As conflict heats up with Iran, I'm grateful for Israel's decisive courage

Miami Herald

5 hours ago

The current situation involving Israel and Iran is extremely fluid and volatile, and facts on the ground may have changed by the time you read this.
The latest news Wednesday had President Donald Trump saying he has given Iran an 'ultimatum' and has asked for the evacuation of all Americans from Israel. And Gov. Ron DeSantis chartered four jets to bring almost 1,500 Jewish Americans home through Tampa.
But an essential truth remains, a lesson the Jewish people have learned from 3,000 years of experience: When someone points a loaded gun at your head and threatens to use it, believe them.
Israel has been acting decisively against such an enemy in recent days. The country's Operation Rising Lion seeks to prevent a nuclear Iran — an existential threat not just to Israel, but to the rest of the Middle East and beyond.
Iran has been the leading exporter of terror worldwide since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, beginning with the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the holding of dozens of American hostages for 444 days.
Iran has continued to sponsor global terrorism ever since. Iran was behind the 1983 bombing of our U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 service members. Iran masterminded the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
The Hamas-led massacre of 1,200 civilians in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, was funded by Tehran. It followed decades of terror fomented and financed by the regime, which has also sponsored terrorism against Israeli civilians by Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
It's a regime that lies, obfuscates and hides. Even while negotiating with the U. S., Iran willfully continued to accelerate plans for nuclear weapons. For reasons both historic and contemporary, Iran and its oppressive and dangerous regime should never get their hands on a nuclear trigger.
As it did in Iraq in 1981 and in Syria in 2007, Israel — America's closest ally in the Middle East — has once again put its soldiers and citizens in harm's way to prevent a rogue regime from attaining nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.
As an American, I am grateful for the bold and brave action by Israel and commend it for its foresight and initiative.
In retaliation for Israel's targeted strikes on Iranian military installations and commanders, Iran has indiscriminately fired hundreds of missiles into Israel's population centers. Consider the contrast: Israel attacks military targets, while Iran destroyed the Weizmann Institute of Science — an internationally renowned research facility that has been working for decades to cure cancer.
Israeli citizens should no longer live in fear, fleeing for safety in bomb shelters with minutes' notice. Imagine young children, huddled for hours and terrorized as missiles soar overhead and sirens blare throughout the land. No country, no government, no people would allow it.
Israel's actions against a common enemy are overwhelmingly in the best interest of the United States and the Iranian people, who continue to suffer under this oppressive regime.
To usher in a secure, peaceful and prosperous future for all, Iran must be stopped. We yearn for the day when we no longer need to raise emergency funds for the people of Israel — for trauma care, for victims of terror and to rebuild attacked communities. That day will not come until the repressive Iranian regime ends its quest to destroy the world's one Jewish state.
As a newcomer to Miami, I am amazed by the immense support of Israel not only by the Jewish community but also by people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Miami, more than any other city in America, understands from experience the dangers of tyrannical leadership and the cost of freedom.
It is time for all people of goodwill to rally behind Israel's decisive moment of courage.
Am Israel Chai — the nation of Israel lives.
Scott Kaufman is the president and CEO of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.