March 10, 2026
STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES
America and Israel are currently fighting against the Iranian regime on behalf of much of the world; Iran has murdered or maimed civilians from Bulgaria to France and from Spain to Argentina. False claims that America is fighting “Israel’s war” ignore nearly half a century of Iranian aggression against the U.S. and the West. Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran and its proxies have repeatedly targeted Americans through hostage-taking, terrorism and attacks on U.S. forces. Iran’s terror campaign began in 1979 when militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 66 Americans hostage for 444 days.
During the Iraq War, Iranian-backed militias killed hundreds of U.S. troops using weapons supplied by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In recent years, Iran has killed three U.S. soldiers at a base in Jordan and an American civilian in Iraq, while plotting assassinations and launching cyberattacks inside the U.S.
American officials stated that the current campaign is degrading Iran’s military capabilities. Iran’s facilities were significantly weakened after last year’s joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on its nuclear infrastructure. While U.S. and Israeli officials have concluded that most of Iran’s missile launchers have been destroyed, missile and drone attacks continue – killing seven U.S. soldiers, 12 Israeli civilians and about two dozen civilians and soldiers in Arab countries.
Despite cautious optimism from American officials, public opinion is more divided. Some recent polls suggest that a majority of Americans oppose the war. Views remain sharply divided along political lines, with most Republicans supporting the war and most Democrats opposing it. At the same time, many military and national security experts have described the campaign against Iran as a necessary effort that could reshape the Middle East and significantly reduce the threat posed by Iran.
The nature of Iran’s regime can be seen in the way it treats its own citizens – violently suppressing protests and reportedly slaughtering as many as 36,500 Iranians in recent months.
Women have been harshly persecuted for how they dress or speak. Players on Iran’s national women’s soccer team recently refused to sing their national anthem – prompting Iranian leaders to brand them “traitors.” Five players requested asylum in Australia, where they were playing. Israeli Technology Minister Gila Gamliel urged the Australian government to protect them: “They are asking for the opportunity to live in safety, freedom and dignity – fundamental values upon which the world’s leading democracies are built.”
The players’ experience reflects the danger of Iran’s religious fundamentalist leaders now confronting America and its allies.
Iran’s Regional Attacks May Have Backfired
Iranian leaders made a “catastrophic” decision to attack neighboring Arab countries – including nations that traditionally maintain warm ties. Qatar, which had previously criticized U.S. strikes against Iran, condemned Iran’s “reckless and irresponsible” attacks.
Iran’s missile and drone assault against Gulf states – more than 1,400 strikes – and threats to international shipping raised fears of wider instability and skyrocketing fuel prices. Iran recently warned that oil tankers “must be very careful” passing through the Strait of Hormuz – highlighting how important regional stability is for global commerce. Helping to stabilize oil prices, America, France and other countries offered naval escorts for commercial vessels.
Another front involves Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. The terror group continues launching rockets into Israel while threatening American interests – despite opposition from the Lebanese government. Hezbollah openly pledges loyalty to Iran rather than its ‘host’ country and calls America the “Great Satan.”
Extremists Promote Conspiracy Theories Blaming Jews
Conspiracy theories blaming Jews for the conflict have spread rapidly across social media and political commentary.
Far-right political podcaster Tucker Carlson is blaming the war on a strict Orthodox Jewish religious movement. Founded in Eastern Europe in 1775, Chabad operates Jewish community centers and synagogues in all 50 states and more than 100 countries – serving as a spiritual home for Jews around the world. The group was the center of international attention recently in Australia when two Islamic State terrorists murdered 15 people at a Chabad Hanukkah celebration near Bondi Beach.
Carlson blames Chabad and Jews for orchestrating a “global religious war.” After several recent visits to the White House, President Trump disavowed Carlson, telling ABC News that “Tucker has lost his way.”
Candace Owens – another major far-right media personality – supported Carlson’s false claims. She warned her millions of followers to be “aware of the Chabad nearest your home” and that “these people are dangerous.” Owens also falsely blamed Israel again for the 9/11 terror attacks.
U.S. Navy veteran Nick Matau responded by sharing his experience with Chabad: “As a non-Jew stationed in Hawaii, I once stumbled into a Chabad center at the end of a Shabbat celebration. They welcomed me in, didn’t care that I wasn’t Jewish and the rabbi told me to call anytime if I needed help. Chabad truly spreads light to the world – including to non-Jews!”
