From the Global Front in Israel

January 23 – 30, 2026

War and rumors of a war…

If ever there was a week that exemplifies “wars and rumors of wars,” this has been that week.

As US President Trump sent the USS Abraham Lincoln and its entire armada to the waters of the Middle East, everyone has been on edge. Will there be an attack against the ayatollah’s regime? Just a few days ago, just like two weeks ago, it sure looked like it. But then, once again, nothing happened. At least so far.

Everything is in place, but instead of flying missiles and warplanes, there have only been flying words hurled back and forth as if from an old fashioned style of war in which enemy forces literally faced off on a field of battle, shouting curses and threats to their opponents a few hundred feet away.

To be honest, it is the Iranian Islamists who are shouting, threatening “full scale war,” hitting the heart of Tel Aviv. “Our finger is on the trigger,” they have declared.

Why hasn’t President Trump pulled his trigger? The answer is, it’s complicated. There is no guarantee that the imams can be toppled from power. Or that there is a feasible force to take its place. In fact, there is a very real risk that if Iran’s “Supreme Leader,” Ali Khamenei is removed that his even more radical IRGC troops may take the reins.

Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries are concerned that the conflict will wreak havoc with the energy market.

If you want to know the questions Trump is asking before authorizing a strike, be sure to read Ron Ben Yishai’s article, listed below. Its title is, Attack or Not? Trump’s Decision Rests on Five Questions.