(June 24, 2025 / JNS)

With U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire, Israel is emerging as the true victor of what Trump has aptly termed the 12-Day War with Iran.

Just as in the stunning 1967 Six-Day War—in which Israel pre-empted an Egyptian attack, then defeated invading armies from Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq—Israel has emerged victorious in its 2025 12-Day War with Iran, following nearly two years of battles against Iranian terror proxy groups on three major fronts: Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. 

Actually, a 600-plus-Day War

The wider war preceding Israel’s direct 12-day engagement with Iran began with Hamas’s surprise cross-border attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Targeting civilians as well as military bases near the border during the Jewish holy day of Simchat Torah, Hamas gunmen killed 1,200, wounded thousands and captured over 250 hostages, forcing Israel into a major military operation in the Gaza Strip. Shortly afterwards, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen began firing rockets and missiles at Israel.

Israel systematically worked to destroy Hamas’s leadership in Gaza, leaving the Strip in total ruins. In between rounds of fighting, Israel struck deals with Hamas to return 147 of approximately 170 known living hostages, as well as dozens of bodies. The hostage swaps were in addition to daring rescues, both of living hostages and remains.

The ‘grim beeper’

More impressive than its extended, successful military campaign in Gaza, Israel prevented a planned ground attack by Hezbollah, pushed the terror organization away from Israel’s northern border with Lebanon and eliminated more than 80% of its long-range missile capabilities.  Those missiles were assessed to be an existential threat to Israel.

In a daring operation that will go down in military history, Israel wiped out thousands of Hezbollah’s mid-level command with “operation grim beeper,” in which some 3,000 explosives-laden, fully operational beepers were detonated. Israel went on to wipe out the entirety of Hezbollah’s leadership, including terror kingpin Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel also assassinated Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh at an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps facility in Tehran, while he was attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.  Pezeshkian was named president just weeks after his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi died in a mysterious helicopter crash. Israel also struck at Iranian IRGC commanders at a facility in Damascus.

First Iranian missile barrages

Those attacks baited Iran directly into the fight. In April and again in October, 2024, Iran launched major ballistic missile attacks on Israel. In response, Israel retaliated with airstrikes on Iranian air defense systems, demonstrating that Israel could reach targets over 1,000 miles away. The removal of these air defense systems later proved essential precursors to the 12-Day War.

Later, following the fall of Bashar Assad in December 2024, in a matter of days Israel destroyed the entirety of the Syrian military, and essentially severed the land bridge between Iran and its primary proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel then demonstrated it could retaliate over 1,000 miles away in Yemen against the Houthis, who have launched more than 60 missile barrages at Israel since Oct. 7. The IAF struck major national infrastructure, including the airport in Yemen’s capital city of Sanaa, and destroyed major ports in Hodeidah.

The United States later carried out a two-month air campaign, hitting over 1,100 Houthi targets, many with Israeli intelligence. The strikes were in response to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels passing through the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest waterways, as well as direct attacks on U.S. naval vessels patrolling the area.

Yet more impressively, as the terror-front war was wearing down toward conclusion, Israel in only 12 days took on the head of the octopus itself, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.

‘A nation that rises like a lion’

With a daring and historic air campaign, Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran, dubbed “Operation Rising Lion,” with two critical goals: destroying Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons program and eliminating its ballistic missile production capabilities.

Flying over 1,000 sorties at distances of over 1,000 miles from home, the Israeli Air Force struck at Iranian nuclear facilities including Natanz and Ifsahan; ballistic missile factories, storage facilities and launchers; took out air defense systems and achieved total air superiority; assassinated Iran’s network of nuclear scientists and military leaders; and targeted key regime infrastructure. Such targets included IRGC and Basij bases, a national television station (that was hit mid-broadcast), and the notorious Evin prison, where Iran brutally incarcerates political opponents.

