Rep. Massie and Others Claim Israel Forced Our Hand. Here’s Why That Isn’t True.

Claims are circulating that the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury solely at the behest of the Israeli government, reviving the familiar and pernicious accusation that Israel controls American foreign policy and lending credence to anti-Semitic groups that have, since 2023, advanced that narrative. 

The administration, however, has been explicit about its rationale for striking Iran. Far from reflecting foreign control, the operation should be understood as the United States seizing a strategic opening to carry out an action it viewed as long overdue.

President Trump addressed the idea on Tuesday, saying at a press conference that the way he see’s it, he forced Israel’s hand, not the other way around.

I might have forced their hand. You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first, they were going to attack. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. And we have great negotiators, great people, people that do this very successfully and have done it all their lives very successfully. Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they were going to attack first. And I didn’t want that to happen. So, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand. But Israel was ready and we were ready and we’ve had a very, very powerful impact because virtually everything they have has been knocked out now.

A reporter also addressed those allegations directly on Monday, asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio whether the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury was driven primarily by Israel. Here’s what he had to say:

Number one is, no matter what, ultimately this operation needed to happen. That is the question of why now. But this operation needed to happen because Iran in about a year or a year and a half would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short-range missiles, so many drones, that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage. 

Obviously, we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, and we had to be prepared to act as a result of it. But this had to happen no matter what. But why does it have to happen? But Secretary, President Trump said overnight that his top choices to now run Iran were killed in the strikes. Does the United States have a firm plan for how they intend to handle this power vacuum in Iran to ensure that Iran does not take back? So two things can be true.

In other words, the decision to strike was framed as a matter of U.S. national security. Administration officials have argued that failing to act would have invited further escalation, warning that Iran was preparing potential attacks on American bases in the region that could have cost U.S. lives. They also pointed to stalled negotiations, accusing Tehran of acting in bad faith while publicly touting its uranium stockpiles and nuclear capabilities. 

From this perspective, the operation was not undertaken at Israel’s direction, but in coordination with an ally to advance American interests. The strike was both a response to a regime unwilling to negotiate seriously and a demonstration that the United States is prepared to defend its security and deter future aggression.

Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all. 

Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.

Claims are circulating that the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury solely at the behest of the Israeli government, reviving the familiar and pernicious accusation that Israel controls American foreign policy and lending credence to anti-Semitic groups that have, since 2023, advanced that narrative. 

The administration, however, has been explicit about its rationale for striking Iran. Far from reflecting foreign control, the operation should be understood as the United States seizing a strategic opening to carry out an action it viewed as long overdue.

President Trump addressed the idea on Tuesday, saying at a press conference that the way he see’s it, he forced Israel’s hand, not the other way around.

I might have forced their hand. You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first, they were going to attack. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. And we have great negotiators, great people, people that do this very successfully and have done it all their lives very successfully. Based on the way the negotiation was going, I think they were going to attack first. And I didn’t want that to happen. So, if anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand. But Israel was ready and we were ready and we’ve had a very, very powerful impact because virtually everything they have has been knocked out now.

A reporter also addressed those allegations directly on Monday, asking Secretary of State Marco Rubio whether the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury was driven primarily by Israel. Here’s what he had to say:

Number one is, no matter what, ultimately this operation needed to happen. That is the question of why now. But this operation needed to happen because Iran in about a year or a year and a half would cross the line of immunity, meaning they would have so many short-range missiles, so many drones, that no one could do anything about it because they could hold the whole world hostage. 

Obviously, we were aware of Israeli intentions and understood what that would mean for us, and we had to be prepared to act as a result of it. But this had to happen no matter what. But why does it have to happen? But Secretary, President Trump said overnight that his top choices to now run Iran were killed in the strikes. Does the United States have a firm plan for how they intend to handle this power vacuum in Iran to ensure that Iran does not take back? So two things can be true.

In other words, the decision to strike was framed as a matter of U.S. national security. Administration officials have argued that failing to act would have invited further escalation, warning that Iran was preparing potential attacks on American bases in the region that could have cost U.S. lives. They also pointed to stalled negotiations, accusing Tehran of acting in bad faith while publicly touting its uranium stockpiles and nuclear capabilities. 

From this perspective, the operation was not undertaken at Israel’s direction, but in coordination with an ally to advance American interests. The strike was both a response to a regime unwilling to negotiate seriously and a demonstration that the United States is prepared to defend its security and deter future aggression.

Editor’s Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all. 

Help us report the truth about the Trump administration’s decisive actions to keep Americans safe and bring peace to the world. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership.