JERUSALEM, Israel – Two weeks ago, Israelis awoke to Operation Rising Lion, with Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites. For twelve days, Israel’s military targeted Iranian nuclear sites, military leaders, and nuclear scientists, while citizens of Israel were prepared at a moment’s notice to take refuge in bomb shelters.
The U.S. entered the fray near the end with Operation Midnight Hammer, bringing the war to an end.
Now, the success of the operations is being debated, and Israel and the U.S. claim they have a plan to bring Middle East peace.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he and President Donald Trump agreed on a plan to bring vast and peacful changes, made possible by the humbling of Iran in the military attacks.
“This victory opens up an opportunity for a dramatic expansion of the peace agreements,” Netanyahu declared. “We are working on this vigorously. Along with the release of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas, there is a window of opportunity here that must not be missed. Not even a single day must be wasted.”
The U.S. and Israeli leaders’ vision foresees a halt to the Gaza War with Hamas two weeks from now, with Israel ending its military campaign there and Hamas releasing the remaining 50 hostages, both alive and dead.
Hamas leaders would then go into exile, and four Arab nations would rule Gaza together.
Major roadblocks could derail the plan. Hamas leaders refuse to be exiled, and Arab nations insist the Palestinian Authority has a role in governing a post-Hamas Gaza – a condition Israel refuses to accept.
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Still, on another front, both Washington and Jerusalem are signaling that many more Arab states are ready to sign on to the Abraham Accords.
That could mean peace between the Jewish nations and millions of Middle East Muslims.
Top Trump administration officials on Thursday gave a classified briefing to U.S. senators on the extent of the damage done to Tehran’s nuclear program.
Democrat and Republican senators emerged with opposite impressions.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) opined, “It still appears that we have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) claimed, “They blew these places up in a major league way. Major league setback. Years, not months.”
“We have struck a major blow alongside our friends in Israel against Iran’s nuclear program,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas). He added, “That is going to make America safer, our friends and the region safer, and protect the world from the risk of an Iranian nuclear weapon for years.”
International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Grossi contends that U.S. bombers hit the uranium-enriching centrifuges deep underground at Fordow with such force, they are no longer operational.
His overall assessment of the regime’s nuclear program: “Annihilation, total destruction, etc., I don’t know. What can I tell you? And I think everyone agrees on this, there is very, very, very considerable damage.”
Yet, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disagrees. After hiding underground for a week, he is downplaying the U.S. strikes, asserting, “They failed to do anything significant.”
The Ayatollah is also claiming a huge victory over Israel in the 12-day war.
“The Zionist regime almost collapsed and was crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he boasted.
During the war, Iran launched about 550 missiles and more than 1,000 UAVs at Israel. The attacks killed 28 Israelis and injured more than 1,470, most not seriously.
Iran forced 15,000 people from their homes. However, Israel was far from collapse, as life returned to near normal for most people earlier this week.
In Washington, the State Department has given $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the U.S. and Israeli-backed group that has provided more than 46 million meals to Gazans in just the past month.
The U.S. is asking other countries to donate.
Those millions of meals have been distributed with little of the hijacking by Hamas that has plagued other humanitarian groups.
State Department Spokesman Tommy Pigott insisted, “A track record of distributing over 46 million meals distributed to date, all while preventing Hamas looting, is absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported.”