Throughout 12 days, Israel did not lose a single plane or pilot. Over 200 planes took off, hit targets and refueled in the sky on the way home to Israel, where F-35s, F-16s and F-15s rearmed before taking off yet again.

Over 900 Israeli drones targeted Iranian infrastructure. In the early moments of the campaign, Israel launched strikes with UAVs manufactured at Mossad facilities inside Iran. Israeli assets were seen on the ground detonating air defense systems, enabling the air force to hit its targets without fear of being shot down during the extended campaign.

America’s ‘Midnight Hammer’

The war’s climax was the United States’ own “Operation Midnight Hammer,” ordered and approved by U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously signaled that he might or might not join in the military campaign. Barely a week into Israel’s air campaign, two U.S. B2 stealth bombers flew over 6,000 miles from Missouri and dropped 14 GBU-57 30,000 pound Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-busting bombs on the underground nuclear facility at Fordow. Simultaneously, nuclear submarines stationed just outside the Persian Gulf fired 30 Tomahawk missiles at the already-damaged nuclear facilities of Natanz and Ifsahan to finish their destruction.

It was the first time another nation had cleared the skies for American planes. The B2 bombers arrived and struck completely undetected by Iranian air defense systems.

Muted retaliation

Throughout the 12-day campaign, Iran, assessed before the war began to have 2,000-3,000 ballistic missiles, managed to fire less than a quarter of their stockpile at the Jewish state. In real time, the IAF struck Iran’s mobile missile launchers, removing at least 60% of the launchers, creating a major bottleneck in Iran’s ability to pelt Israel with missiles. 

Perhaps more impressively, Israel’s multi-layered air defense system, including the Arrow 3, Arrow 2 and David’s Sling, managed to shoot down approximately 90% of the approximately 500 ballistic missiles fired at Israel. U.S. THAAD missile defense systems stationed in Israel and across the region assisted in Israel’s defense.

Approximately 25 Iranian missiles struck Israel over the 12 days, inflicting serious damage. Missiles hit an oil refinery, a port, electrical facilities and even hit near Israel’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv.  Other missiles were fired into heavily-populated civilian areas, striking residential buildings, a facility for developmentally-disabled children, an elder care facility, as well as one of Israel’s largest hospitals.

Following America’s strike at Fordow, Iran launched 14 ballistic missiles at the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. All the missiles were intercepted, and no damage was caused. The episode was largely symbolic, and Iran has pledged it will not retaliate further, fearing further American strikes.

Israeli resilience and miracles

As has been the case in all of Israel’s wars, the Jewish state received divine protection. In what can be considered nothing short of an outright miracle, Beersheva’s Soroka Hospital assessed that it should evacuate an older, vulnerable building of hundreds of patients less than one day before the building was directly hit.

Another factor protecting Israelis were bomb shelters and safe rooms across the country. Early warning systems proved highly accurate, alerting Israelis to take cover amid missile barrages fired several times a day.  The result: less than 30 killed instead of thousands, as would have been the case without shelters and multi-layered missile defense.

Throughout the barrages, Israelis proved themselves—once again—to be among the most resilient people on earth, repeatedly following orders to take shelter, limiting injuries and deaths. This resilience provided the cover necessary for Israel to proceed with its offensive air campaign.

Navigating Biden

Throughout 600+ days of war, Israel’s embattled prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had to weather diplomatic storms. The war began near the end of U.S. President Joe Biden’s single term, as the president was exhibiting clear signs of mental decline. While Biden came to Israel just days after the Oct. 7 attack, and moved warships into the Mediterranean, deterring Hezbollah from joining Hamas early in the war, over time, the Biden administration became more adversarial.

America attempted to put numerous red lights before the Israeli military during its extended Gaza campaign, and withheld critical munitions from Israel, forcing the IDF to alter tactics in the heavily booby-trapped urban environment. Israel had no choice but to husband dwindling munitions. Rather than strike from the air, Israel took to destroying buildings in Gaza by risking the lives of Israeli soldiers using unsophisticated explosives.

