Why Israel Needed to Act Now

By Phlip Klein

Thursday, June 12, 2025

 

Over the past several decades, we’ve read so many stories about the possibility of an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear program that it’s almost hard to believe that it is actually happening. There are lots of reports flying around right now (including reports that Israel may have taken out top Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists), so it’s best to wait until a more official damage assessment to say more about the details. But what we can tell at this point is that this is the big one — an extensive attack on Iran’s nuclear program that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would continue for “as many days as it takes.” The question is, what made things different now from all the other times we read about potential Israeli strikes? I think there were several factors.

 

One, Iran is more vulnerable than ever, and so this was a unique window to act. Last October, Israel did significant damage to Iran’s air defense systems without losing a single pilot. This not only demonstrated Israel’s ability to attack Iran and get back, but also made them an easier target going forward. Additionally, on two separate occasions, Iran launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel and could not penetrate the joint air defenses of Israel and the U.S. Perhaps most significantly, Israel neutralized Hamas and Hezbollah — Iran’s terrorist proxies who were supposed to be in a position to launch tens of thousands of missiles at Israel from the north and south while Iran attacked. The terror groups are no longer capable of such an assault.

 

Two, President Trump was in the White House. The United States has said it did not participate in tonight’s strikes, and, at least officially, Trump’s position was to keep going ahead with nuclear talks. But it’s very difficult to believe that this attack would have happened if Trump pulled out all the stops to prevent Israel from taking action, as no doubt Kamala Harris would have.

 

Three, and likely the most significant, time was running out. Even the IAEA, hardly a Zionist outlet, had assessed that Iran had ratcheted up enrichment — and its report found that Iran had already enriched 400kg of uranium well above civilian levels and, with further refinement, could have enough for ten nuclear bombs. Iran rejected Trump’s nuclear deal offer, and vowed never to give up enriching uranium. Academics might debate how serious Iranian leaders have been in their decades of promises to wipe Israel off of the map, but Israel cannot take a gamble. As Netanyahu put it, “If we don’t act now, we simply won’t be here anymore. ‘Never again’ is now. We have learned the lessons of history: when a foe says he intends to destroy you — believe him.”

 

The radical Islamic regime has long been the leading state sponsor of terror, has called for “Death to America” and acted out its fantasy time and again by killing Americans, and has destabilized the region for decades with its malign and meddling behavior. If Israelis succeed, they will have not only protected their people, but done a great service to America — and to Western civilization.