President Trump confidently said on Wednesday that on a scale of 1-10, he would say that in this war effort "we are a 15," and announcements were made by both the White House and some Israeli officials on Wednesday morning that "in a few hours, we (the U.S.) will have total control of Iranian airspace." But as the hours passed, more Iranian missiles were launched, and more jets were sent towards Iran, and that prediction was never confirmed.
Conversely, the Iranians claim to have attacked an American tanker in the northern Persian Gulf, and that the ship is burning. Iran and its proxies continue to say that they are causing a lot of damage and will continue to do so. They deny many of the claims by the U.S. and Israel about weakening the IRGC military, and act as if the regime is still strong. A very different perception than what the U.S. and Israel are saying.
What is clear is that throughout this fifth day of war, missile barrages were launched nearly non-stop at Israel. A friend sent me a video from Tel Aviv that showed a city with a solid cloud cover of smoke from the many intercepted missiles, hour after hour.
Iranian Kurds based in Iraq are preparing for an incursion across the border and are receiving CIA support, according to the New York Times. Iran is saying that some already did invade from Iraq, but Iran claims to have killed them all.
Southern Lebanon is filled with the sounds of war as Israel pressed hard against Hezbollah on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Beirut, once the Paris of the Middle East, is again bearing the destruction caused by Hezbollah's commitment to war, and the Lebanese government's inability to control these terrorists.
As a positive sign about the success of the war so far, Ben Gurion Airport was reopened for the purpose of bringing Israelis back home. Empty flights are now leaving Israel for locations around the world and will bring back Israelis to their home. Americans that I have spoken with over the last 24 hours who are currently stranded in Israel are upset about those outgoing planes being empty, but there is nothing they can do and no one to speak with to get back here to America speedily. In fact, I was told today that the American Embassy in Tel Aviv is empty with the exception of security personnel.
The IDF has identified that the trend of launches from Iran has significantly decreased. But Israel is now waiting for more new attacks from the Houthis, who are well armed and committed to Israel's destruction, God forbid.
Domestically, the elections of Tuesday night are demonstrating some dangerous antisemitic trends. Rev. Frederick Haynes, whose sermons have repeatedly praised Jew-hating Louis Farrakhan and constantly condemned Israel, won the Democratic primary in Texas to take over Jasmine Crocket's seat (who got crushed in her primary run for senator). Across the state, a Republican gun's right youtuber who has reviewed Nazi guns on his site, as well as produced a video recreation of Hitler's suicide for his site, has advanced to a runoff for another Texan congressional seat. And in North Carolina, incumbent Democrat Valerie Foushee campaigned on stopping the sale of arms to Israel.
But most shocking and disturbing were the words of California Governor and Presidential hopeful Gavin Newsom, who called Israel "an apartheid state". His statement reveals volumes, both about himself and about the level of antisemitism now in America. He has clearly determined two things: he believes that hatred for Israel is a majority opinion in this country, and that he believes that liberal Jews will vote for him no matter what, so he will lose no votes.
I pray that he is wrong and that all Jews rebuke Newsom for these words. And I pray that all people of faith stand together in opposition against Jew-hatred. I have spoken and written many articles over the years, standing up against hate for Christians and Catholics, and always will, for I know that when any one faith is attacked, all people of faith are attacked. I pray my Christian brothers and sisters will now stand up with me against Jew-hatred.
May we all stand up for our faith traditions and for each other in these challenging times. This war against the evil Islamic regime in Iran is not just a war in Israel; it is a war for the survival of Western Civilization, and all people of faith, Jew and Christian, must stand together as men and women in service to God.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
March 5, 2026
16th of Adar, 5786
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