Operation Rising Lion

Ayatollah Khomeini led an uprising that toppled the Shah of Iran in 1979, emboldening militant students to seize the U.S. embassy in Tehran. America stood paralyzed and humiliated as 52 hostages were held for 444 days.

Rather than uniting Iranians around a hopeful vision, the new Islamic regime declared the destruction of Israel and America as its central purpose. It ruled through fear, torture, and repression, diverting its oil riches from its people to Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, and the Huthis to wage proxy wars against Israel and undermine America. Meanwhile, it pursued a nuclear weapon, boasting that “Israel is a one-bomb country.”

Since its WWII victory, America has lost four wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, leaving it with no appetite for war with Iran. But Israel, cornered, had no choice but to act and prevail.

Across 3,500 years, Jews have faced extinction many times. Today, confronting yet another existential threat, they stand fortified with a sovereign state ranked second globally in technological innovation and among the top ten in military might.

Recent examples of Israel’s David-versus-Goliath resolve include September 2024’s Operation Grim Beeper, which eliminated Hezbollah leaders by detonating 3,000 pagers in Lebanon, and the current Operation Rising Lion against Iran. As an Iranian-born Jew who has long anticipated this war, I offer two insights:

— By naming its campaign Operation Rising Lion, Israel extends hope to Iran’s oppressed citizenry while dismantling the regime’s nuclear infrastructure and eliminating its top brass. Once on Iran’s flag, the lion and rising sun signal a post-regime vision, perhaps inviting Reza Pahlavi to explore the restoration of a democratic monarchy.

— The regime’s collapse is only a matter of time. Families of Iran’s leadership are fleeing by any means available. Khamenei remains alive for one reason: someone with authority must sign the surrender.

This time, history is not repeating. It is being rewritten.

— Sina.