Hi,
In the last 72 hours, Israel has entered a new and dangerous phase of its ongoing struggle for survival. After months of escalating threats, covert nuclear enrichment, and proxy aggression, the Israeli government launched a decisive preemptive strike on Iranian targets. That move—targeted, necessary, and grounded in intelligence—was not the beginning of conflict. It was a direct response to one.
Since then, Iran has retaliated. Hundreds of missiles have been fired at Israel. Several have been intercepted. Others have landed. And once again, the world is watching a tiny democratic nation defend itself against a regime that openly declares its desire to erase it from existence.
I had the opportunity to speak directly with Representative Mike Lawler (R-NY) as these events unfolded. His message was as clear as it was urgent: “You have to support Israel’s right to defend itself… And you have to recognize the threat that Iran and Hezbollah and Hamas and the Houthis and other Iranian proxies, pose to not just Israel, but to the United States and to the region more broadly.”
That warning should not be taken lightly.
For too long, Western leaders—particularly in Europe and the United States—have treated Iran as if it were a rational actor. But as Rep. Lawler and many others have reminded us, Iran is not simply pursuing influence. It is pursuing domination. And its primary target is Israel.
Iranian leaders have declared their intentions plainly. They do not want coexistence. They want nuclear leverage and regional control. Their funding of Hamas and Hezbollah is not a sideshow. It is a centerpiece. As Rep. Lawler put it, “The problem is that they have no desire to live peacefully with Israel. They want to destroy Israel.”
This is not a war of choice. It is a war of necessity—one driven by the actions and ideology of Tehran.
When I asked Rep. Lawler about the broader region, he noted the significance of what’s happening in Syria. “We are trying to move forward and create an opportunity where we can actually bring about change in Syria, which long term is better for Israel and everyone in the Middle East.” This is more than a military strategy. It’s a diplomatic rebalancing. And it has real promise.
In a particularly powerful exchange, I asked whether he believed Syria’s emerging leadership could eventually normalize relations with Israel. His answer surprised me: “I do. I think there’s an opportunity. And frankly, that wouldn’t be the case had Netanyahu listened to Biden and Blinken and Sullivan and acquiesced to their demands.”
That is a rare kind of statement—a direct rebuke of the Biden administration’s policy of restraint, and a reminder that leadership sometimes means rejecting bad advice.
Normalizing ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors is not just possible. It is already underway. The Abraham Accords changed the landscape of the Middle East. And as Rep. Lawler indicated, countries like Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and even Syria could move toward a new regional architecture based on mutual economic and security interests—not endless grievance.
That doesn’t mean there are no concerns.
When I asked about Qatar—a country that has long had a complicated relationship with both the U.S. and Iran—Rep. Lawler didn’t hesitate to express his ambivalence. “From my vantage point, obviously you always want to avoid any appearance of impropriety… Qatar has been helpful in many respects. In other areas, I have serious questions about how they’ve conducted themselves.”
The media’s obsession with Trump’s recently gifted jet from Qatar misses the larger point: Qatar’s influence has been active for years. It has funded American universities. It has hosted military bases. It has also supported Hamas and helped shape pro-Iranian lobbying in Washington. That influence is not new. What matters now is how we respond to it—with transparency, skepticism, and the national interest in mind.
Israel’s defense of itself is not only justified—it is essential. When rockets fly, when nuclear threats loom, and when democratic allies are left isolated, there is only one moral and strategic path forward: stand with Israel. Not in theory. Not in speeches. In practice.
We do not need more hand-wringing op-eds or recycled diplomatic talking points. We need clarity.
The Iranian regime has told us what it wants. It has shown us what it will do. And Israel—our friend, our ally, our partner—has acted not with recklessness, but with restraint and resolve.
This is the moment to speak truth without apology.
The world does not need another reminder of what happens when evil is appeased. It needs leaders—like Rep. Lawler—willing to say what others won’t, and a public strong enough to listen.
Thank you,
Gregory Lyakhov
