Israel’s precision strike on Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure may open a rare strategic window for the Trump administration. With experts telling Fox News Digital the U.S. has an opportunity to pressure Tehran toward a nuclear agreement — one that could not have been achieved through diplomacy alone. 

The Israeli military told Fox News Digital that the operation in Iran was carried out by Israeli forces but in coordination with the United States. While U.S. troops did not participate in the attack, defense cooperation continued throughout the strike — and during Iran’s retaliation on Friday, when U.S. forces helped intercept Iranian missile attacks on Tel Aviv.

‘This was an Israeli operation,’ an IDF official said, ‘but we were closely coordinated with the Americans. There was real-time intelligence and continuous contact.’

Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel, told Fox News Digital ‘We’re not trying to pull the U.S. in — Israel is the right model for what a responsible ally looks like: doing the hard work, asking for minimal support, and delivering strategic value.’ 

He added, ‘No one wants a war. Israel achieved this result in just a few days. It was effective and disciplined. We don’t want to stay in a prolonged war — and certainly don’t want to drag the U.S. into one. Israel is the model — a way for the U.S. to stay globally influential through a partner that delivers results with minimal investment.’

Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation, said, ‘The President’s messaging so far has been careful to distinguish that these attacks are unilateral Israeli actions — not U.S. attacks. That’s largely to prevent retaliation against American infrastructure. But if U.S. assets were attacked, we would become a participant — and Iran can’t handle Israel, let alone the United States.’

‘The President made it clear that he preferred a diplomatic solution,’ Greenway added, ‘I believe that was sincere, even though he knows the Iranians full well. He anticipated that the prospects might have been remote — but it was worth trying.’

Israeli analyst and journalist for Yediot Ahronot, Nadav Eyal, told Fox News Digital the operation reflects a deliberate ‘bad cop, good cop’ strategy — with Israel applying military pressure, and the U.S. positioned to extract diplomatic gains.

‘The president is basically saying this on the record: you’ve got hit by the Israelis. Now we’ve signed a good agreement, and we’re ready to sign an agreement. . . .’

Eyal added that some of the media coverage ahead of the attack may have been deliberately misleading, part of a broader psychological operation to confuse Iran’s leadership about the timing and scope of the strike.

‘We have information pointing to the possibility that much of the publications and some stories that were published pointing to after Sunday, after negotiations with Oman, and the fact that the Americans would play with this role that contributes another major cooperation, between Israel and the U.S., as to the strike.’

Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel, told Fox News Digital that the strike was the culmination of a broader Israeli campaign to neutralize three fronts: Hamas in Gaza, Iran’s proxy network across the region, and now the nuclear program inside Iran.

‘Since October 7, we’ve been fighting two wars — one on the Palestinian front in Gaza, and another against Iran, which has invested in a vast network of proxies, regional partnerships, and a missile and UAV program. Over the past year and a half, we’ve struck both of those arenas and gained superiority. Now, we’ve initiated an operation against the third strategic asset.’

Golov said this is the moment for the U.S. to step in and deliver a message that escalation will trigger American consequences — not just Israeli ones.

‘Ultimately, what we want is for the U.S. to say to Iran: ‘Israel struck your nuclear and military targets, avoided civilian infrastructure and didn’t touch the regime. If you now escalate … take into account that we’re in this now, and it’s a different game altogether.’’

He emphasized that the military victory must now be sealed with a political event — ideally, one that drives Iran back to the negotiating table. ‘The nuclear issue can’t be solved by a single military event, but this creates a solid foundation for a political one. Coordination with the U.S. is absolutely crucial.’

Greenway told Fox News Digital, ‘Having taken the strike, as the President said, perhaps this does open the door to continued negotiation. There are obviously different circumstances now. Iran has less capacity than it did yesterday — and will have even less tomorrow.

‘Each day that passes, every strike that lands, Iran has less to offer in resistance. At some point, I think there’s a good possibility they’ll choose to negotiate.’

The strike also revealed U.S. involvement on the defensive front. As Iran launched missiles toward Israeli cities, U.S. forces helped intercept them — a move officials say demonstrated American commitment without triggering escalation.

‘As a practical matter, this is our best collective opportunity to do as much damage to Iran’s nuclear program and to their offensive retaliatory capabilities as possible’, Greenway said. ‘From a strictly military standpoint, this is a window of opportunity.’

Trump withdrew from the original Iran nuclear deal during his first term, citing its failure to prevent Tehran’s long-term nuclear weapons ambitions. While he has insisted Iran will never be allowed to obtain a bomb, recent reports suggest he may support a revised deal that allows uranium enrichment for civilian purposes.

Golov said the numbers now favor the U.S. if it acts swiftly. ‘We’ve optimized our numbers and are hitting theirs. Eventually, the Iranians will have to agree to the American proposal — and that proposal should be on the table now.’

Just hours following Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a direct appeal to the Iranian people and said: ‘This is your opportunity to stand up [to the regime].’

