning when Israel announced it had bombed Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. With sunset fast approaching, news emerged of the deaths of three of Iran's military commanders: Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the armed forces, and Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Forces. Like any orthodox Jew, the Chief Rabbi had switched off his mobile phone to observe the Sabbath, hours before a salvo of Iranian missiles lit up the sky above Tel Aviv – some breaching Israel's Iron Dome air defence system. Did he even realise what was going on? 'Yes we did. There is a radio station in Israel which respects the Shabbat laws, and it goes silent for the whole of the Jewish Sabbath. However, every time there was a need for people to know something, because it's a case of the saving of life, they would broadcast, and therefore we would be able to hear. 'However, we heard no reports as to the consequences of the attacks. Saturday was actually a very difficult day to endure.' Holed up with his wife Valerie and their family in Herzliya, a coastal town north of Tel Aviv, the Chief Rabbi could only anxiously wait until an hour after sunset on Saturday, when, in line with Jewish law, they could use electronic devices again and find out exactly what had happened. The couple have four sons and 17 grandchildren, some of whom live in Israel. Their daughter Liora died in 2011, aged 30, leaving behind her husband and two children. 'We needed to wait until 8.32pm – that time was etched into our minds, because that would be the time when we'd be able to hear what had transpired over the previous 25 hours.' With no indication when he can return to the UK, Mirvis is now effectively in lockdown and having to resort to Zoom meetings, like this remote interview. 'The comparison to Covid is quite a strong one,' he says, expressing disappointment that he has been separated from the community he leads in Britain. Isn't it much scarier than the pandemic, though, having to run for your life at all hours of the day and night? The softly spoken cleric calmly responds: 'Well, you see, this is not the first time that Israelis have been in such a situation. It's been going on for years and years continuously, prior to October 7. So taking cover in a shelter is a regular feature of life in Israel, and… I've needed to do this on quite a number of occasions when I've been a tourist here over the years. So there was hardly any element of surprise, only the question of what will be the extent of damage to human life and to infrastructure.' Describing the desperate dash to safety as soon as the sirens go off, the 68-year-old adds: 'Iran is purposefully using missiles which take 12 minutes, and therefore there isn't a lot of time. You basically have four minutes [after Israel's sirens ring out] so there's a scramble. All modern houses are fitted with a safe room but many people living in older houses don't have such a room in their home and therefore need to go to a public shelter nearby. That has been exceptionally challenging, and very often, they don't reach that public shelter in time. That has resulted in some of the casualties in Israel over recent days.' The Chief Rabbi has been able to make use of a safe room in the home in which he is staying. 'You come into the safe room, you close the door, and then you wait for a message to say all clear. And that can take anything from 20 minutes to an hour. That's basically the rhythm of life. And it can happen at any time of the day, 24/7, and it is highly disruptive for people of all ages, particularly children who don't really know what's going on. This is a time of deep anxiety.' The Chief Rabbi says that his experience has renewed his focus on the ordeal of the 53 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza. 'It's now 622 days they've been kept in the most horrific of conditions. Now we're concentrating on Israel and Iran, we shouldn't for one moment forget their plight. That's been foremost in my mind. The inconvenience that we're facing is minimal compared to the suffering of many other people.' Does he include Palestinians in that – and Iranians currently taking shelter from the missiles raining down on Tehran? Pointing out that Israel's primary targets are 'military or people responsible for their nuclear program', Mirvis says: 'We are saddened by the loss of innocent civilian life in Iran, in the same way as we have been saddened about the loss of innocent civilian life in Gaza, because that has not been Israel's target. 'My heart goes out to the Iranian people, because they've been suffering for decades under the regime that rules them. I really hope that one of the consequences of this will be a decidedly better life for Iranians.' Jews, however, are 'awfully aware' that they are currently 'a target to be wiped out together with this entire state'. 'It's plain, it's straightforward. I'm mystified as to why so many other people out there aren't really getting the reality of what is transpiring and why it is necessary for Israel to do what she's doing. This is not a war of choice that Israel is engaged in. It's a war of necessity.' But is it hard to process the bloodshed, especially as a man of faith who has made it his mission in office to bring religious communities together? 