Israel Blows Up Hezbollah Ridge, Causing 4.1 Earthquake

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16122039/skies-Lebanon-Israel-blow-Hezbollah-tunnels-magnitude-tremor.html

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433039

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/433034

https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/idf-destroys-major-hezbollah-tunnel-network-achieves-control-over-key-area

Israel has blown up a key tunnel network built by the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, causing a 4.1 magnitude tremor from a blast that filled the night sky with flames and billowing plumes of smoke. 

The explosion sent shockwaves rippling across the region for miles, obliterated the major underground complex built by the Iran-backed terrorist organisation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced it had demolished the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon. It is understood 1,100 tons of explosives were used.

Footage released by Israel's defence minister Israel Katz shows the dark night skies emblazoned with orange fire as smoke billows out from the destroyed tunnels. The video was captioned: 'We promised and we delivered. The terrorists were eliminated and the Ali Taher tunnels were destroyed. Kudos to the IDF.'

Meanwhile, the operation was captured by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The tunnels have long been seen as a flashpoint in the Israel-Hezbollah war. 

'This is strategic terrorist infrastructure that was built over two decades, with Iranian funding and planning,' said a joint statement by Netanyahu and Katz.

The destruction 'completes the achievement of operational control over the Ali al-Taher ridge - above and below ground,' the statement added.

The United States Geological Survey meanwhile reported a 4.1 magnitude tremor in the area, after Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that Israel carried out a 'massive explosion' on the Ali al-Taher ridge in the Nabatieh region, 'causing tremors and a powerful rumble'.

Israel has blown up a key tunnel network built by the Hezbollah group in Lebanon 

 The explosion sent shockwaves rippling across the region for miles, obliterated the major underground complex built by the Iran-backed terrorist organisation

Footage released by Israel's defence minister Israel Katz shows the dark night skies emblazoned with orange fire as smoke billows out from the destroyed tunnels

AFP journalists in south Lebanon also said they heard 'huge explosions'. 'We were sitting there and everything shook,' Joelle Fares, who recently moved to Majayoun, said.

The Israeli army said the Hezbollah infrastructure extended for more than two kilometres (1.2 miles) and contained 'dozens of Iranian-made rockets, missiles, and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), as well as machine guns, dozens of anti-tank missiles, and hundreds of mines and explosive devices'.

The underground compound also included a command centre of Hezbollah's 'Badr' unit, the army added.

A military official said that some of the militants that had operated in the area of the ridge had abandoned it, while others were 'eliminated by aerial strikes and artillery fire'.

Israel announced last week that it had captured the Ali al-Taher ridge. Located about 15 km (10 miles) from the Israeli border, the hills have a commanding view of a broad sweep of southeastern Lebanon.

In March, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran. There had been a lull in violence after the understanding reached between Iran and the United States in June, followed by an agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

But strikes have increased in intensity in recent days. During negotiations, the United States, which sponsored the talks, proposed that the Lebanese army take control of the Ali al-Taher ridge, but Hezbollah refused, a source close to the parties told AFP.

The Ali al-Taher ridge was controlled by the Israeli military from 1982 to 2000 during its occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah built an extensive underground network following the Israeli withdrawal. 

Reuters reported earlier this month that Iran had warned the United States against an Israeli attack on the ridge. 

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16122039/skies-Lebanon-Israel-blow-Hezbollah-tunnels-magnitude-tremor.html

Iran has resumed underground production of ballistic missiles – report

www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/iran-has-resumed-underground-production-of-ballistic-missiles-report/

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows damaged buildings at Iran's Khojir military base outside of Tehran, Iran, October 26, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran is once again producing ballistic missiles in underground facilities, US and Middle East officials tell The Wall Street Journal.

According to the report, Tehran is using stockpiled parts to assemble both solid- and liquid-fueled missiles.

The production is taking place at a number of underground locations, including the Khojir complex east of Tehran.

The Islamic Republic is working to build new production sites as well, according to the sources.

History of Naval Blockades

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-908277

Getting the tanker war right: A history of blockades from the US Civil War to Iran - analysis

Getting the tanker war right will be a challenge for the US because of the factors involved. The White House is already signaling that the conflict and high oil prices will continue through midterms.