The regime’s standing not only with the international community, amid its vast support of state-sponsored terrorism, which has impacted neighboring nations from Syria and Yemen to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, coupled with years of internal unrest, could mean regime change is on the horizon.

‘We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history,’ Netanyahu said Friday. ‘The Islamic regime, which has oppressed you for almost 50 years, threatens to destroy our country.’

The Israeli leader said Jerusalem’s goal in hitting Iran’s top military targets is to thwart the nuclear and missile threats that Iran poses towards the Jewish nation, which he argued weakens the regime and poses a unique opportunity for dissidents within. 

Minority groups make up some 50% of the Iranian population, and some Iranian specialists have argued that if the minority groups, which are frequent targets of oppression in Iran, were to unite against the regime, they could play a critical role in toppling the regime.

Iran has faced increasing opposition since the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman, who in September 2022 was arrested by Iran’s morality police and later died in a hospital due to her injuries.

Amini’s death sparked mass protests across the country, which Iran brutally clapped back at and continues to execute those arrested during the demonstrations. 

Fox News Digital was told by Yigal Carmon, President of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), that members of the Ahwazis, a minority group in south-western Iran, which make up 6-8% of the population, have already been arrested by the regime amid its fears another internal rebellion could brew alongside war with Israel.

It is unclear if any demonstrations have yet begun or if their arrests were pre-emptively carried out. 

‘A regime change will be supported by many,’ Carmon said. ‘The fact is that only the minorities can bring a regime change because they are militarily organized.’

‘A coalition of non-Persian ethnic groups could topple the regime in a few months,’ he said. ‘Unlike the Persian anti-regime population, the non-Persian anti-regime population is militarily organized.’

Other minority groups, like the Kurds, who make up 10%-15% of Iran’s population and who live primarily in the northwestern border areas near Iraq and Turkey, as well as the Baloch people, who encompass another 5% of the population and live along Iran’s southeast border with Pakistan, also have a long history of opposing the regime, though they have also suffered brutal consequences. 

‘It has never been weaker. This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard. Woman, Life, Freedom Zan, Zendegi, Azadi,’ Netanyahu said.  ‘As I said yesterday and many times before, Israel’s fight is not against the Iranian people. 

‘Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you,’ he added. 

The United States Embassy in Jerusalem has issued a security alert stating that American government workers and their families in Israel remain indoors, as Iran has hit the Jewish state with drone and missile strikes.

The alert, first made on Saturday and then posted again Sunday morning, comes as Iranian strikes have so far killed at least 10 people in Israel and injured upwards of 180. 

‘As a result of the current security situation and ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, the U.S. Embassy has directed that all U.S. government employees and their family members continue to shelter in place until further notice,’ The embassy’s alert, posted on its website and X, said.

‘Given the proximity of missile and debris impacts, the U.S. Embassy has offered employees living near the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv the option to voluntarily relocate to new accommodations further away,’ the alert continued.

Meanwhile, Israeli airspace remained closed, with arrivals and departures, according to a statement from an Israel Airports Authority spokesperson.

Iran’s bombardment of Israel came in response to Israel’s strikes against Iranian nuclear and military targets, which Israeli officials said were preemptive measures as Iran drew closer to developing nuclear weapons.

‘I’ll tell you what would have come if we hadn’t acted. We had information that this unscrupulous regime was planning to give the nuclear weapons that they would develop to their terrorist proxies,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted on X on Saturday. ‘That’s nuclear terrorism on steroids. That would threaten the entire world.’

Israel has also made clear that strikes against Tehran are far from over, issuing a warning to the people of Iran.

‘Urgent warning to all Iranian citizens: All individuals currently or soon to be present in or around military weapons production factories and their supporting institutions must immediately evacuate these areas and not return until further notice,’ the Israel Defense Forces said in an alert posted in Farsi. ‘Your presence near these facilities puts your life at risk.’

The IDF contrasted their approach with that of Iran, which has launched attacks at civilian areas.

‘This is the message we spread to Iranian citizens. While Iran chooses to strike without warning, we choose to warn a innocent [sic] people even if it means giving up the element of surprise,’ the IDF posted to X Sunday morning. ‘We warn them, in Persian, across many channels. Because human life comes first to us. That’s the difference between us and our enemy.’

Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.

Former top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin and Alex Soros, son of billionaire left-wing donor George Soros, married in a lavish wedding in New York on Saturday that reportedly drew attendance from high-profile Democrats stretching from former Vice President Kamala Harris to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. 

The couple married in Water Mill, N.Y., at a Soros family estate on Saturday, according to the New York Times, which reported the swank Hamptons wedding drew private jets, fleets of black SUVs ‘and Clinton aides galore in a rare concentration of wealth and power.’ 

Democrat heavyweights including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Harris – as well as her husband Doug Emhoff – and Pelosi attended the wedding, the New York Times reported. Other celebrities and high-profile attendees included Vogue’s Anna Wintour, socialite Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, the outlet reported, citing attendees. 

