After decades of Iranian-backed terrorism targeting the Jewish state, Israel is fighting back with overwhelming force — and the results are nothing short of historic.

In an unprecedented five-wave assault on Friday, Israeli jets tore through Iranian air defenses, military compounds, and nuclear infrastructure, signaling not only a devastating blow to the regime in Tehran but the dawn of a new phase of warfare in the Middle East — one in which Israel is no longer playing defense.

“Not since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s has Iran seen such a devastating series of strikes in a single day,” CNN was forced to admit, breaking from its usual narrative to acknowledge the scale of the destruction.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shared dramatic footage on X of what they described as "a major strike against Iran’s air defense system in western Iran." And that was just the beginning.

According to multiple Western reports, the initial wave of attacks decapitated Iran’s top military brass, including:

• Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Iranian armed forces and second only to Ayatollah Khamenei himself.
• Gholamali Rashid, Deputy Commander in Chief of the military.
• Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of Iran’s Air Force.
• Major General Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s most feared military entity.
• And two leading nuclear scientists reportedly linked to Iran’s clandestine weapons program.

The Natanz nuclear facility, central to Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, was also hit hard, Fox News reported, setting back Iran’s nuclear timeline and sending a clear message: Israel is done waiting.

“This operation will continue for as long as necessary to eliminate this danger,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post. “We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear weaponization program.”

For Netanyahu — and the Israeli people — the mission is about survival. “Operation Rising Lion” isn’t just military strategy; it’s existential defense.

“For decades, the leaders of Tehran have openly called for Israel’s destruction,” Netanyahu warned. “They have backed up their genocidal rhetoric with a nuclear weapons program. … If not stopped, Iran could develop a nuclear weapon in a very short time — it could be a year, or even just months. This is a clear and present danger to Israel’s survival.”

The boldness of the strikes was matched by strong words from President Donald J. Trump, who once again displayed firm leadership from the Oval Office.

Posting on Truth Social, President Trump wrote:

I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.

This is what peace through strength looks like — and Israel has made clear it will not back down.

In contrast to the weak foreign policy of past administrations, this operation demonstrates the resolve of the free world in the face of Iran’s theocratic tyranny. The era of appeasement is over. A nuclear-armed Iran is not an option.

As the dust settles over Tehran, one thing is certain: Israel has the will, the weapons, and the leadership to survive — and win.