The US is currently embroiled in a tit-for-tat tanker war with Iran. What began as the US and Israel’s strikes on Iran in February has changed drastically over the past few months. Now, one of the conflict’s biggest features is the battle for the Strait of Hormuz. That battle is being fought in an environment that is both complex and unique.

Iran presents a significant threat to ships in the Gulf. The Iranians possess many kinds of drones and missiles, and Iran itself borders the waterway. It’s hard to defend hundreds of miles of waterway. History shows that the country bordering the waterway will always have an advantage, even if it’s weaker.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has taken a new approach to this conflict; it retaliates when Iran strikes at ships and sinks Iranian tankers.

Earlier this week, CENTCOM stated: “CENTCOM forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers [on] September 8 after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles twice over the past two days. The US warship successfully evaded the attempted Iranian attacks and continued to patrol regional waters. No American personnel were harmed.”

The Iranians responded by striking at Jordan and have continued to threaten shipping.

US Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit board M/V Blue Star III, a commercial ship suspected of attempting to transit to Iran in violation of the US blockade of Iranian ports, April 28, 2026. (credit: US Marine Corps photo)

Success in the Strait of Hormuz depends on whether ships will continue to traverse the waterway. Risk affects whether ships will opt to enter the strait at all. No captain or company wants to risk their ships, even if the chance of them being sunk or struck is low.

The US has been conducting naval blockades for hundreds of years

Thankfully, the US has been doing everything it can to aid shipping. To that end, the US has been clearing underwater mines.

It appears the US may be slowly gaining the upper hand on several levels. Historically, naval blockades take a long time, and their success requires sticking with them for the long haul. Consider, for example, the US blockade of the Confederate States envisioned in the Anaconda Plan of 1861. It envisioned blockading the Confederacy, and it took many years to achieve that.

Many other wars have seen blockades. In 1806, Napoleon attempted a reverse blockade of Britain to cut off British trade with the rest of Europe. The Germans used U-boats to attempt the very same thing. At the same time, the Germans were also blockaded during the First and Second World Wars, and they attempted to run through the blockade with their own ships. In each case, history shows that blockades can last years.

In the 19th century, Montevideo in Uruguay endured a decade-long siege. If a small area of Uruguay couldn’t be reduced by blockade, what chance is there with Iran? It’s possible that going to war with Iran directly could lead to a decade-long conflict. This would match what happened with Iraq after the 1991 war, when the US had to secure no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq. Earlier, in the 1980s, the US had to deal with the Iran-Iraq tanker war, which involved both sides targeting shipping.

Can the region get the tanker war right this time? Iran has continually issued warnings and has warned South Korea not to get involved in the Gulf conflict. According to an Arab News report, Qatar said that Gulf countries cannot rely solely on the US for security.

Iran believes it has options

This week, Iran said it would announce a new “restricted” zone in the Gulf. Arab News noted: “The new restricted zone will begin from where the US blockade of Iran begins and will extend into areas of the Gulf, Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Sunday in an interview with state TV. Few details were provided on the plan, but Rezaei said any ship entering the new zone would be added to a sanctions list.”

This leads us to the million-dollar question: Will Iran continue to strike at ships? And, if they do, can the US go tit-for-tat with the Iranians and sink enough of their ships to force Iran to choose a new path? Even if the US strikes make Iran shift tactics, Iran may find new ways to wreak havoc. Iran could, for example, strike at energy installations, or attack Jordan more than it has in the past.

Above all else, one thing is clear: Iran believes that it has options.

Iran has many fronts to exploit. The Iranian border with Iraq and the Gulf is hundreds of miles long. Iran also has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean. Iran has proxies in Yemen and other places. The Houthis expanding their role in the Red Sea, for instance, may be a way for Iran to open or exploit a new front.

This is why it will be such a challenge for the US to get the tanker war right. The war is complex, with many factors at play. Worse still, the White House has already signaled that the conflict and high oil prices will continue through the midterms in November.