‘I’m looking forward to being a witness to their marriage; to the celebration that we all are going to be part of; to seeing so many longtime friends gathered in one place to really enjoy being part of Huma and Alex’s start of their married life. And I think we all could use some fun, so I’m looking forward to all of it,’ Hillary Clinton told Vogue of the wedding in an article published Saturday. 

Soros, 39, is the chairman of the Open Society Foundations, which is a massive $25 billion nonprofit founded by George Soros, 94, and helps bankroll left-wing causes and politicians across the country. Abedin, 48, is the former longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and often called the former secretary of state’s ‘second daughter.’ Abedin was previously married to disgraced former New York Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner. 

The wedding included a live performance from Boyz II Men, the vocal harmony group behind hits such as 1991’s ‘Motownphilly,’ according to the Times, as well as toasts from Hillary Clinton, Wintour, and the Albanian prime minister. Abedin wore two custom wedding dresses over the course of the day, Vogue reported. 

The wedding’s menu reportedly included cuts of Wagyu beef, grilled prawns and chilled English pea soup. 

Soros popped the question to Abedin in July of last year, sharing the announcement on his Instagram page at the time. 

‘This happened…we couldn’t be happier, more grateful, or more in love,’ Soros wrote in an Instagram post, accompanied by a photo of him on one knee. 

Abedin told Vogue of her engagement: ‘I was shocked, not by the fact that he proposed, but it was the timing that made no sense. It was a very hectic, very chaotic day, and I was leaving for a trip the next day. I went to get my hair colored in the morning [and] I dropped something on my foot, so I was wearing sneakers.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the Open Society Foundations on Sunday morning inquiring if representatives for the couple had any additional comment to include on the wedding, but did not immediately receive a reply. 

After House Republicans passed reconciliation language banning taxpayer funds from paying for sex change treatments, Democrats began using language to drum up opposition that conservative watchdog group the American Principles Project says is meant ‘to confuse people and make it sound like we’re trying to ban normal healthcare, medically necessary healthcare.’

The House-passed version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes provisions that prohibit federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding from being spent on ‘gender transition procedures for any age’ in all 50 states. 

In response, Democrats and left-wing groups have begun claiming the GOP’s spending package seeks to eliminate ‘medically-necessary care.’ 

However, according to APP President Terry Schilling, ‘it’s a lie’ and an effort to combat the prevailing notion among Americans that taxpayer funds should not be paying for transgender procedures. 

‘They’re deliberately obfuscating here, and it’s because they don’t have any good arguments,’ Schilling told Fox News Digital. ‘We shouldn’t be paying for any cosmetic sex change procedures with our tax dollars, and that’s what we’re cutting here. 

‘But they’re introducing and now ramping up these highly weaponized and high-powered words to confuse people and make it sound like we’re trying to ban normal healthcare, medically necessary healthcare.’

After Republicans in the House of Representatives passed their version of the GOP spending package last month, the Congressional Equality Caucus complained that ‘Congress should be working to make healthcare more affordable – not banning coverage of medically necessary care.’ 

‘House Republicans changed a previous anti-trans provision so it now cuts off federal Medicaid and Affordable Care Act funding for medically-necessary care for ALL transgender people — no matter their age,’ a press release from the pro-trans Human Rights Campaign said after the House passed its spending bill.

According to APP’s Schilling, arguments that Republicans are taking away ‘medically necessary’ healthcare from anyone are ‘just not true.’   

To make his point, APP’s Schilling pointed to one of the left’s frequent sources for transgender medical recommendations, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). Schilling pointed out that WPATH’s guidelines and standards explicitly state there is no ‘one-size-fits-all approach’ to treating individuals with gender dysphoria.

‘These are not medically necessary [treatments]. It’s a lie. These are cosmetic,’ Schilling argued. ‘If you look at WPATH, even according to their own standards, transgender-identifying people don’t actually have to medically transition. They say there’s no one size fits all. Well, I’m sorry, but medically necessary means you need it in order to survive. You need it for your health. And they’re saying in their own writings that it’s not medically necessary, that it’s not a one-size-fits-all.’

Schilling added that they’re ‘arguing out of both sides of their mouth.’ 

‘We’re calling out the transgender industry, and we’re trying to stop them from confusing even more people as we pass a very, very good and important bill,’ he said.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, the Human Rights Campaign argued ‘gender-affirming care’ is considered ‘best practice’ and ‘evidence-based’ by every major medical association in the country, noting that studies have shown it significantly improves mental health outcomes for transgender youth.

‘Healthcare decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors — not the American Principles Project,’ HRC said.

Schilling said he has run numerous polls and focus groups about whether Americans agree with taxpayer funds supporting individuals’ gender transitions, and he told Fox News Digital that the overwhelming sentiment from people across the political spectrum is that they should not.

‘Here’s where Americans are at,’ Schilling said. ‘They want to ban the procedures for anyone under 18. And, anyone over 18, they want you to pay for it yourself. That’s where they’re at, and that’s where [APP is] at, and that’s where Donald Trump is at. That’s where Republicans in the House and Senate are at.’

The Congressional Equality Caucus did not respond to requests for comment on this article.