Israel Is Not Afraid of Victory

Defanging the Iranian regime, if successful, will contribute to a more stable and peaceful status quo in the region.

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Left: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 13, 2024. Right: First-responders gather outside a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025.

Nir Elias/Getty Images, Meghdad Madadi/Tasnim News/AFP via Getty Images

It hasn’t even been two weeks since the Ukrainians pulled off a defensive operation of such magisterial competence that it could only be compared with the feats achieved by Israel’s special forces. Well, today, it looks like the Israelis have done something so adroit that the closest precedent is the one set by the Ukrainians.

Israel’s initial strikes on Iranian military and nuclear targets have made the weaponized pager operation against Hezbollah terrorists look like child’s play. Acting in simultaneous concert with the hundreds of Israeli aircraft that executed dozens of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Israeli intelligence and special forces on the ground inside Iran disabled the country’s air defense systems. The operation reportedly relied on the use of drones and missiles launched from inside Iran. One Israeli source told N12 that they had “establish a covert drone base ‘in the heart of Iran,’ to neutralize Iranian air defenses and create other critical effects to kick off the long-awaited campaign.”

Noah Rothman

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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