Despite this, the US seems to have no desire to try another deal with Iran. Iran has proven duplicitous and unwilling to change. The fight against such an enemy will be a long one.

https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-908277

PM at Hermon summit: We won't allow any terror army to establish itself on our border

www.israelnationalnews.com/news/432957

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Mount Hermon summit with the defense minister. “The main task is to defeat the terror regime in Iran. We are close to achieving that."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Mount Hermon summit in Syria today (Wednesday), together with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai.

“We control the entire area from the summit of Mount Hermon to the Yarmouk, and from here to the Mediterranean Sea - absolute control unlike anything we have had before. We will not allow any terror army to establish itself on our border, and this is one of the tremendous achievements we have secured in the War of Revival," the prime minister said.

He stressed that the campaign has not yet ended.

“From these heights, there is still more work to be done - the main task is to defeat the terror regime in Iran. We are very close to achieving that. We know that the entire axis will ultimately fall. We are committed to doing this, and we will do it."

During their visit to the military post overlooking Syrian territory, the participants received a security briefing on the full range of operations being carried out by forces in the sector.

The briefing was delivered by Northern Command Commander Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo and 210th Division Commander Brig. Gen. Yair Peli.

Israel reacts to UK Labour Party

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115819/Israel-hits-Miliband-UK-consulate-MPs-boots-military.html

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115899/Miliband-accused-Jews-UK-danger-Chief-Rabbi-Tory-leader-react-Labour-sanctions-Israeli.html

https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/uk-sanctions-on-judea-and-samaria-shameful-not-helpful-danon-says

Israel hits back at Ed Miliband and closes UK consulate, bars a dozen MPs and boots out military

Israel hit back ferociously at Labour, closing the UK consulate in East Jerusalem and booting out Britain's military from peacebuilding operations.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar declared that British trade sanctions 'will not go unanswered' as he also banned a dozen Left-wing politicians from entering the country.

Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott, Zarah Sultana and John McDonnell, as well as all five Green MPs, are among those barred from visiting for 'anti-Semitic and anti-Israel activities'.

Mr Sa'ar labelled Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement in Parliament as 'outrageous lies' as relations between the two countries hit an all-time low.

He said: 'Unfortunately, a hostile Labour Government is in office, systematically acting against the State of Israel and it has left us with no choice but to finally respond to its hostile actions.' 

Mr Sa'ar's countermeasures blocked the British military from working alongside US and Israeli forces in the International Gaza Support Centre which oversees peace operations in the Strip.

The UK's training of Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank has also been terminated.

Israel's recently opened tenders for 1,200 homes east of Jerusalem

The closure of its East Jerusalem consulate dramatically reduces its diplomatic footprint.

The development underlines the erosion of British influence in Israel – a nation where London once commanded unique soft power and political goodwill forged through decades of historic connections. 

Israel may reduce its intelligence sharing with the UK.

Israel's spy agency Mossad has thwarted countless terror attacks on British soil and the move risks undermining Britain's relationship with the organisation at a time when the threat level is 'severe'.

Coming just weeks ahead of Israeli elections, Mr Sa'ar described UK policy as 'morally distorted', adding that it 'constitutes blatant interference in the affairs of a sovereign state and its electoral process'. 

He said: 'The move by the Labour Government in Britain is particularly absurd given that, more than a century ago, it was the Balfour Declaration of the British Government that formally recognised the historic right of the Jewish people to re-establish their national home in the Land of Israel, including in Judea and Samaria.' 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar declared that British trade sanctions 'will not go unanswered'

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid also hit out at the policy, saying it was designed to appeal to Labour's base.

He said: 'The British Government's decision to impose boycotts and sanctions on Israel is a grave mistake. 

'It is a wrong and dangerous policy, at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. The decision will  provide encouragement to Hamas and the terrorist organisations.'

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115819/Israel-hits-Miliband-UK-consulate-MPs-boots-military.html

Labour was accused of putting British Jews at risk after caving in to Left-wing activists demanding sanctions on Israel.

Britain's Chief Rabbi said a trade ban on Israeli settlements in the West Bank was 'truly a dark day for British Jews'.