'The reality of innocent human suffering is something which I'm finding very difficult, because any person who has a heart within themselves must reach out with a lot of pain in our hearts to the suffering of innocent people at this time, and that is why we in our Jewish community in the UK have mentioned the plight of innocent Palestinians continuously. We, the Jewish people, place peace at the centre of our lives. The word 'shalom', peace, is the most important word in all of our prayers, in all of our ceremonies is what we pray for, what we yearn for, what we work towards.' Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1956, the son of rabbi Lionel Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi grew up in Benoni, a Hebrew named town on the East Rand in Gauteng. His father preached against the apartheid system, and visited political prisoners held on Robben Island, while his mother Freida was the principal of the Athlone teacher training college, which was then the country's sole college for training black pre-school teachers. I wonder, in light of his liberally-minded upbringing in South Africa, what he makes of accusations by critics such as Amnesty International that Israel is an 'apartheid' state that is now carrying out a 'genocide' in Gaza. 'Well, it is absolutely ridiculous and so wrong,' insists Mirvis. 'If genocide is going to be used within the current context, it's what Iran is planning. It's what Hamas started to do on Oct 7 2023; that is genuine genocide. 'As far as Israel is concerned, it amounts to a blood libel against the Jewish state. Having grown up in South Africa, I know what apartheid was about. I recall how there were ambulances for white people and ambulances for people of colour, and one ambulance wasn't allowed to pick up somebody else of a different colour, just really cruel.' Conversely, he argues, Israelis have always integrated well with Arabs, pointing out that his late daughter, Liora, who died after being diagnosed with colon cancer, was treated at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem by Professor Ahmed Eid, a Muslim. And what of the criticism that Israel's Right-wing prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to act disproportionately? Describing Israel as a 'vibrant democracy', the Chief Rabbi points out that 'even the official opposition led by (Yair) Lapid, who has been so critical of Israel's government, has publicly announced his full support for Israel's government at this time, and that is because every Israeli knows the reality this is a war for survival.' He adds: 'Proportionality is an important consideration. As opposed to the impression that is often given about Israel being in breach of international humanitarian law, God forbid, and going for innocents, I've heard so much from so many people who have been in Gaza, and are active now in Iran, that in fact, the reality of what's happening is that Israel is fighting a war in a most ethical manner.' Mirvis says he has family members serving in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). 'They are doing what is responsible as a citizen of Israel at a time when the state, its very existence, is being threatened.' Yet while the IDF may have command over the skies of Iran, Israel has been losing the propaganda war, particularly on social media. The problem has been particularly prevalent in the UK, where marches have featured support for Hamas and Hezbollah, protests against airstrikes on the Houthis, and, most recently, flag-waving pledges of solidarity with the Iranian regime. Credit: X/@PSCupdates Agreeing 'Iran is the head of a monstrous being, the tentacles of which are Hamas and Hezbollah and the Houthis and others', the Chief Rabbi warns that while Israel is the current target, Europe will be next. 'There is so much that Israel is doing which is not being fully appreciated,' he says, citing Israel's 1981 attack on the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq, and its 2007 destruction of a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor located in the Deir ez-Zor region as previous examples of its willingness to take one for the team. 'What Israel is doing is not just for Israel's sake, it's for all of our Western civilisation.' As for social media, he describes as 'masterful' Hamas's weaponisation of the 'genocide' smear. 'Israel has never been good at what Israelis call Hasbara, which is explaining herself. I think that many in Israel acknowledge that this has developed into a weakness, and more should have been invested in this, because it's not only important to do what you believe is right, but perception is also important.' Artificial Intelligence is also fuelling online anti-Semitism, he argues. 'Social media provides a platform for anti-Semites to say what they like and for people to read it. And people are far more ready to express their negativity on social media than they are their positivity, and therefore the most horrific statements are being issued, outlandish and totally false, and nobody is there to check up on it or to correct it.' And what of so-called 'useful idiots' in the public eye like Gary Lineker, who was finally forced to resign from the BBC last month after sharing an anti-Semitic Instagram post, and Dawn French, who apologised after posting a video on X appearing to mock the victims of the October 7 attacks? While reluctant to directly criticise either celebrity, he says: 'In our Jewish tradition, we tell a story of a man who came to a rabbi and he said, 'I feel so bad. I've been guilty of libel. I've been spreading falsehoods about people, please can you advise me, how can I repent?' And the rabbi said, 'OK, there is only one way for you to repent, and that is, go and take a box, put hundreds of feathers in it, stand on the top of a hill on a windy day and allow all the feathers to leave the box. After one hour, go and collect all the feathers, put them back into the box.' And the man said, 'but that's impossible.' And the rabbi said, 'that's my answer to you'. 