Shavuah tov, may this new week bring us lasting safety and peace over the United States, Israel, and the world.
The first part of this weekend in the Middle East has been filled not only with the expected physical attacks, such as ballistic missiles, rockets, and drones, but also with the drawing of lines between larger coalitions on both sides.
Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Hamas have now formally created an alliance against the United States, Israel, and allies. Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi Political Council, said: “We have decided to stand militarily with Iran and will announce zero hour at the appropriate time”. The deputy commander of the Houthi military forces stated, “Coordination between Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Ansar Allah is done through joint operations rooms within the resistance axis; aiming to unify efforts against the Zionist entity in the region.”
They have already been launching progressively more missiles with fragmenting warhead missiles. These types of missiles do incredible damage to civilians and residential areas in a haphazard way that is difficult to prevent, which is why they have been forbidden by international law since 1980 (International Committee of the Red Cross, Rule 79), and emphasized again as forbidden in the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. Fragmenting warheads were launched at Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and central Israel, and others exploded in Eilat on Saturday afternoon, hitting 10 sites and wounding many, including a 12-year-old boy. These types of attacks are indiscriminate, and this is why they are totally forbidden.
But that obviously doesn’t matter to Iran and its allies, who are more concerned with killing any “infidel,” soldier, or civilian. What is profoundly sad however, is that the international community, including the Red Cross, are not up in arms about these violations; and many international players continue to support these terrorist regimes committed to violence and death.
But Iran’s attacks are not limited to Israel, and they are pushing other players in the region to join an alliance with the United States and Israel in attacking Iran. Just on Saturday:
- Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense reported that two drones targeting the Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base caused “material damage” on Saturday afternoon. Early Sunday morning, Kuwait’s aviation authority then announced that its international airport was attacked by drones, which struck the radar system at the site. It was reported that authorities initiated emergency procedures.
- Qatar’s Ministry of Defense announced that the country “was attacked today by four ballistic missiles and several drones launched from Iran.
- Saudi Arabia announced that it intercepted four drones launched from Iran in a single hour around sunset, and that six ballistic missiles fired toward Al-Kharg province were intercepted on Saturday night.
- Sunday morning, Anwar Gargash, adviser to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, published a post on X in which he claimed that “after 1,909 Iranian attacks against the UAE, Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi still accuses the UAE of attacking Iran.” According to him, “the UAE has the right to defend itself against aggression, but it continues to prioritize logic, exercise restraint and seek a way out for Iran and the region.”
As the Shia regime of Iran continues to attack the other Sunni Muslim nations, it is only a matter of time before those countries like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia become extremely proactive in the war against Iran, with whom they disagree theologically as well.
The conflict between Iran and its other Muslim neighbors has become exacerbated as a result of U.S. actions over the last 36 hours. The U.S. bombed, and according to Donald Trump, “totally obliterated” Kharg Island, which hosts the terminal that handles around 90% of all of Iran’s oil exports. Because much of the attack was launched from us bases in other Arab Nations such as the UAE, Iran is now making threats against those countries as well for hosting U.S. forces.
Despite misinformation reported by both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the U.S. government has been clear that we have more than enough munitions to handle this war. On the other hand, Israel is beginning to be concerned about munitions, and American news site SEMAFOR reported that Israel informed the U.S. it is facing a significant shortage of ballistic missile interceptors. But the same SEMAFOR article quoted an American official saying that “Israel is finding solutions.”
One of those solutions is funding, and on Saturday, Israeli government ministers approved an urgent defense funding of 2.6 billion shekels (roughly $826 million) to procure armaments, acquisition of advanced combat means, and replenishment of critical combat inventory,” which will be voted on for final approval by the Knesset within two weeks.
The Strait of Hormuz has become, as was expected, a key part of this war. Iran has said that it has closed off this key waterway to any company from a nation that supports the United States and Israel. President Trump has said that we are going to easily keep the Strait open for the crucial oil shipping that goes through it, while IRGC officials have said that the war depends entirely upon this battleground, and that if it is lost, Iran will lose the war. Trump is attempting to create a worldwide coalition against Iran, and it seems as if he is starting to succeed, as it was announced on Saturday night that the United Kingdom is about to send thousands of drone interceptors to the Middle East. Bloomberg reports that Netanyahu has reached out to Ukraine’s Zelensky, in addition to 10,000 AI-enabled Merops drone interceptors that are being provided by the U.S. Army.