Sir Ephraim Mirvis said Labour's 'gesture politics', coming just days before the Jewish New Year celebrations, would 'further embolden those, at home and abroad, who use hatred as a weapon against Jews'.

Kemi Badenoch joined the condemnation, saying that Andy Burnham risked 'fanning the flames of anti-Semitism at home' in order to appease those deserting Labour for the Greens.

The Tory leader said the plan risked fracturing relations with a key ally, accusing the PM of 'throwing British interests under the bus to win back Islamist and far-Left activist votes'.

Labour MP Peter Prinsley said he had told Mr Miliband personally that the sanctions could put British Jews at risk. 

Israel accused Labour of 'outrageous lies' after Ed Miliband, pictured in the Commons yesterday, announced sanctions on Israel

Britain's Chief Rabbi said a trade ban on Israeli settlements in the West Bank was 'truly a dark day for British Jews'

Mike Huckabee, US ambassador to Israel, said the sanctions would 'without a doubt' lead to reprisals from the US, including potential trade bans from states such as Florida.

Diplomatic sources told the Daily Mail that officials at Britain's embassy in Tel Aviv warned ministers it was 'not possible' to target goods from the Israeli settlements without hitting the rest of the country. 

Mrs Badenoch accused the PM of acting to placate Left-wing activists ahead of the party's conference at the end of this month.

The Tory leader said Labour's 'obsession with Israel' was 'less to do with peace in the Middle East, and more to do with trying to keep the peace in the Labour Party'.

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, she accused Mr Burnham of reviving the divisive politics of Jeremy Corbyn and said Labour's 'relentless demonisation of the world's only Jewish state risks fanning the flames of anti-Semitism at home'.

The E1 area near Maale Adumim, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank targeted for development

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16115899/Miliband-accused-Jews-UK-danger-Chief-Rabbi-Tory-leader-react-Labour-sanctions-Israeli.html

UK sanctions on Judea and Samaria ‘shameful,’ ‘not helpful,’ Danon says

“You know, the British Mandate of Palestine is over,” Israel’s U.N. ambassador told reporters at a press briefing at the United Nations headquarters.

The “so-called sanctions” that British foreign secretary Ed Miliband announced banning products from Judea and Samaria are “shameful” and “not helpful,” Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters at U.N. headquarters.

“We’re an independent country, a sovereign country,” Danon said at the press briefing in Turtle Bay. “If someone thinks that diplomacy is being played by applying sanctions or trying to bend our arm, we will take action as well.”

The envoy told reporters that he “met with the U.K. ambassador when she came in.”

“Don’t expect to dictate your ideas on us,” he told her. “You know, the British Mandate of Palestine is over.”

https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/uk-sanctions-on-judea-and-samaria-shameful-not-helpful-danon-says

Muslim and Arab nations praise British sanctions on Israel

More than half a dozen Arab and Islamic countries have praised Britain's decision to place sanctions on Israel.

Eight Arab and Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, have welcomed the sanctions.

Thanks to Mamdani and Piker, the 9/11 anniversary remains especially relevant

www.jns.org/opinion/column/jonathan-s-tobin/thanks-to-mamdani-and-piker-the-9-11-anniversary-remains-especially-relevant

Rather than a distant historical event, the rise of Islamists and woke leftists who hate America and the West is a reminder of what’s at stake in the clash of civilizations. Jonathan S. Tobin editor-in-chief of JNS

New Yorkers are debating whether or not it is appropriate for Mayor Zohran Mamdani to attend the ceremonies commemorating the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America on Sept. 11, 2001. But, like the one about his boycott of the city’s annual “Israel Day” parade, most of the arguments miss the point.

The presence of a politician who has cheered on other Islamist terrorists in his career may be unwelcome to many of the families of the victims, and to other New Yorkers and Americans. But just as there was no way to force him to honor Israel by attending the annual parade in New York City, as mayor, he cannot be stopped from being at the 9/11 ceremony. So those there while the names are read aloud of the 2,977 people killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon in Washington and on a field in Shanksville, Pa., by Al-Qaeda terrorists will have to endure his presence.

