“From a purely military perspective, what has been achieved over the past weeks is nothing short of extraordinary – and the president is still at the beginning of his tenure”

Posted on March 19, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH CHRONICLE
Trump’s time advantage: the key to the Iran war strategy
Yaakov Katz
March 17, 2026

…When Israel launched its campaign against Iran in June 2025 during what became known as the 12-day war, it carried most of the operational burden, sending its air force 2,000 kilometres to strike nuclear facilities, missile bases, and critical elements of Iran’s military infrastructure. The United States played an important but what is best defined as a supporting role, deploying B-2 bombers to hit the hardened nuclear sites of Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. But what began then has since evolved into something far more significant. Operation Roaring Lion, as it is known in Israel, and Operation Epic Fury, as it is called in Washington, are unfolding under a president who is not approaching the end of his tenure, but rather still at the beginning of it. Donald Trump has nearly three years remaining in office, and that fact alone impacts the calculus in Tehran in ways that should not be underestimated. READ MORE

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“Israel ramps up ground maneuvers and mass evacuations in Southern Lebanon as it moves to dismantle Hezbollah’s presence south of the Litani River and impose a new “Yellow Line” security reality”

Posted on March 19, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
IDF primed for full-scale invasion of Southern Lebanon
Shimon Sherman
March 19, 2026

Over the past two weeks, the Israel Defense Forces has been steadily ramping up pressure on Hezbollah as Lebanon increasingly emerges as a parallel front to Iran in “Operation “Roaring Lion.” In recent days, the IDF has begun supplementing its intensive aerial bombardment with infantry maneuvers. While these operations have not yet reached the scale of a committed ground offensive, the deployment of elite infantry, heavily armored battalions and specialized engineering units across multiple axes indicates that beachheads are being formed for full-scale invasion. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz indicated the government’s commitment to push military policy on the northern front to its logical conclusion. The goal of the operation is “to remove threats and protect the residents of the Galilee and the north,” Katz said in a recent briefing, adding that Israel wishes to permanently dismantle all of Hezbollah’s surface and subterranean infrastructure in southern Lebanon. READ MORE

REUTERS Israel and Lebanon expected to hold talks soon, Israeli officials say Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold talks in the coming days aimed at securing a durable ceasefire that ‌would see Hezbollah disarmed, two Israeli officials said on Sunday, though the timing and terms have yet to be agreed. Beirut is forming a delegation for talks but no date has been set. Lebanon needed clarity on whether Israel would abide by President Joseph Aoun’s first point — a demand for a full ceasefire to allow negotiations to take place, three Lebanese officials said ⁠on Saturday. The expected talks were first reported by Israel’s newspaper Haaretz on Saturday. A Lebanese official said on Sunday that Lebanon has not yet received official notification from Israel on discussions.

FDD Lebanons’ second chance This conflict could finally free Beirut from Hezbollah. Lebanon still fails to grasp the sequence of cause and effect, or the realities it faces. Therefore, Israel will likely continue disarming Hezbollah unilaterally through overflights, targeted operations, and retention of strategic buffer zones (such as hilltops) until Beirut demonstrates a genuine commitment to ending perpetual conflict and embracing the rewards of bilateral peace with the Jewish state. If it wants to stop the war, Lebanon is not likely to get a break from Israel. However, it will certainly be welcomed if agrees to join the Jewish state in finishing off the pro-Iran militia.

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Post October 7, emails show Hamas-friendly Qatar conspired with universities such as Northwestern to coordinate anti-Israel messaging

Posted on March 18, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FREE BEACON
‘Information Sharing and No Surprises’: Qatar demanded American schools in Doha ‘be aligned’ in wake of Oct 7, emails show
Collin Anderson
March 17, 2026

In the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack, the Hamas-friendly regime in Qatar demanded that American universities operating campuses in Doha “be aligned and in touch” when it came to their official communications, emails released by the House Education Committee show. On the same day, the dean of Northwestern University’s campus in Qatar (NU-Q) refused to sign on to a statement from his colleagues in the United States criticizing an NU-Q professor who downplayed the attack. The emails are part of a report released Tuesday by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, “How Campuses Became Hotbeds: The Rise of Radical Antisemitism on College Campuses.” READ MORE

WASHINGTON JEWISH WEEK Catholic University Requires ‘Antisemitic Viewpoints’ at Event on Jewish Safety Students Supporting Israel at The Catholic University of America condemned the school’s administration for “requiring antisemitic viewpoints” at a proposed campus event on Jewish safety, according to a Feb. 27 press release. CUA’s Center for Student Engagement denied a Jan. 19 request to seek guest speakers for an event titled “Ending Antisemitism in America.” In the written denial on Feb. 25, the CSE director stated that approval of any speakers would only be granted if the student group secured an additional opposing speaker to ensure a “balanced presentation” representing “both sides of this issue.”

