U.S. and Israel Launch Major Attack on Iran

[EagerBeaver]

Iranian Drones have struck the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, apparently causing minor damage but majorly pissing off the Saudis, whose air defenses were pierced:

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/03/world/video/us-embassy-in-saudi-arabia-struck-by-suspected-iranian-drones-nic-robertson-hnk-digvid

 

[CaptRenault]

It's hard to know what is really going on with the war since different sources report the same story differently.

 

[CaptRenault]

Iranian leaders (well what’s left of them) must be eager to join their buddies in paradise before Allah runs out of virgins. Haven’t they heard about Zoom meetings?

Israeli-US strikes hit building of assembly choosing new Iran supreme leader

Assembly of Experts building in Qom bombed by Israel and US, according to Iranian media

www.middleeasteye.net

Israeli and US strikes hit the building of a body tasked with electing Iran's new supreme leader in the city of Qom, local media reported on Tuesday.

“The American-Zionist criminals attacked the Assembly of Experts building in Qom,” south of Tehran, reported the Tasnim news agency.

The assembly is tasked with appointing, supervising and potentially dismissing the supreme leader.

“Israel struck while they were counting the votes for the appointment of the supreme leader,” a senior Israeli official told Fox News.

Former leader Ali Khamenei was killed during a wave of US-Israeli attacks on Saturday.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Israeli Intelligence is so on top of their game. They know where all the Iran leadership is at all times, yet has any Israeli leader ever been touched by Iran or anyone else? When Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995 it was by a Jewish assassin who thought Rabin had sold Israel out in the Oslo Accords.

Iranian intelligence sucks. They have inferior technology and inferior human assets who have anything useful. Theoretically they should have a strategic edge with the Israel Arabs in the IDF but unable to use that advantage meaningfully. Most of those Arabs are loyal to Israel and not the Palestinian cause.

Meanwhile Israeli Intelligence rocks. This goes back a long time since they tracked down and killed all the terrorists responsible for Black September /1972 Olympic massacre. We are talking best in world intelligence operations fellas.

 

[mauricevachon]

Israeli Intelligence is so on top of their game.

Brilliant strokes by Israeli intelligence:

1. Convincing American's to :
- Fight Israel's wars
- Fund the Greater Israel project.

2. Convincing U.S. Christians to teach that Israelis are "God's chosen people" and that Judaism is thus superior to Christianity.

3. Channeling money through AIPAC/U.S. Israeli billionaires to fund U.S. politicians/U.S. media.

One wonders how long it will last?

 

[EagerBeaver]

Iranian intelligence sucks. They have inferior technology and inferior human assets who have anything useful. Theoretically they should have a strategic edge with the Israel Arabs in the IDF but unable to use that advantage meaningfully. Most of those Arabs are loyal to Israel and not the Palestinian cause.

I have been told by a friend in Israel that Iranian intelligence mostly consists of trying to recruit spies in Israel using social media. People are approached about easy, well paying jobs. They are asked to paint some graffiti with political messages and take a picture of themselves near the graffiti. They are then slowly pulled in deeper and deeper until they are trapped. A person is caught about once a week I am told, having been pulled in to these schemes.

However there is no replacement for old school acquisition of assets face to face. So the Iranian intelligence "achievements" are kind of silly. And primitive, even while relying on modern technology.

 

[CaptRenault]

Brilliant strokes by Israeli intelligence:

 

[EagerBeaver]

88 experts from Iran have now decided to hold the new vote for the new "Supreme Leader" online by Zoom voting. I suppose Israel and U.S. intelligence will be listening in.

 

[Vardhan945]

Brilliant strokes by Israeli intelligence:

1. Convincing American's to :
- Fight Israel's wars
- Fund the Greater Israel project.

2. Convincing U.S. Christians to teach that Israelis are "God's chosen people" and that Judaism is thus superior to Christianity.

3. Channeling money through AIPAC/U.S. Israeli billionaires to fund U.S. politicians/U.S. media.

One wonders how long it will last?

