Robert Spencer, no fan of Islam he, asks an obvious question that hasn't really been focused on (by me, anyway):

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Why Does Iran Hate Israel?

In all the excitement over the bombings of Tehran by Israel and Tel Aviv by Iran, the question has too seldom been asked: what exactly is Iran’s beef with Israel? Why does the Islamic Republic consider the Jewish state to be a mortal enemy, to the extent of repeatedly vowing its imminent destruction?

The answer is not immediately clear or obvious. After all, the two countries don’t border upon one another. They have no competing territorial claims. They have no competing economic interests. From the standpoint of the issues that have ordinarily caused conflicts among nations, Iran’s hostility to Israel makes about as much sense as if the leaders of the United States were suddenly to decide that the chief enemy of our nation was Costa Rica, and began to shower that small Central American nation with endless threats and saber-rattling.

The real reason, however, for the Islamic Republic’s hostility to Israel is quite clear, and is found in the official name of the nation itself. Iran is an Islamic republic. It is dedicated to the scrupulous implementation of Islamic law. The Qur’an, meanwhile, says that the Jews are among those who are “the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe” (5:82). This has the effect, along with the tidal wave of antisemitic material that is elsewhere in the Qur’an, as well as in the traditions of Muhammad, of making Muslims vehement in hostility toward Jews. 

That, in sum, is the basis of the Iranian government’s hostility to Israel, as Iranian officials themselves have made clear on numerous occasions. As they launched drones toward Israel last week, Iranian officers recited passages from the Qur’an.

On Oct. 1, 2024, as he prepared to launch 200 ballistic missiles against Israel, the late commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, Hossein Salami, recited another passage from the Qur’an, saying: “In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. [The Quran says:] ‘Fight them, and Allah will punish them at your hands, put them to shame, help you overcome them, and soothe the hearts of the believers.’” That’s Qur’an 9:14-15, which tells Muslims that they are the executors of Allah’s wrath on earth, as Allah will punish unbelievers through the actions of the believers. The ballistic missiles that Salami was launching were, therefore, a manifestation of the divine punishment of the Jews.

….

Ahmad Alamolhoda, a member of the Assembly of Experts, which chooses and supervises the Supreme Leader, said in 2013: “The destruction of Israel is the idea of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and is one of the pillars of the Iranian Islamic regime. We cannot claim that we have no intention of going to war with Israel.” Iran doesn’t just want to destroy Israel; it sees the destruction of Israel as one of its foremost goals as an Islamic republic. If Iran were not trying to destroy Israel, it would not be fulfilling its mission as an Islamic regime. 

Salami summed it up back in March 2014. “Despite the geographical distance,” he said, “we are attached to the hearts of the Palestinians. How is it that our slogans and goals are identical to the slogans and causes of the Palestinians? Why do we strive to become martyrs and risk our lives for the Palestinian cause? The answer is that the religion of Islam has designated this for us — this goal, this motivation, this belief, this energy — so that we, here, can muster all our energies in order to annihilate the Zionist entity, more than 1,400 kilometers away. We are ready for that moment in the future.” 

And here it is.

A bit of “news” here, from another source:

B-2 stealth bombers appear to be on the move hours before Trump expected at White House

Six B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri appear to be en route to a U.S. Air Force base in Guam, according to flight tracking data and voice communications with air traffic control. 

The bombers apparently refueled after launching from Missouri, suggesting they launched without full fuel tanks due to a heavy onboard payload, which could be bunker-buster bombs.

The B-2 can carry two 15-ton bunker-buster bombs—which only the U.S. possesses.

This is Fox News, and Fox is as capable of hysterical speculation as any of its competitors, so who knows? We may find out though, soon.

Update: Just a reminder that the Boys of Iran refer to Israel as the “Little Satan” and the US as ‘Great Satan” and have vowed to destroy both. Fortunately, the wisest people in Washington, the experts whose negotiation skills brought us to the current state of affairs, aren’t alarmed by that, and can explain all.