Overshadowed by Afghanistan and Iraq

What matters about this kerfuffle goes beyond anger about the radical mayor’s ability to insinuate himself into the ceremony. If anything, the fact that New York City is now governed by someone who, though condemning terrorism, views America and the West from a perspective not dissimilar to that of those who committed the 9/11 attacks, is something that ought to be considered entirely relevant to the discussion of such a significant anniversary.

The horror of the assault on America 25 years ago is something those under 30 don’t remember. Even for many of us who do recall where we were that awful morning when we first heard the news of what was happening in Lower Manhattan, the memories of 9/11 are now bound up more with subsequent events.

The long, bloody and ultimately disastrous wars that the United States fought in Afghanistan and Iraq have become the primary focus for any discussion of the aftermath of 9/11 or what it meant. Indeed, the anger about those failures dominates the historical memory of George W. Bush’s presidency. Bush’s mistaken belief that he could remake the Middle East by exporting Western democracy to nations that were neither prepared for such a transition or even wanted it led many Americans to accept a distorted view of what led to those conflicts.

The idea that Americans can turn their backs on the world—and so avoid wasting so much blood and treasure on forlorn efforts to impose our values on other peoples—is deeply rooted in the country’s historical traditions. The United States has always viewed its defense as defined by oceans and continents, and therefore felt safe ignoring the rest of the world. Foreign wars, not to mention Bush’s failed experiments in nation-building, are almost always unpopular and easily depicted as imposed on the country against its will by those pursuing agendas other than American security.

Indeed, President Donald Trump’s rise and takeover of the Republican Party was part of this sea change in U.S. politics, though that would have been unimaginable on Sept. 12, 2001. It was largely based on a belief that Bush and the rest of the party establishment were more focused on futile foreign wars while pursuing domestic policies that worsened the lives of working-class Americans.

It wasn’t a ‘war on terrorism’

Much was wrong with Bush’s policies at home and abroad. But he was right about one thing.

The lesson of 9/11 was that in the 21st century, it was no longer possible for Americans to live in splendid isolation from foreign threats, especially those originating in the Middle East. Most Americans may not have been interested in an Islamist belief centered on a perpetual war on the West; however, those pursuing that hateful cause were and are very interested in such a prospect. Bush might have been wrong about the wisdom of investing so much into the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. And by toppling the despotic Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, he wound up strengthening an even more dangerous threat to the West in neighboring Iran.

Bush foolishly named the conflict a “war on terror,” even though the enemy was a global Islamist movement, and terrorism was just the foe’s preferred tactic. Whatever name was used, it wasn’t a product of mistaken intelligence about Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction programs or a doomed crusade for democracy in the Muslim and Arab worlds. It was a Western recognition that a great many Muslims and Arabs were already waging a war on them before 9/11, and that rather than going back to sleep, Americans needed to do something about it.

Desperate for international support, especially from Arab nations with governments that were as afraid of the Islamists as Washington, Bush bent over backwards to avoid accurate descriptions of what was at stake. He was equally worried that he might fuel prejudice against innocent American Muslims. His laughable repeated insistence that Islam was a religion of peace did far more harm than good—and not just because the idea that there was a post-9/11 anti-Muslim backlash was a myth without any empirical evidence to back it up.

The war in which the 9/11 attacks were a historical milestone was not against “terrorism.” It was and remains a clash of civilizations in which Islamists are not merely destructive radicals, but a global force that seeks the destruction of Western civilization and American constitutional democracy. Yet most Western leaders then and now have continued to refuse to acknowledge this basic truth.

America’s post-9/11 counter-attack against Islamism was not limited to the failed wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Al-Qaeda was, if not entirely wiped out, still severely damaged. But President Barack Obama’s obsession with winding down Bush’s wars caused him to misread what was happening in the Middle East. The “Arab Spring” of 2010 and 2011 was not—contrary to the understanding of the Obama administration and its mainstream media cheerleaders—a drive for democracy. It was rooted in a desire to replace brutal authoritarians with equally brutal Islamists. And his push for appeasement of Iran was based on a misreading of Iran’s goals. It didn’t want to “get right with the world,” as Obama said. It was an Islamist terror regime that had been at war with America since 1979.