Dont forget
-espionage against America to steal their nuclear technology for their own illegal nuclear weapons program.
-having ex IDF soldiers harass pro Palestinian college students in America

 

[CaptRenault]

What he said:

 

[EagerBeaver]

17 Iranian ships were sunk.

Honestly I am not a big fan of Hegseth. His demeanor is a little smug for my tastes. I like a more professional and diplomatic demeanor in my public servants. I expect them to behave the same way I do in Court. Like a professional.

 

[Vardhan945]

17 Iranian ships were sunk.

Honestly I am not a big fan of Hegseth. His demeanor is a little smug for my tastes. I like a more professional and diplomatic demeanor in my public servants.

It's a assymetrical war against the US. Of course Iran will take massive hits and get bombed in a more dramatic way.
This is all predictable.

But all U.S. bases in the region have been bombed. American relations with their client states in the Gulf are in tatters as thy see the U.S. can't protect them. Israelis are all underground in bunkers and Tel Aviv + Haifa are having missiles rain down. 6 U.S. troops have died with many more injured - that we're being told about at least.

The Ayatollah getting taken out didn't cause a popular uprising but rather mobilized the Iranian people. U.S. missile interceptors are running low and they were thinking of diverting from Korea.

What are the objectives here? To get cool bombing footage and blowing up ships?

Mark my words - unless something changes the U.S. will lose politically.

 

[minutemenX]

Mark my words - unless something changes the U.S. will lose politically.

So, Iran will win “politically”? Nobody likes this regime even in Muslim countries. It has practically no allies. Even if it survives for some time, it will be a crippled and hated pariah. My predictions are that if the popular uprising will not happen the army or even IRGC will take power and will make a deal with the US curtailing nuclear and missile programs in exchange of lifting sanctions. Of course they will also declare victory .

 

[Vardhan945]

So, Iran will win “politically”? Nobody likes this regime even in Muslim countries. It has practically no allies. Even if it survives for some time, it will be a crippled and hated pariah. My predictions are that if the popular uprising will not happen the army or even IRGC will take power and will make a deal with the US curtailing nuclear and missile programs in exchange of lifting sanctions. Of course they will also declare victory .

Dude...in the U.S. the vast majority don't support the war with Iran. If someone did something bad to Trump, a large portion of Americans will celebrate. Whatever you think of Iran, their population is mobilized in support of their government since the Ayatollah got taken out. Large portions of the populations of all the Gulf States hate America and Israel and cheer Iranian missiles.

If anything, the U.S. and Israel are hated, international pariahs but are able to keep control through coercion and bribery.

As far as your prediction for what happens after the war? Iranian industry and missile/drone production is underground, they'll replenish within months and possibly create a nuclear weapon.
Only way that doesn't happen is if we do a boots on the ground occupation like Iraq, which would destroy Trump politically.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Dude...in the U.S. the vast majority don't support the war with Iran.

It's 59% against and 41% for the war. Is that a "vast" majority?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/02/politics/cnn-poll-59-of-americans-disapprove-of-iran-strikes-and-most-think-a-long-term-conflict-is-likely

I do not agree with Trump on most issues and I certainly dislike the manner in which he leads. However I do support him on this issue. Iran needed to be attacked.

I am not as certain as you are that Iranians now are united behind a government they were virulently protesting for many months.

I am also not as certain boots on the ground approach will become necessary. Like Minuteman I think someone will take power and rather than get killed, they will cut a deal with the USA like the woman who is President in Venezuela now after Maduro was arrested and jailed.

We will need to see what happens but I prefer the idea of a semi puppet government that can be made to heel like a well trained dog, as opposed to the rabid dog that is running around barking and biting indiscriminately.

