Free Republic

The prospect of U.S. involvement in an increasingly volatile conflict between Israel and Iran has cleaved clear divisions within the MAGA movement – a rarity over the course of President Trump’s decade-long political career. Top Trump allies have pleaded their case in recent weeks directly to the president and on social media for why the U.S. should fully avoid engaging in any dispute between Iran and Israel. On another side, other Trump allies are arguing it is in the president’s interest to take a more aggressive posture toward Iran. Some have suggested the schism could fracture the president’s coalition. Sources...

News broke late Thursday of a massive Israeli strike that killed several top Iranian military leaders and targeted key facilities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio scrambled to clarify the U.S. position, insisting the attack was a unilateral move by Israel and that America had no direct involvement. But Trump was already on the phone with a handpicked group of journalists, offering a very different message. He praised the strikes as “excellent,” made clear the U.S. had foreknowledge, and didn’t bother with diplomatic ambiguity. The U.S. didn’t pull the trigger — but Trump was riding shotgun, playing the eager sidekick without...

... I urge President Trump to stay the course, keep putting America first, and to not join in any war between other countries. Every American should hope and pray for peace.

Iran Revolutionary Guard chief Hossein Salami has been killed in an Israeli strike, Iranian state media is reporting. He is among several senior leaders who have died in the attack. Fereydoon Abbasi, the former head of head of the Atomic Energy Organization has also been killed, state media has reported. As we reported earlier, an Israeli official said that its strikes targeted "Iran's nuclear programme and other military targets".