Trump Calls for “Unconditional Surrender” From Iran

Trump to Iran: “Unconditional surrender!” Ed Morrissey: So much for signals. Rather than use diplomatic niceties, Donald Trump opted for the blunt approach today. Just a few hours after warning Iran that time was running out to give up its nuclear weapons program and sites, Trump demanded a complete capitulation: Worth noting: It’s unusual to demand an unconditional surrender from a country on which one has not declared war. Also worth noting: The Iranians have claimed to be at war with the US for forty-six years, and acted in that fashion a number of times in that period. So let’s not be too cute about the particulars here. Two minutes earlier, Trump unveiled a threat against ‘Supreme Leader’ Ali Khamenei, warning him that his secret bunker was not so secret after all: We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter! (Hot Air).

US Strengthening Military Posture in the Region

Wall Street Journal: The president left a G-7 summit in Canada early, saying he wasn’t doing so to work on a cease-fire in the dayslong conflict between Israel and Iran but for something “much bigger than that.” Asked to clarify, Trump said he wanted “an end, a real end, not a cease-fire.” The White House has said the U.S. isn’t joining Israel’s attacks on Iran, amid speculation fueled by recent military buildup in the region. A third U.S. Navy destroyer entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea to help defend Israel, and a second U.S. carrier strike group is heading toward the Arabian Sea. While the Pentagon says the military buildup is purely defensive, it puts the U.S. on a firmer footing to join Israeli attacks on Iran should Trump decide to do that. Alternatively, it could be a tactic to pressure Iran to capitulate or make concessions. Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire, and the death toll in Iran rose to above 450, according to a human-rights group. In Israel, 24 people have died as a result of Iranian strikes (Wall Street Journal). U.S. Naval Institute: The U.S. Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier is transiting the Strait of Malacca, as Iran and Israel continue to exchange missile fire. USS Nimitz (CVN-68) sailed west through the Singapore Strait Monday, bound for the Indian Ocean, according to ship spotters. The carrier is sailing to the Middle East, a defense official told USNI News (U.S. Naval Institute).

“Masterful Ambiguity”

That’s Hugh Hewitt’s description of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Iran war to date. Hugh:  His “masterful ambiguity” in the third round of the Iran-Israel War is simply brilliant. History will record it as such…. Iran entered Israel’s 10/7 Long War directly on April 13, 2024, and again on October 1 of that year by firing hundreds of missiles and bombs of all types via many attempted delivery mechanisms at the civilian population of Israel… In five months Trump has moved the United States from telling Israel “don’t attack Rafah” in Gaza, to “go ahead, strike Iran. They refuse to negotiate in good faith.” Netanyahu didn’t or need or ask a second time. And, for the first time in the many times Netanyahu has asked for the support of Israel’s military leadership for the strikes, the IDF agreed: Rise up and strike. All this time Trump has maintained a “masterful ambiguity” about his role. It is remarkable and unprecedented…. Trump lives inside the heads of his opponents. The absurdity of the “No Kings” theater is just the latest example of how the left wing of the Democratic Party not only dominates it but also lacks even a basic grasp of where the majority of the country is politically…. Trump has 43 months left as president. I hope they are as successful as his first five months back (Fox News).

Israel’s Tech Sector Resilient in the Face of Ballistic Missile Attacks

Yuliya Chernova:“Missiles are landing in the heart of Israeli high tech,” said Shalev Hulio, chief executive and co-founder of cybersecurity company Dream. One exploded 50 meters (about 55 yards) from Dream’s own office, Hulio said. Five of Dream’s employees lost access to their homes because of blast damage. Hulio, who is a commander of a search-and-rescue unit in the army reserves, was called up for service last week. Every morning the CEO has been catching up with his team, and making a customer call in the evening. The rest of the time, he has been on duty. About 30 of Dream’s 220 employees are now deployed with the military (Wall Street Journal). Jonathon Medved (brother to Michael Medved): We are at war. Founders are responding from bomb-proof safe rooms. Global investment continues. At @OurCrowd, we’re standing firm. Now is the moment to lean in, not step back. The disruptive power of Israeli tech isn’t paused – it’s accelerated (Medved).

David v. Goliath

Dan Senor: Look at this map. Really crystallizes how incredible what Israel is doing. Not just the distance, but the size. As @saulsinger put it to me, “It’s kind of like if Cuba were able to render the US helpless” (Senor). What Israel has done to Iran parallels—somewhat—Isreal’s quick work with Hezbollah. The parallel breaks down when you consider the distance, the military size, and the overall size of the respective adversaries. Distance: Tehran is nearly a thousand miles from Tel Aviv (985 miles; Distance). Hezbollah is in Lebanon which shares a border with Israel. Hezbollah is estimated to have 30,000 active fighters and 20,000 reserves. Lebanon has a population of 5.4 million, covering 4,000 sq. miles. (CIA; CSIS). Iran has a population of 88 million, covering 636,000 square miles. Their military size is estimated conservatively at 125,000 (GlobalEdge; CIA; Sky). By contrast: Israel’s population is 9.4 million, covering 8500 sq. miles. Israel has some 170,000 in their military, supported by 465,000 reservists (CIA; WSJ). Eylon Levy: Since 1967, there has never been a clearer example of David v. Goliath (Levy).