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“Evanston mayor, critic of Israel, will succeed retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky”

Posted on March 17, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

POLITICO
AIPAC attacks fall flat as Democrat Daniel Biss wins Illinois House primary
March 17, 2026

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss won Tuesday’s Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Jan Schakowsky, dealing a blow to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in a race that had turned into a referendum on the group’s ability to influence the party. Biss, whose mother is Israeli and whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, has sharply criticized Israel’s war in Gaza — and faced an onslaught of attack ads from a group aligned with AIPAC as a result. He defeated a crowded field that included social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh, a Palestinian American who is a more vocal critic, as well as AIPAC’s preferred candidate, state Sen. Laura Fine. READ MORE

WTTW AIPAC Claims Credit for Miller, Bean Victories and Abughazaleh, Amiwala Defeats AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying organization, claimed victory after Tuesday’s primary elections for boosting moderate candidates and helping to defeat progressive candidates in four Democratic House races. In all, groups affiliated with AIPAC spent more than $20 million to influence the outcome of four contests in Illinois’ 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th Congressional districts, according to federal campaign finance reports. “A great night for the pro-Israel community and a terrible night for anti-Israel candidates,” AIPAC posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.  “Tonight’s results tell a critical story: centering campaigns on attacking Israel and demonizing pro-Israel Americans is a losing strategy.” Much of AIPAC’s spending came from two newly formed groups — Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now — that did not mention the U.S.-Israeli relationship or foreign policy but focused on the need to elect more female candidates to office and reduce the cost of living.

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“Joe Kent’s resignation letter highlights his belief in antisemitic conspiracy theories about Israel’s influence on the US. He’s not alone in spreading these false narratives”

Posted on March 17, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Conspiracist Joe Kent isn’t alone in building the narrative against Israel
David M. Littman
March 18, 2026

Joe Kent, the recently resigned director of the US National Counterterrorism Center,” is a delusional, antisemitic conspiracist. This is readily apparent from his Mar. 17 resignation letter, which centers on his belief that Israel and “its powerful American lobby” are manipulating the United States into starting wars. There are many important angles to this story, including how Kent was ever entrusted with the position, given his lengthy history of promoting conspiracy theories and rubbing shoulders with racist extremists like Nick Fuentes. Another important angle: how Western journalists and media outlets who find Kent too toxic for an open embrace – but share the disposition to blaming Israel for all that ails the world – have reported on his resignation. Because his conspiratorial thinking isn’t far off from their own, the narrative he built in his letter echoes what has been featured throughout mainstream media. READ MORE

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“Systems that Russia marketed for years as nearly impenetrable have proven vulnerable to coordinated strikes, electronic warfare, and modern precision weapons”

Posted on March 17, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

URBAN WARFARE
War Reveals the Truth: Russian and Chinese Weapons Are Outmatched
John Spencer
March 13, 2026

Wars do more than determine political outcomes or redraw borders. They also test weapons. Every conflict becomes a brutal proving ground where military technology is exposed to the unforgiving reality of combat. Systems that appear formidable in parades or defense exhibitions must ultimately survive the trial of war. Across several modern conflicts, the verdict is becoming increasingly clear. Russian and Chinese military systems are struggling when confronted by the integrated intelligence, precision strike, and networked warfare capabilities fielded by the United States, Israel, and their partners. The current war involving Iran provides the latest example. For decades, Tehran has relied heavily on Russian and Chinese technology to build its defenses and offensive strike capabilities. Russia delivered the S-300PMU-2 long-range air defense system to Iran, and elements of that system have been deployed to help defend strategic sites such as nuclear facilities and military bases. READ MORE

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I rarely post Al Jazeera, but this is worth a read: “Every aspect of Iran’s ability to project regional power is being successfully degraded”