Hate rarely stays confined to social media. Anti-Israel activists recently staged a blood libel display near the White House. Actors wearing masks staged a grotesque street performance – tearing apart bloody plastic babies and drinking fake blood. The blood libel falsely claims that Jews murder non-Jewish children to use their blood in rituals, such as baking Passover matzah. For centuries, political and religious leaders around the world have used the blood libel to justify murdering Jews.
Extremists are promoting claims that Jews, Zionists or Israelis control the American government and are responsible for the war while accusing American Jews of being more loyal to Israel than the U.S.
Wars Lead to Attacks on Jews
Wars involving Israel frequently trigger global spikes in hostility, discrimination and violence against Jews. As the conflict continues and conspiracy theories gain traction, extremists are targeting Jewish communities far beyond the Middle East.
In the UK, fans at a soccer game for kids shouted, “Go back to the gas chambers,” “Dirty Zionists” and “Dirty Jews,” at players from a Jewish school. Two Israelis were attacked at a California restaurant after being overheard speaking Hebrew. In Toronto, gunmen fired at three different synagogues and a bomb exploded outside a synagogue in Belgium – no one was hurt.
Belgium’s prime minister warned about the threat to Western values: “Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally.”
In moments of rising antisemitism, clarity and consistency matter.
Written by an Israeli mother in central Israel during this present war with Iran.
Jolted from a deep sleep, we quickly shuffled our family into the mamad (safe room) as sirens sounded across Israel in the early morning hours. Alerts flashed across our phones: Israel had just bombed Iran, and residents were advised to remain close to shelters as retaliatory attacks were expected. Memories of the June 2025 war with Iran came rushing back as we prepared for what we feared could be a long stay in the mamad. Later that day, a friend of our son – an IDF soldier who stopped by – told us the U.S. had joined Israel in striking Iran and that thousands of reservists had been called up.
Throughout the day, more than 30 alerts sounded on my phone. Meals were abandoned, toys dropped, and card games left unfinished as we rushed to safety with each siren. After enduring October 7, 2023, and last year’s 12-day war with Iran, our children know how to respond quickly. Still, they are children. They jump when sirens wail and when alerts blare from our phones.
Inside the mamad, between reciting chapters of Tehillim (Psalms), we hold frightened children and try to distract them with games and toys. One day when the tension was especially high, I turned on music and started a freeze-dance game in the safe room to distract them from the booms of Iron Dome interceptions outside.
Since the war began, I’ve again taken on the roles Israeli mothers often find themselves carrying during wartime: around-the-clock chef, therapist, Zoom-school schedule manager, and referee and negotiator of peace treaties between children. Schools across Israel are closed, though many parents are still working as restrictions ease and companies reopen if they have a mamad that can be reached within the required time during a siren.
The hardest day for me was when a missile struck Beit Shemesh, murdering nine people and injuring dozens. I tried to avoid the news, but the alerts and reports kept coming. I hid my tears from my children and stood in my kitchen, facing the mountain view, and cried. In Israel, everyone feels like one enormous family. We help neighbors even if we don’t know them. When there is a need, people show up. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. When one family loses someone, it feels like we all have.
A few days later, a missile from Hezbollah landed in central Israel not far from us. The explosion was the loudest I have ever heard – I felt the vibration in my chest. I immediately sent my children to the mamad as a precaution, and it took quite a while to calm them after the blasts.
I hear from friends in America that many oppose this war or believe it is solely Israel’s fight and not one the U.S. should be part of. But those who hold this view underestimate the danger Iran poses to the U.S. This conflict is already pulling countries across the Middle East into the war. Prior to this war, there were rumors that Iran was attempting to develop or acquire missiles with international reach. Now imagine this level of recklessness if Israel and the U.S. had not acted and Iran had completed its nuclear weapons program. If they are willing to attack their friends in Qatar, what would stop a regime that calls for death to America from sending a nuclear bomb across the Atlantic once they could?
When this war ends, I hope and pray it brings more than a temporary pause in sirens. I hope it leads to a Middle East where Iran’s people are free from the regime that has brought suffering to its citizens and instability to the region. I hope our children can grow up in an Israel where there are decades of quiet, no one younger than 20 has ever heard a siren and peace is the only reality they know.
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This content is developed by The Focus Project in partnership with MERCAZ USA. The Focus Project distributes weekly news and talking points on timely issues concerning Israel and the Jewish people, including antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the delegitimization of Israel. It represents a consensus view across a spectrum of major American Jewish organizations. MERCAZ USA recognizes and respects the diversity of views on these issues among its readers and the community at large.