A targeted pressure campaign was launched against Israel’s prime minister; a stunning attempt to push Netanyahu out of office. Yet, even with this surprising political intervention against a democratically elected American ally during wartime, Netanyahu refused to buckle. To the contrary, he grew stronger and more confident, after the Oct. 7 attacks had initially rocked his stability.

Phony genocide charges and arrest warrants

Simultaneously, pressure from European governments and international institutions ratcheted up against Israel and Netanyahu in particular. The International Court of Justice heard a case falsely accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, abusing the protocols established by the court following the genocide of Jews during the Second World War. 

Later, the ICC issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant, severely limiting their ability to travel freely without serious risk of arrest. The warrants remain in place.

Trump to the rescue

With the election of President Trump, Israel’s strategic situation changed dramatically. Netanyahu’s key deputy, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, has worked tirelessly to repair relations with Israel’s most important ally.

Almost immediately upon entering office, Trump released the holds the Biden administration placed on key munitions, enabling the IDF to fully restock. Then, Trump provided diplomatic backing.

He removed pressure on Netanyahu to end the military campaign in Gaza, even floating the idea of resettling Gazans outside of the Strip. Trump has continuously urged Netanyahu to finish the job, rather than stop in his tracks. Similarly, Trump placed sanctions on ICC judges who issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu.

Most importantly, Netanyahu and Dermer convinced Trump and his team of the necessity of striking at Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli intelligence estimates were that Iran was just weeks away from taking its 60% enriched uranium and ramping up to producing as many as 10 nuclear weapons. Israel has long warned that a nuclear Iran was an existential threat to Israel. Netanyahu has long pledged that he would never allow Iran to possess such a weapon.

While a continuous barrage of unsourced media reports projected a growing rift between Trump and Netanyahu, nothing could have been further from the truth.

Since the start of the 12-Day War, and particularly following America’s “Operation Midnight Hammer,” both Trump and Netanyahu have proudly celebrated their teamwork, and professed that Israel and America have never worked closer together.

Now, just 12 days after Israel’s direct confrontation with Iran began, and just two days after America leveled Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, Trump has announced that Israel and Iran have agreed to enter into a ceasefire. Whether that ceasefire will hold, no one yet knows.

Overwhelming Israeli victory

Yet, whether it holds or not, the results are overwhelming: Israel has won its war. Iran’s proxy network of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are deterred, and no longer pose a credible military threat to Israel. And the head of the terror octopus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, has been dealt devastating blows. More importantly, the regime has been deeply humiliated.

And while the Iranian propaganda machine has been broadcasting that Iran has dealt crushing blows to Israel, and the U.S. airbase in Qatar, Iranians are soon to get a much-needed dose of reality: the regime they hate is weaker than it has ever been.

Regime change in Iran?

The stage is now set for Iranians to recall their revolutionary spirit, and overthrow their “Islamic Republic.” Doing so would make amends for the Islamic Revolution of 1979, which saw the overthrow of a pro-Western leader, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and the ushering in of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. He, and his successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have reversed Iran’s modernization and used brutal force to oppress the Iranian people.

Chances are high that the Islamic Republic is in its final days.  Israel and America have both intimated that regime change could be coming, though both refused to identify it as a war goal. 

Netanyahu and Dermer

Such agreements would likely usher in an era of peace in the Middle East not seen since Israel’s establishment. And they would represent the greatest victory over Iran, as its terror proxies launched their war in large part to block such agreements from taking place. 

The much-maligned Netanyahu and his talented minister Dermer have much to be proud of. They have deftly navigated domestic storms, diplomatic pressure and a difficult multifront military campaign. They have proven themselves to be the indispensable leaders Israel needed most during one of the country’s most trying periods.

But ultimately, their victory belongs to the entire nation of Israel.  A nation that proudly rises like a lion.