Posted on March 17, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

AL JAZEERA
The US-Israeli strategy against Iran is working. Here is why.
Muhanad Seloom
March 16, 2026

Two weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the dominant narrative has settled into a comfortable groove: The United States and Israel stumbled into a war without a plan. Iran is retaliating across the region. Oil prices are surging, and the world is facing another Middle Eastern quagmire. US senators have called it a blunder. Cable news has tallied the crises. Commentators have warned of a long war. The chorus is loud and, in some respects, understandable. War is ugly, and this one has imposed real costs on millions of people across the Middle East, including the city I live in. But this narrative is wrong. Not because the costs are imaginary, but because the critics are measuring the wrong things. They are cataloguing the price of the campaign while ignoring the strategic ledger. READ MORE

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Iran regime change: “One possible scenario, hinging on the unprecedented ability of the United States and Israel to carry out precision strikes from drones and advanced manned aircraft”

Posted on March 16, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

BOSTON GLOBE
Yes, regime change could happen in Iran without boots on the ground
Alex Safian
March 13, 2026

While the fighting with Iran continues, many media commentators, strategic experts, and politicians have claimed that regime change cannot happen there without “boots on the ground,” or the commission of ground forces. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is just one example, claiming in a CNN interview on March 2 that it would be “impossible.” There are relevant counter-examples, however, such as the overthrow of the regime of Moammar Khadafy in Libya or ending of the rule of Slobodan Milosevic in the former Yugoslavia. In both instances, Western air power — primarily American — played the decisive role. In Khadafy’s case this was direct, decimating his military and then bombing his escape convoy, leading to his capture and murder by rebels. READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Israel admits Iran regime collapse less likely than first thought Senior officials in Israel now acknowledge that the chances of overthrowing the regime in Iran are lower than initially estimated, and that the current military campaign may end without bringing down the government in Tehran. The assessment reflects the regime’s firm grip on its security apparatus and the ruthless repression that has instilled deep fear among the Iranian public. In recent days, Iran’s leadership has appeared to regain a more orderly control over events inside the country, following the chaos that erupted after the elimination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Decisions are now reportedly being made mainly by Ali Larijani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of parliament. 

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Antisemitism today is served up in podcasts, on YouTube channels, and broadcast platforms hosted by personalities who insist they are merely facilitating debate or “just asking questions”

Posted on March 16, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
The Antisemitism Mainstreaming Pipeline — and Why Ben Shapiro Drives It Crazy
Micha Danzig
March 18, 2026

…The result is the antisemitism mainstreaming pipeline: a system through which fringe ideas gain legitimacy simply by appearing on platforms with massive audiences and ostensibly respectable hosts. Few figures illustrate this more clearly than Piers Morgan, Megyn Kelly, and Tucker Carlson. Each presents himself or herself as a champion of open discourse. Each insists controversial guests deserve a hearing and that viewers can judge for themselves. In theory, that sounds like a commitment to free speech. In practice, it functions as a laundering mechanism — moving conspiratorial narratives rooted in Jew-hatred into mainstream discussion. The pattern is now familiar. A guest known for trafficking in conspiracy theories appears on a widely viewed show. The host frames the claims as legitimate debate. Clips spread to millions. Later the host insists that interviewing someone does not imply endorsement. READ MORE

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‘Palestine,’ for both supporters and opponents, represents the dream of an end to Western hegemony

Posted on March 14, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Ersatz Israel
Daniel Miller
March 18, 2026

…Lee Smith presciently described the “Global Empire of Palestine” in Tablet. Of course, Palestinians do not control the empire that has been established in their name, much less a state. Yet Smith writes that Palestinians “already have something far greater and much rarer” than a state—namely, a spectacle endorsed by global power brokers. Palestine is therefore both a symbol of and a structure of displacement. It is a projection screen for global fantasies. At the center of this process is not Palestinian activism, which is a symptom and accelerant, but the “Palestinization of Western politics” as a soliloquy of decomposition…Palestine is essentially anti-Israelism inserted into Western political space in the position of Israel so as to conceal its significance. The global appeal of the Palestinian cause has nothing to do with the superior empathy of its supporters…The reality is that nobody in any wider “community” cares about Palestinian Arabs apart from their status as victims of Israel. READ MORE

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