Alex גדעון בן װעלװל
@jewishwonk.bsky.social
Columnist for the Forward. U.S. Foreign Policy and Jewish communal concerns. Bylines in The Atlantic, Washington Post, & Tablet Mag. All bad takes are mine alone.
I am trying to spend less time online in general now that I have a kid. I also find the lefties on here particularly annoying.
November 6, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I am trying to spend less time online in general now that I have a kid. I also find the lefties on here particularly annoying.
Wife gave birth to our first in August. Been mostly offline. Post on twitter every so often.
November 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Wife gave birth to our first in August. Been mostly offline. Post on twitter every so often.
Would be nice! But it's tedious to do it on two sites and folks in media and politics are still there.
November 6, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Would be nice! But it's tedious to do it on two sites and folks in media and politics are still there.
He is a fucking moron who can barely read. It's embarrassing that he produced a better outcome than people who are far smarter than him. They have something to learn here.
June 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
He is a fucking moron who can barely read. It's embarrassing that he produced a better outcome than people who are far smarter than him. They have something to learn here.
Yes, Israel struck in Hezbollah over bipartisan American objections. And it struck in Iran over bipartisan American objections.
June 24, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Yes, Israel struck in Hezbollah over bipartisan American objections. And it struck in Iran over bipartisan American objections.
Blocking on site any person whose brain is so cooked by negative partisanship they can't admit that this was a decisive win.
June 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Blocking on site any person whose brain is so cooked by negative partisanship they can't admit that this was a decisive win.
The Iranians, who have spilled far more blood across the Middle East and world than the average American realizes, are seeing thirty years of their strategy collapsing in real time.
I don't know what comes next. I do know Israel is stronger and Iran is weaker heading into it.
I don't know what comes next. I do know Israel is stronger and Iran is weaker heading into it.
June 24, 2025 at 2:23 AM
The Iranians, who have spilled far more blood across the Middle East and world than the average American realizes, are seeing thirty years of their strategy collapsing in real time.
I don't know what comes next. I do know Israel is stronger and Iran is weaker heading into it.
I don't know what comes next. I do know Israel is stronger and Iran is weaker heading into it.
The war began with Israeli trauma, but is ending with Iran's regional posture badly weakened. Hamas is devastated. Hezbollah’s command structure is shattered, Iran's deterrence is gone, and their escalation capability is contained.
June 24, 2025 at 2:23 AM
The war began with Israeli trauma, but is ending with Iran's regional posture badly weakened. Hamas is devastated. Hezbollah’s command structure is shattered, Iran's deterrence is gone, and their escalation capability is contained.
Iran’s long-term strategy was to surround Israel with heavily armed proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, PIJ, Houthis, to deter action and bleed Israel in any conflict.
But Hamas’s 10/7 attack was premature and uncoordinated. Iran supported a proxy that they didn't truly control.
But Hamas’s 10/7 attack was premature and uncoordinated. Iran supported a proxy that they didn't truly control.
June 24, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Iran’s long-term strategy was to surround Israel with heavily armed proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas, PIJ, Houthis, to deter action and bleed Israel in any conflict.
But Hamas’s 10/7 attack was premature and uncoordinated. Iran supported a proxy that they didn't truly control.
But Hamas’s 10/7 attack was premature and uncoordinated. Iran supported a proxy that they didn't truly control.
The region's geopolitics are being reshaped in real time too.
For Arab states watching, the message is clear: Israel has freedom of action, the competence to carry it out, and results to show.
That changes the calculus not just in Tehran, but in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo.
For Arab states watching, the message is clear: Israel has freedom of action, the competence to carry it out, and results to show.
That changes the calculus not just in Tehran, but in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo.
June 24, 2025 at 2:21 AM
The region's geopolitics are being reshaped in real time too.
For Arab states watching, the message is clear: Israel has freedom of action, the competence to carry it out, and results to show.
That changes the calculus not just in Tehran, but in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo.
For Arab states watching, the message is clear: Israel has freedom of action, the competence to carry it out, and results to show.
That changes the calculus not just in Tehran, but in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, and Cairo.
These weren’t mass bombings. They were high-trust, intelligence-driven decapitations to start. Both ops showed Israel can hit strategic leadership & assets rapidly without triggering full-scale war.
That’s not a fluke. That’s doctrine evolving in real time.
That’s not a fluke. That’s doctrine evolving in real time.
June 24, 2025 at 2:21 AM
These weren’t mass bombings. They were high-trust, intelligence-driven decapitations to start. Both ops showed Israel can hit strategic leadership & assets rapidly without triggering full-scale war.
That’s not a fluke. That’s doctrine evolving in real time.
That’s not a fluke. That’s doctrine evolving in real time.