'That's the impact of social media. Even when there is a correction or an apology, it hardly goes any way towards removing that initial impression from people's minds. Responsibility is called for. People, think before you press the 'click' button, because once out, you can't put it back in.' While characteristically positive about the fate of Israelis, who he says are 'filled with fortitude, exceptionally positive and also united,' the Chief Rabbi remains concerned about British Jews. Last month, a survey found that 81 per cent felt the need to conceal their Judaism in public, following a surge in anti-Semitic incidents since October 2023. Although there has not been a mass exodus to Israel since the October 7 attacks, several surveys have reflected an increase in the number of British Jews considering settling in Israel – known as 'making Aliyah' – despite the ongoing threat from Iran and its proxies. 'British Jews have found life since October 7 exceptionally difficult and sometimes even traumatic. The reality right now, is that if one issues a statement which is anti-Zionist, it's an attack on Jewish people and Judaism. It amounts to anti-Semitism. And when there is an unjustified attack, verbal attack, or whatever it is, on Israel at this time, then it very quickly can become effectively an attack on Jews, and Israel's vulnerability is the vulnerability of Jews globally. 'When governments adopt policies which are unjustifiably anti-Israel, then that contributes to a tone within our societies which strengthens the hands of anti-Semites and does not play out to the benefit of the Jewish communities in those countries.' The Jerusalem Post recently accused Sir Keir Starmer of hypocrisy after imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. But the Chief Rabbi is far too diplomatic to be drawn into a row with the Prime Minister, whose wife Victoria is Jewish. Following the attack on Iran, the Community Security Trust, which provides security to the Jewish community, bolstered measures at UK synagogues. 'We know there are Iranian agents in the UK right now,' says Mirvis. 'We know that an attack on a Jewish community in the North of England was foiled last year. We know that there was a planned attack on the Israeli Embassy in London just a month ago. We are concerned about the future for our children and our grandchildren. But this is a global phenomenon, the intensification of Jew hatred. The threat is real but is not just to Jews, it's to our entire society.' Keen to end on a hopeful note, the Chief Rabbi insists I point out that the altruism currently on display in Israel, as people share their safe rooms with their neighbours, extends to the people of Iran and Gaza too. 'I have spoken to numerous former hostages and the families of current hostages and they all say the same thing, 'we only want the best for our Arab neighbours'. That is what people here hold in their hearts. 'May God bless us all that further to these very significant days of biblical proportions may we achieve and enjoy the peace that we pray for and long for all the time. It's not going to happen today or tomorrow, but I genuinely believe that a consequence of the current conflict will be a better world.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

an hour ago

A woman tried to call her mom in Iran. A robotic voice answered the phone

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- When Ellie, a British-Iranian living in the United Kingdom, tried to call her mother in Tehran, a robotic female voice answered instead. 'Alo? Alo?' the voice said, then asked in English: 'Who is calling?' A few seconds passed. 'I can't heard you,' the voice continued, its English imperfect. 'Who you want to speak with? I'm Alyssia. Do you remember me? I think I don't know who are you.' Ellie, 44, is one of nine Iranians living abroad — including in the U.K and U.S. — who said they have gotten strange, robotic voices when they attempted to call their loved ones in Iran since Israel launched airstrikes on the country a week ago. They told their stories to The Associated Press on the condition they remain anonymous or that only their first names or initials be used out of fear of endangering their families. Five experts with whom the AP shared recordings said it could be low-tech artificial intelligence, a chatbot or a pre-recorded message to which calls from abroad were diverted. It remains unclear who is behind the operation, though four of the experts believed it was likely to be the Iranian government while the fifth saw Israel as more likely. The messages are deeply eerie and disconcerting for Iranians in the diaspora struggling to contact their families as Israel's offensive targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites pounds Tehran and other cities. Iran has retaliated with hundreds of missiles and drones, and the government has imposed a widespread internet blackout it says is to protect the country. That has blocked average Iranians from getting information from the outside world, and their relatives from being able to reach them. 