Can’t stop, won’t stop: Israelis have spent the last week ducking daily ballistic missile barrages as their leaders work to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities—and they’re showing no signs of fatigue.
That’s according to a new Agam Labs-Hebrew University poll obtained by the Free Beacon‘s Andrew Tobin in Tel Aviv. It shows that 83 percent of Israeli Jews—and 70 percent of the overall public—”support the campaign to take out Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.” Only 1 percent of Jews and 16 percent of all Israelis “would have preferred continued nuclear diplomacy with Iran.”
Though the Israeli public is hopeful for U.S. support, Tobin writes, 54 percent of Israeli Jews say “Israel should continue bombing the sites even if the United States and other allies stop helping to intercept retaliatory missile barrages.” In other words, there’s a broad consensus: Keep going.
“I really don’t mind spending another 30 or 60 nights sleeping on the floor in a shelter, if this means we will eliminate the Iranian threat,” 34-year-old marketing analyst Bar Shalev Nathan told Tobin. “I’m not hopeful. I’m confident.”
READ MORE: Under Fire, Israelis Back Total Victory in Iran, With or Without US Support
From Tehran with hate: It’s been more than seven months since the feds charged an Iranian asset in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Donald Trump. Now, the case is moving its way through court.
A pre-trial discovery conference is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, our Jon Levine reports. It was postponed until then because of a lengthy discovery process. Though the discovery materials will not be made public, the Department of Justice is expected to set trial dates during the conference.
“The case centers on Farhad Shakeri, an ‘Iranian asset’ who openly told the feds in a phone call from Tehran that he was seeking ways to off Trump on behalf of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” writes Levine. “Shakeri remains at large in Iran and will not be represented at the pre-trial hearing next week.”
“The proceedings come as Trump weighs U.S. involvement in the Israeli operation to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, a prospect that has sparked debate among some of the president’s high-profile supporters. Tucker Carlson, for instance, said during an interview with Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) on Wednesday that he is unaware of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump but believes that the United States should take military action against the Islamic Republic if it has indeed attempted to do so.”
READ MORE: Alleged Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump Heads Through Federal Court
Working a double shift: Regime mouthpieces working for Iran’s state-controlled broadcaster saw their work disrupted when Israeli warplanes struck their headquarters. CNN soon stepped in to tell their story.
Network correspondent Frederik Pleitgen toured the damaged building in a segment that aired Thursday afternoon. He pointed out “completely destroyed” broadcast technology as the camera panned to phones and computers that looked decades old. He also held up a melted spoon and food remains left behind on a desk.
“There’s actually someone’s lunch at their desk standing here, which they probably would have been wanting to eat until they had to evacuate the building,” Pleitgen said, offering the sort of expert analysis that viewers just can’t get from “new media.”
“All of this is playing very big here in Iran,” Pleitgen continued. “And certainly the Iranians are saying that they condemn this and that there is going to be revenge.”
READ MORE: CNN Steps In for Demolished Iranian State Media, Carries Story of Popular Anger and Threat of Revenge
In other news:
- MSNBC analyst and former Obama official Richard Stengel doesn’t understand why the United States is aligned with Israel rather than Iran, which he called “the most Western nation” in the Middle East. Though Iranians chant “death to America,” Stengel said, they also “love American movies.” That settles it.
- Freed American hostage Edan Alexander returned home to a hero’s welcome in New Jersey, with local residents lining the street to cheer and wave Israeli flags.
- Matt Gaetz took to X on Thursday afternoon to ask what he apparently found to be an astute question: “If Israel is a Democracy when do all the Arabs who live there get to vote?” Right now, Matt.
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