 

[CaptRenault]

I'm not sure whether the U.S. should welcome this development, but for now, anything that hurts the current regime in Iran is OK. At least the Kurds generally don't kill Americans and they are not trying to carve out a homeland in Israel. So for now, welcome to the fight.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/several-reports-say-kurdish-fighters-have-launched-cross-border-attack-in-iran/

Multiple reports cite sources as saying Kurdish militias in Iraq have launched a cross-border military operation in Iran.

The Kurdish groups are widely seen as the most well-organized segment of the fragmented Iranian opposition and are believed to have thousands of trained fighters. Their entry into the war may pose a significant challenge to the embattled authorities in Tehran and may also risk pulling Iraq further into the conflict...

 

[Vardhan945]

It's 59% against and 41% for the war. Is that a "vast" majority?

https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/02/politics/cnn-poll-59-of-americans-disapprove-of-iran-strikes-and-most-think-a-long-term-conflict-is-likely

I do not agree with Trump on most issues and I certainly dislike the manner in which he leads. However I do support him on this issue. Iran needed to be attacked.

I am not as certain as you are that Iranians now are united behind a government they were virulently protesting for many months.

I am also not as certain boots on the ground approach will become necessary. Like Minuteman I think someone will take power and rather than get killed, they will cut a deal with the USA like the woman who is President in Venezuela now after Maduro was arrested and jailed.

We will need to see what happens but I prefer the idea of a semi puppet government that can be made to heel like a well trained dog, as opposed to the rabid dog that is running around barking and biting indiscriminately.

Immediately before the poll you cited, it was far higher against. People who are in the MAGA camp will immediately respond differently after the action is taken (kind of like how Americans of all stripes rallied behind Bush after 9/11).

"I am not as certain as you are that Iranians now are united behind a government they were virulently protesting for many months."
I suggest you get some news from a variety of sources instead of mainstream US media. Try Scott Ritter or Lt. Col. Daniel David...or perhaps al-Madayeen. The protests in Iran were largely foreign agitators...many Iranians who hate the Ayatollah even are angry that a foreign country bombed and killed him and are now rallying against the impeding U.S. invasion.

Also the U.S./Israel killed over 150 schoolgirls in a bombing drying up whatever good will there.

Support who you want man. I find the idea of regime changing foreign governments just because you don't like them and murdering thousands of people to do so morally repugnant. In this case not even in the U.S. interest.

 

[CaptRenault]

Thanks for the tip, Bibi!

https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/trump-netanyahu-call-iran-war-israel-coordination

Last Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called President Trump with a stunning tip: Iran's supreme leader and his top advisers were all set to meet at one location in Tehran on Saturday morning.

• They could all be killed in a single devastating airstrike, Netanyahu told Trump and his team, according to three sources briefed on the discussion.

Why it matters: The Feb. 23 call — held from the White House Situation Room and unreported until now — was a pivotal moment that set the Iran war in motion.

• It answers the question that lawmakers, MAGA skeptics and world leaders have all been asking since Saturday: why now?
• The answer: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his inner circle were irresistible targets of opportunity that neither Trump nor Netanyahu wanted to pass up.

Zoom in: Trump was already leaning toward striking Iran before learning the new intelligence about Khamenei. What he hadn't decided was when — until Netanyahu called.

• The Feb. 23 call was part of months of intensive coordination between the two leaders, who met twice and spoke by phone 15 times in the two months leading to the war, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
• The U.S. and Israel had considered striking a week earlier than Saturday, but postponed for intelligence and operational reasons, including bad weather.

Inside the room: An initial CIA check, conducted at Trump's direction, confirmed the information about Khamenei gathered by Israeli military intelligence.

• Preparations accelerated as Trump told Netanyahu he would consider moving forward — but first came the president's State of the Union address the following night.
• U.S. officials said Trump made a "deliberate decision" not to focus excessively on Iran so as not to spook the ayatollah and drive him underground before the strike could be executed.

By Thursday, the CIA had fully "confirmed that these people were all going to be together, and we needed to take advantage of it," a source said.