Misunderstanding Islamism and its allies

The Islamist foe of the West that made itself felt on 9/11 may not call itself by the same name used by those terrorists. But in its various current guises, whether among Sunni Muslims who supported ISIS as well as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood or its Shi’ite versions embodied by the Iranian government and its Hezbollah auxiliaries, it remains just as much at war with America as it was a quarter-of-a-century ago.

Part of the confusion felt by many Americans is their mistaken belief that the war waged on Israel by Iran and its allies is somehow unconnected to the forces that assaulted them on 9/11. That is largely the result of misleading Islamist propaganda that has both demonized Israel via the spread of blood libels about “genocide” and tapped into toxic Marxist ideas that enabled them to falsely depict the Jews and their state as “white” oppressors.

Leftist orthodoxies embodied in critical race theory, intersectionality and settler-colonialism that have come to dominate academia, the arts and the media in recent years have played a large role in mainstreaming and normalizing the antisemitism that lies behind these lies. But these beliefs have also obscured the direct link between efforts to destroy the State of Israel and the Islamist conviction that the West must also be overthrown.

And that’s why the ascent of Mamdani, coupled with the rest of the “progressive” movement that seems on the cusp of taking over the Democratic Party, remains relevant to any discussion of the legacy of 9/11.

Hasan Piker speaks for many

Popular leftist Muslim streamer Hasan Piker spoke for many who shared his hate for Israel and the West when he said that “America deserved 9/11.”

Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who campaigned with Piker, may say they disagree with him about 9/11, yet they do so because it is politically expedient. Still, the entire mindset of the Democratic Socialists of America and their political allies views the United States as an imperial, colonialist and racist power that must be defeated. Indeed, that is the whole point of the settler-colonialist belief system that wishes to undermine American exceptionalism and traditional conceptions of Western civilization as much as it desires Israel’s extinction.

The uncomfortable truth about the intersectional left-wing movement supporting people like Mamdani and El-Sayed is that whether they fully comprehend it or not, they share much of the worldview of those who were behind 9/11. The same ideas that mobilized the 2001 U.N. Conference against racism in Durban, South Africa, which sought the international isolation of Israel, are connected to the notion that the West is inherently evil.

This is now also being echoed to some extent on the political right.

Since 9/11, a number of high-profile political commentators and podcasters on the right have succumbed to the siren song of isolationism. Unsurprisingly, among the leading exponents of that false view of America’s place in the world, people like former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have become open apologists for Iran, Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood’s American supporters. Many of his followers, and those of even more extreme voices like conspiracy theorist Candace Owens and neo-Nazi groyper Nick Fuentes, may prefer to blame all the ills of the world on the traditional scapegoat of the West: the Jews. But they and those on the left who echo such views fail to realize that they have all become the dupes of those who share the goals and belief systems of the 9/11 terrorists.

This—and not the fact that, as The Wall Street Journal reported, Mamdani gave the pen he signed the annual 9/11 city proclamation to his chief legal counsel Ramzi Kassem, who previously represented Al-Qaeda terrorist clients—is why we should be outraged about him being there at the 25th-anniversary ceremonies.

The thing we should be worried about is not who shows up at 9/11 ceremonies. It’s that a considerable portion of the American public has now fallen under the sway of those who also hate America and the West for some of the same reasons that motivated the murders of nearly 3,000 Americans. This is why, although it took place a long time ago and has been overshadowed by subsequent events, that assault on America and the worldview of those who launched it is very much part of our contemporary politics.

Americans need to wake up to the fact that, contrary to the way 9/11 is remembered by much of the media and the political establishment, that dark day was part of a generational “forever” war that can’t be wished away by politicians on the right or the left.

The conflict is between two civilizations that cannot coexist peaceably. The red-green alliance of Marxists and Islamists may want to obscure this truth, as do some of their antisemitic allies on the right. But as much as we might wish it not to be so, Americans need to keep fighting the war against Islamism, and its apologists and rationalizers. Doing so will require judgment as to where to stand their ground and where not to, as Bush’s failures illustrated. Yet if they don’t, sooner or later, their enemies will remind them why the violence that was aimed at them on 9/11 isn’t a historical memory, but a current reality.