Iran’s Top Leadership Decimated

The Ayatollah is alive (at least at this writing) but the military leadership of the Iranian republic has been pretty well decapitated. The numbers of those eliminated are astounding:  Chief of the General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Head of the Emergency Response Headquarters Lieutenant General Gholam Ali Rashid, Head of the Emergency Response Headquarters Brigadier General Ali Shadmani, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami, Chief of the Intelligence Directorate of Iran’s Armed Forces Gholam al Marhab, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Brigadier General Ali Hajizadeh, Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps UAV Unit Brigadier General Taher Pour, Commander of Air Defense Brigadier General Daoud Shihyan, Commander of the Surface-to-Surface Missile Array Brigadier General Mohammad Bagheri, Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization Brigadier General Mohammad Kazemi, Deputy Head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization Brigadier General Mohammad Hassan Mohaqiq.  Long War Journal: This list of eliminated military leaders is not exhaustive. As the conflict persists, Israel will likely continue targeting senior figures within the Iranian military establishment. In turn, Iran may seek to carry out similar actions against Israeli military leaders (Long War Journal).

Number of Undocumented Migrants Released Into the Country Last Month: Zero

Yes, zero. New York Post: Border Patrol agents didn’t release a single migrant into the US last month — a staggering drop after the Biden administration allowed 64,000 illegal crossers in the country in May 2024, The Post can exclusively reveal. Agents caught 8,725 migrants crossing illegally at the southern border last month. That’s a 93% decrease from May 2024, when 117,905 were nabbed, according to internal data obtained by The Post (New York Post). Trump executive order on day of inauguration: My Administration will marshal all available resources and authorities to stop this unprecedented flood of illegal aliens into the United States (White House).

LA’s Failed Homeless Programs May Be Turned Over to a Receiver

“Breached and broken, your honor. That’s what we’re here to talk about today.” The city’s willful incompetence and flagrantly corrupt management has come in front of a judge who seems to have had enough. Los Angeles Times: Over two weeks ending earlier this month, more than 2,000 objections punctuated a high-stakes hearing in federal court to have a judge decide whether to take the unprecedented step of seizing control of Los Angeles city’s homelessness programs. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered the parties to file written briefs by Tuesday and then will rule on the petition by a group of business owners, property owners and residents asking him to appoint a receiver over the roughly $1 billion the city spends addressing homelessness each year…. Attorneys for the LA Alliance for Human Rights argued the city has breached settlements reached in 2020 and 2022 requiring it to provide nearly 20,000 new “housing solutions” for homeless people and to remove just under 10,000 encampments from the streets.“Breached and broken, your honor. That’s what we’re here to talk about today,” LA Alliance attorney Matthew Umhofer argued. “The system is broken and demands extraordinary judicial action” … The case is now in the hands of a judge who makes no secret of his commitment to curtailing homelessness and has repeatedly shown that he is willing to act under certain threat of being appealed (Los Angeles Times).

Trump and “America First”

Earlier this week Trump defended his right to determine the appropriate outworking of “America First”: “Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that.” (Atlantic). Roger Kimball: Trump’s gospel of “America First” has once again occupied center stage as the punditocracy, like a pack of excited chihuahuas, bark and scamper around Trump’s rhetoric regarding the murderous, Islamist state of Iran…. we see many commentators on the MAGA side of the aisle wringing their hands and moaning about whether Trump has abandoned or adulterated the doctrine of America First by talking tough about Iran and iterating his support for Israel’s battle for its own survival. Has Trump maintained the purity of his own doctrine? Has he made concessions to the globalist neoconservatives? Has he accommodated himself to the very forces that have conspired to destroy him? I say No, he has not. In taking a hard line against the Mullahs and their nuclear ambitions, Trump is also asserting America’s own national security interests. Does America First proceed from a doctrine alone? Or does it proceed from a doctrine and a pragmatic, commonsensical recognition that our national interest sometimes requires international action? I think it’s the latter (Spectator).

The Name of Israel’s Military Operation: “Rising Lion”

Saul Sadka—a Jewish scholar—explains: Nobody has noticed Netanyahu’s deeply symbolic choice of the name “Rising Lion” for the operation he’s dreamed of for 30 years. Iran, like Israel, has been a symbolized by a lion for 2,500 years. And now history comes full circle: it was Persia that, after 50 years of Israelite exile, enabled the restoration of Israel in Jerusalem. Now, 2,500 years later, Israel—reborn—repays the favor with perfect symmetry. Persia’s great civilization will be restored, and its occupiers vanquished, after 50 years. Isn’t that beautiful? (Sadka). Mark Dubowitz: Israel’s campaign is called Operation Rising Lion—a nod to the lion on Iran’s pre-1979 flag, before the mullahs hijacked the country. The message is clear: this isn’t just about stopping nukes. It’s about helping Iranians reclaim their flag — and their country (Dubowitz). The lion in Persian culture: From the rule of Nebuchadnezzar II in Babylon to the peak of the Persian Empire, this lion was far more than a majestic creature; it represented the very essence of civilization (Craftestan). The Lion in the Torah: Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? (Genesis 49:9; Bible Study Tools). Christians will recognize the lion imagery carried through to the end of the book—with Christ identified as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah: And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev. 5:5; Bible Study Tools).