• That same day, Trump's envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff called from Geneva after hours of talks with Iranian officials and delivered a blunt verdict: negotiations were going nowhere.
• "If you decide you want to do diplomacy, we will push and fight to get a deal. But these guys showed us they weren't willing to make the deal you will be satisfied with," a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the call said Trump was told.

Trump was now convinced of two things: the intelligence was solid, and diplomacy was dead. On Friday at 3:38 p.m. EST, he gave the final order.

• Eleven hours later, bombs fell on Tehran, Khamenei was killed and the war had begun.

Behind the scenes: Trump saw Netanyahu as a close partner and was genuinely open to his counsel on Iran — but he was also determined to exhaust diplomacy first.

• "One side of the house was negotiating and the other side of the house was doing joint military planning" with Israel, a U.S. official said. "He was assessing both things all the time."

Between the lines: Under fire for suggesting the U.S. had been dragged in by Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted Tuesday that this operation "had to happen anyway," and that it was simply "a question of timing."

• "This weekend presented a unique opportunity to take joint action against this threat," he told reporters on Capitol Hill. "We wanted this to have maximum success."
• "Trump wanted to strike earlier — in early January. It was Bibi who asked to delay," one Israeli official said, stressing that the timing was "fully coordinated" with "the understanding that it would be carried out jointly."

The intrigue: The original plan called for a strike in late March or early April, giving the administration time to build public support. Netanyahu pushed to move faster, a U.S. official told Axios.

• The official said Netanyahu began "agitating" and warning that Iranian opposition leaders sheltering in safe houses were in danger of being killed by the regime.

The accelerated timeline left the administration flat-footed: Rather than spending weeks building the public case for war, the White House found itself justifying the strikes after the bombs had already fallen.

• "We didn't make the case in advance as well as we could have because the opportunity came on us so fast," the official said.
• Another official acknowledged there was muddled messaging from Rubio and from the White House, which started making the case for war after the attack, rather than before.

Friction point: Because Trump and Netanyahu disguised their Saturday attack, many U.S. citizens were caught completely unaware and stranded as Iran launched retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.

• Rubio's State Department scrambled to mount an emergency evacuation effort for more than 1,500 Americans who requested assistance getting out of the region.
• Asked by reporters Tuesday why there was no evacuation plan, Trump replied: "Well, because it happened all very quickly."

The other side: Israeli Ambassador to Washington Yechiel Leiter declined to comment on the specifics of the Feb. 23 call, but denied that Netanyahu was "agitating" or ever raised the threat to Iranian opposition leaders as a reason to accelerate.

• "Over the past year, we have worked more closely than ever with our partners in the United States regarding Iran, and we see eye to eye on the danger Iran poses to Israel, to the United States, and to the free world," Leiter told Axios.
• "Anyone who knows President Trump understands that he is a strong leader who cannot be steered," the ambassador said.

The bottom line: Trump was equally dismissive Tuesday of any suggestion that Netanyahu drove the decision.

• "We were having negotiations with these lunatics and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that. If anything, I might have forced Israel's hand," he said.
• The White House did not dispute Axios' reporting and pointed to Trump's and Rubio's public comments Tuesday.

 

[EagerBeaver]

Support who you want man. I find the idea of regime changing foreign governments just because you don't like them and murdering thousands of people to do so morally repugnant. In this case not even in the U.S. interest.

So you are OK with the alternative which is to leave this Jihadist Theocracy in power, which has a 47 year history, outlined by CR in prior posts, of murder, mayhem, and terrorism, and hope they play nice in the world sandbox, and also hope they do not use nukes/drones on the USA/Israel and whomever else may challenge or sanction them? Is this strategy of "hoping for the best" fulfilling the duty to protect future American generations down the road? Do we not have some moral duty to leave the world a better place for our children?

History has taught that when the USA tried to use an isolationist strategy of foreign policy, it did not work. Instead, it emboldened bad actors throughout the world, bringing on even more catastrophic war and death than anyone imagined possible.