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For the First Time in History, U.S. Forces Joined an Israeli Military Campaign
(Wall Street Journal) Shayndi Raice - Benjamin Netanyahu has spent three decades sounding the alarm about Iran's nuclear program. On June 12, Netanyahu ordered the Israeli air force to strike Iran alone, without any assurance that the U.S. would join in. So far, the decision appears to have paid off. The operation has proved Israel's military and intelligence supremacy over Iran, shifting the balance of power in the Middle East. For the first time in the long history of the two countries' close relationship, U.S. forces joined an Israeli military campaign, providing the massive firepower needed to complete the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. As Trump watched Israel land successful opening blows, he expressed admiration for the strikes on social media and hinted in calls to reporters that the U.S. had played a bigger role than known. It was ultimately Netanyahu's willingness to go it alone against Iran that helped convince President Trump, said David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel in Trump's first term. "Once he saw that, and the overwhelming dominance of the Israeli air force, he was prepared to enter into an unprecedented partnership with Israel, both in terms of its success and its scope."