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Is Donald Trump gambling his popularity and presidency with strikes on Iran?
The US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran overnight, which might be a surprise if you heard his campaign rhetoric against foreign intervention.
Boasting to be 'the only president in generations who didn't start a war' on the campaign trail, he said his presidency would 'turn the page forever on those foolish, stupid days of never-ending wars'.
So what led to him sending B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop 'bunker buster' bombs on Iran last night, as as well as firing Tomahawk cruise missiles from US Navy submarines?
Angelia Wilson, Professor of Politics at the University of Manchester, told Metro that his motivations are most likely to be political rather than borne from ideological conviction.
'Two weeks ago he had a big military parade that no one showed up to, and he had millions of Americans protesting against him over 2,000 cities. You've got to get those headlines shifted somehow,' she said.
Her work looks particularly at the Christian Right in the US, and she said that key figures have been calling for the US to support Israel in their war against Iran.
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'I monitor the emails from political organisations to their constituents, and they've spent the last two weeks softening the ground for this,' she said.
Many had been sharing Bible verses such as Numbers 23:24, which describes Israel rising 'like a lion' to destroy and devour its enemies until all the blood of its prey is drained.
Military action supporting Israel is therefore likely to play well with this key section of his base, which also includes those with the biggest pockets to fund Republican politicians.
'MAGA' supporters, who tend to be more secular, working class, anti-establishment and supportive of the 'America First' slogan against involvement overseas, are unlikely to be cheerleaders for the bombing campaign.
The in-fighting between these two factions of Republican supporters could be seen most clearly when Senator Ted Cruz debated Tucker Carlson over Iran.
The former Fox News heavyweight savaged the politician, claiming he knew little about the country he intended to bomb, and could not say its population of ethnic mix.
But Professor Wilson, who wrote The Politics of Hate: How the Christian Right Darkened America's Political Soul , said that although Maga supporters may not like the idea, they are unlikely to turn against Trump over it, so long as strikes remain limited, and troops are not sent to fight.
Trump has 'weighed up which of the constituents he needs to keep happy at this stage, and it's very much the Christian right,' she claimed.
Asked whether he was gambling his presidency over the issue, she said she doubted he was too concerned with his personal political legacy as he doesn't have to be elected again (constitutionally, he can only serve two terms).
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She claimed he was more likely to be concerned with keeping rich backers happy to secure income for the future – and the Christian Right have deeper pockets.
'I think he's taken a calculated decision that he's not going to get that much push back for it,' she said. 'Whatever he does in the next three years, it's going to be to suit him and his needs.
'I suspect he's thinking that by standing by Netanyahu on this particular account, that he will benefit from it financially in the long-term, post-presidency.'
She said that what he is really gambling with is 'the reputation of the Republican Party'.
So even though few are falling out of line just yet, he might face more pushback when it comes to the next election campaign.
'Americans get two weeks holiday a year in the summer, she said. 'And if gas prices are through the roof, I don't care who's president: they get very angry at the president.
'So having a war in the Middle East is not going to be good for the popularity of the president or the Republicans.'
Trump himself has claimed that war in Iran does not contradict his 'America First' strategy.
He told the Atlantic: 'Considering that the term wasn't used until I came along, I think I'm the one that decides that.
'For those people who say they want peace — you can't have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon. So for all of those wonderful people who don't want to do anything about Iran having a nuclear weapon — that's not peace.' More Trending
Professor Wilson pointed out that the slogan was not developed by Trump, having emerged during World War One when it was used by isolationists and later the KKK, and again being used to oppose the US joining World War Two.
The decision to bomb Iran without approval from Congress was also not popular with Democrats, unsurprisingly.
US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for him to be impeached over it, saying the strikes could be unconstitutional if they amount to a declaration of war.
Professor Wilson said this was unlikely to phase him, however, as 'while both houses of Congress are in the hands of the Republicans, then he's not going to get prosecuted for anything.'
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