Sadly, it seems as if the religious leaders of Iran are getting what they want: a worldwide conflict between Islam and Western Civilization. This has always been their goal, for the stated goal of the Quran is to create a worldwide caliphate of sharia law. For them, this has been a 1,400-year-old theological war.
And that is really what it must be for all of us. For the theology of the Iranian clerics is based on death, destruction, and worldwide domination, creating a monolithic world of Islam. For Jews and Christians, war is only to be used in order to gain a lasting peace. Judeo-Christian values are not about making the world monolithic, but about treasuring peace and the values that we learn in the Torah.
Psalm 34 (quoted in 1 Peter 3:11) says, “Seek peace and pursue it.”
May we all have the courage and commitment to pursue peace with all of our passion and strength. Yes, that means pursue peace right now through acts of war, but it also means keep our eye on the goal of a long-term peace. A peace that will include the citizens of Iran and the other Arab nations as partners with Israel, the U.S., and the West in a world of mutual respect.
And above all, a lasting peace. Ufros Aleinu Sukkat Shlomecha: O God, spread over us a covering of Your peace.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
March 14, 2026
26th of Adar, 5786
Iran is continuing to attack Israel directly as well as American bases, and despite reports that its weapons are depleted and 70% of its launchers destroyed, it continues its barrages, as well as its threats to its neighbors.
There were multiple barrages launched at Israel on Sunday in conjunction with Hezbollah, including Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) missiles, which are ballistic missiles whose payloads contain multiple warheads, each capable of hitting a different target independently. They attacked the American “Victoria” base in Baghdad; Saudi Arabia said that it intercepted 61 drones; and attacked the Dubai airport, setting a fuel tank on fire and temporarily closing the airport. They also issued threats to their neighbors of Qatar and the UAE, saying in an official statement, “Due to the presence of U.S. military officers and soldiers hiding in these areas, specific locations may be attacked in the coming hours.” They continued, “Despite our warnings, your leaders have given shelter to the Americans and allowed your territories to be used to attack Iran.”
While they attack and threaten, the U.S. and Israel continue to destroy weapons and infrastructure sites. The Strait of Hormuz is still an unresolved lynchpin, with Trump saying that he will announce next week what other nations are supporting the U.S. in opening the Strait. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her country is not currently planning to send military vessels to secure ships in the Strait of Hormuz; Trump said, “”Israel is working with the U.S. to secure the Strait of Hormuz”; and French President Macron announced on X that he had a conversation with the Iranian President Pezeshkian about opening the Strait. It is clear that the Strait is a crucial battlefield, with the control of it being what may be able to end the war.
President Trump told the Financial Times that the United Kingdom hesitated to support U.S. efforts against Iran, saying London declined to send ships when first asked but later offered two vessels after the threat had largely been neutralized. Trump said he had wanted the support earlier and reiterated his long-standing criticism that NATO often operates as a “one-way street.” Trump has very clear opinions about NATO’s obligation, and warned NATO member countries that they face a “very bad future” if allies do not help the U.S. ensure open passage for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. “It’s only fair that people who benefit from the strait help ensure that nothing ‘bad’ happens there.”
CBS reported that the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had reservations about the possibility of his son Mojtaba succeeding him because Mojtaba was perceived as “unwise” and unfit to lead.
Whoever is leading Iran is less important than what they choose to do. The Islamic clerics are committed to this war, and we too need to be committed to success. This will involve opening the Strait, destroying all military capabilities of Iran, and helping the Iranian people have control of their own nation. Anything less than this would be “kicking the can down the road,” and would lead to more wars in the near future.
Our goal must not be a cessation of war only or a temporary peace that will be violated as soon as the Iranian clerics believe they can. Our goal must remain to restructure the region so that a long-term peace exists between Israel, Iran, and their Middle Eastern neighbors.
And we must always keep that goal at the forefront of our consciousness: to seek a real and lasting peace and pursue it with all our efforts and passion.
If you would like to understand some deeper details about Israel and the geopolitics, I invite you to listen to the new weekly podcast I am hosting: “The Rabbi’s Table: Dialogue Not Debate.” In this first episode, my guest is former U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who shares some brilliant insights into what is really happening in the Middle East. It can be found on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts, and Ambassador Friedman’s words are insightful.
May we all have the insight to remember the goal of peace, especially as we traverse the challenges of war.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
March 16, 2026
27th of Adar, 5786
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