The Hezbollah and Iran strikes followed the same blueprint:
– Weeks of Israeli buildup
– Human intelligence assets inside enemy territory
– Compartmentalized strike teams
– Tight U.S.-Israel coordination
– Surgical timing to hit command nodes first and repeatedly as they try to regroup and respond
– Weeks of Israeli buildup
– Human intelligence assets inside enemy territory
– Compartmentalized strike teams
– Tight U.S.-Israel coordination
– Surgical timing to hit command nodes first and repeatedly as they try to regroup and respond
June 24, 2025 at 2:20 AM
The Hezbollah and Iran strikes followed the same blueprint:
– Weeks of Israeli buildup
– Human intelligence assets inside enemy territory
– Compartmentalized strike teams
– Tight U.S.-Israel coordination
– Surgical timing to hit command nodes first and repeatedly as they try to regroup and respond
– Weeks of Israeli buildup
– Human intelligence assets inside enemy territory
– Compartmentalized strike teams
– Tight U.S.-Israel coordination
– Surgical timing to hit command nodes first and repeatedly as they try to regroup and respond
More broadly, it's because Israel took on Hamas and later Iran's true insurance policy, Hezbollah.
The success of the Hezbollah op showed what was possible operationally and politically.
The success of the Hezbollah op showed what was possible operationally and politically.
June 24, 2025 at 2:18 AM
More broadly, it's because Israel took on Hamas and later Iran's true insurance policy, Hezbollah.
The success of the Hezbollah op showed what was possible operationally and politically.
The success of the Hezbollah op showed what was possible operationally and politically.
This is largely driven by material realities in Iran. They were caught completely flat footed. Israel controlled their skies early on. Hard to fight against F-16s and even harder against B2s and American submarines.
June 24, 2025 at 2:18 AM
This is largely driven by material realities in Iran. They were caught completely flat footed. Israel controlled their skies early on. Hard to fight against F-16s and even harder against B2s and American submarines.
So it is with the U.S. strikes on Iran. I was concerned about the execution of an op and about the risk of mission creep into another long war in the Middle East.
The first risk has been averted. The second is becoming less likely by the day.
The first risk has been averted. The second is becoming less likely by the day.
June 24, 2025 at 2:17 AM
So it is with the U.S. strikes on Iran. I was concerned about the execution of an op and about the risk of mission creep into another long war in the Middle East.
The first risk has been averted. The second is becoming less likely by the day.
The first risk has been averted. The second is becoming less likely by the day.
I find in many situations that when assessing if something is good or bad, other people come at it with "it could have been so much better" and are upset. I come at most things with "it could have been so much worse" and feel more grateful.
June 24, 2025 at 2:17 AM
I find in many situations that when assessing if something is good or bad, other people come at it with "it could have been so much better" and are upset. I come at most things with "it could have been so much worse" and feel more grateful.
Yes, I haven't seen any either. Seems too specific to lie about, even for him.
June 23, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Yes, I haven't seen any either. Seems too specific to lie about, even for him.
The facility is not functional and all the equipment and materials in it are likely damaged at a minimum. This is motivated reasoning rooted in opposition to Trump, not real concerns.
June 23, 2025 at 8:53 PM
The facility is not functional and all the equipment and materials in it are likely damaged at a minimum. This is motivated reasoning rooted in opposition to Trump, not real concerns.
This is a liberal conspiracy theory motivated by opposition to Trump, not real concerns rooted in evidence. Nuclear products and equipment are not easy to move, require expertise, and leave a detectable signature. IAEA hasn't reported anything to suggest this.
June 23, 2025 at 8:52 PM
This is a liberal conspiracy theory motivated by opposition to Trump, not real concerns rooted in evidence. Nuclear products and equipment are not easy to move, require expertise, and leave a detectable signature. IAEA hasn't reported anything to suggest this.
That sets them back by years. There's no ramp up to be done, they have to start from basically 0. And if they decide to pursue a nuclear program again, they do so knowing how the Mossad has thoroughly penetrated every org in the country.
June 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM
That sets them back by years. There's no ramp up to be done, they have to start from basically 0. And if they decide to pursue a nuclear program again, they do so knowing how the Mossad has thoroughly penetrated every org in the country.
We know the following:
-most of the leading scientists involved in the program are dead
-their repository of technical knowledge *and* their back up was destroyed
-every facility was at least damaged, several totally destroyed
-most military commanders involved in the program are dead
-most of the leading scientists involved in the program are dead
-their repository of technical knowledge *and* their back up was destroyed
-every facility was at least damaged, several totally destroyed
-most military commanders involved in the program are dead
June 23, 2025 at 8:48 PM
We know the following:
-most of the leading scientists involved in the program are dead
-their repository of technical knowledge *and* their back up was destroyed
-every facility was at least damaged, several totally destroyed
-most military commanders involved in the program are dead
-most of the leading scientists involved in the program are dead
-their repository of technical knowledge *and* their back up was destroyed
-every facility was at least damaged, several totally destroyed
-most military commanders involved in the program are dead