'I don't know why they're doing this,' said Ellie, whose mother is diabetic, low on insulin and trapped on the outskirts of Tehran. She wants her mother to evacuate the city but cannot communicate that to her. A request for comment sent to the Iranian mission to the U.N. was not immediately answered. Most of the voices speak in English, though at least one spoke Farsi. If the caller tries to talk to it, the voice just continues with its message. A 30-year-old women living in New York, who heard the same message Ellie did, called it 'psychological warfare.' 'Calling your mom and expecting to hear her voice and hearing an AI voice is one of the most scary things I've ever experienced,' she said. 'I can feel it in my body.' And the messages can be bizarre. One woman living in the U.K. desperately called her mom and instead got a voice offering platitudes. 'Thank you for taking the time to listen,' it said, in a recording that she shared with the AP. 'Today, I'd like to share some thoughts with you and share a few things that might resonate in our daily lives. Life is full of unexpected surprises, and these surprises can sometimes bring joy while at other times they challenge us.' Not all Iranians abroad encounter the robotic voice. Some said when they try to call family, the phone just rings and rings. Colin Crowell, a former vice president for Twitter's global policy, said it appeared that Iranian phone companies were diverting the calls to a default message system that does not allow calls to be completed. Amir Rashidi, an Iranian cybersecurity expert based in the U.S., agreed and said the recordings appeared to be a government measure to thwart hackers, though there was no hard evidence. He said that in the first two days of Israel's campaign, mass voice and text messages were sent to Iranian phones urging the public to gear up for 'emergency conditions.' They aimed to spread panic — similar to mass calls that government opponents made into Iran during the war with Iraq in the 1980s. The voice messages trying to calm people 'fit the pattern of the Iranian government and how in the past it handled emergency situations,' said Rashidi, the director of Texas-based Miaan, a group that reports on digital rights in the Middle East. Mobile phones and landlines ultimately are overseen by Iran's Ministry of Information and Communications Technology. But the country's intelligence services have long been believed to be monitoring conversations. 'It would be hard for anybody else to hack. Of course, it is possible it is Israeli. But I don't think they have an incentive to do this,' said Mehdi Yahyanejad, a tech entrepreneur and internet freedom activist. Marwa Fatafta, Berlin-based policy and advocacy director for digital rights group Access Now, suggested it could be 'a form of psychological warfare by the Israelis.' She said it fits a past pattern by Israel of using extensive direct messaging to Lebanese and Palestinians during campaigns in Gaza and against Hezbollah. The messages, she said, appear aimed at 'tormenting' already anxious Iranians abroad. When contacted with requests for comment, the Israeli military declined and the prime minister's office did not respond. Ellie is one of a lucky few who found a way to reach relatives since the blackout. She knows someone who lives on the Iran-Turkey border and has two phones — one with a Turkish SIM card and one with an Iranian SIM. He calls Ellie's mother with the Iranian phone — since people inside the country are still able to call one another — and presses it to the Turkish phone, where Ellie's on the line. The two are able to speak. 'The last time we spoke to her, we told her about the AI voice that is answering all her calls,' said Ellie. 'She was shocked. She said her phone hasn't rung at all.' Elon Musk said he has activated his satellite internet provider Starlink in Iran, where a small number of people are believed to have the system, even though it is illegal. Authorities are urging the public to turn in neighbors with the devices as part of an ongoing spy hunt. Others have illegal satellite dishes, granting them access to international news. M., a woman in the U.K., has been trying to reach her mother-in-law, who is immobile and lives in Tehran's northeast, which has been pummeled by Israeli bombardment throughout the week. When she last spoke to her family in Iran, they were mulling whether she should evacuate from the city. Then the blackout was imposed, and they lost contact. Since then she has heard through a relative that the woman was in the ICU with respiratory problems. When she calls, she gets the same bizarre message as the woman in the U.K., a lengthy mantra. 'Close your eyes and picture yourself in a place that brings you peace and happiness,' it says. 'Maybe you are walking through a serene forest, listening to the rustle of leaves and birds chirping. Or you're by the seashore, hearing the calming sound of waves crashing on the sand.' The only feeling the message does instill in her, she said, is 'helplessness.'