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Operation Epic Fury shows what a true US-Israel alliance looks like - opinion

On March 4, 2026, The Jerusalem Report, in The Jerusalem Post, published Operation Epic Fury shows what a true US-Israel alliance looks like - opinion. Asher Fredman, identified on the page as executive director of the Misgav Institute for National Security, praises the joint US-Israel campaign. He also says the Iraq war teaches great caution before anyone deploys ground forces. An American family should care because an Israeli security commentator is warning against a ground war in Iran, in a piece about a war the United States is already fighting from the air.

Background for new readers: On 28 February 2026 the United States and Israel began a joint air war on Iran. The Pentagon calls its part Operation Epic Fury; Israel calls its part Operation Roaring Lion. It came eight months after a shorter war in June 2025, when US bombers hit Iran's nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The question running through this section is whether the air war turns into American soldiers fighting on Iranian soil. This article is filed under Israeli Press on US Ground Troops; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. Fredman is a named Israeli security commentator writing in The Jerusalem Report. The quote is his own words, and the operational detail he gives, American F-22s at Israeli bases and US tankers flying from Israeli airfields, is his account of the joint campaign.

What the article says​

Fredman writes that Operation Epic Fury, which he also links to the name Roaring Lion, is an unusually tight US-Israel offensive. He describes planning at the top, American F-22 jets at Israeli bases, and US tanker aircraft refueling American and Israeli planes from Israeli airfields. He writes that shared intelligence let Israel kill more than 40 senior Iranian officials in the opening minute. That account is about aircraft, tankers, and intelligence. It is not about infantry.

He then says the gains could be lost if Iran ends up looking like Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

"It is therefore necessary to learn and implement the lessons of the Iraq war, particularly the need for great caution before deploying ground forces."

Asher Fredman, The Jerusalem Report, March 4, 2026.

He writes next that regime change cannot be carried out by foreign militaries. Only the Iranian people, he writes, can take control of their destiny and bring about a new government. He still wants the United States and Israel to keep going until the operation's goals are met. He lists more strikes on replacement officials, on sites used for internal repression, and on prisons holding opposition figures. He also names encouragement of opposition figures, including Reza Pahlavi. He says Iran in 2026 is not Iraq in 2003, because many Iranians have already shown they want a different future.

What other reporting adds​

Two names, one war. Fredman ties Epic Fury, the Pentagon's name, to Roaring Lion, Israel's name. Netanyahu used the Israeli name in his first statement, as the Israeli government published it: "This morning, Israel and the United States launched a combined operation to remove the existential threat," and "We did so in Operation Rising Lion, and we are doing so now with even greater force in Operation Roaring Lion." (Israel Prime Minister's Office, 28 February 2026; research capture: twitter/t13__v145.md). Rising Lion was the Israeli name for the June 2025 war.

Other Israelis on who should fight on the ground. Israel's ambassador in Washington, Michael Leiter, said four days after this column: "our preference is for the boots on the ground to be those of the Iranians" (Politico, 8 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t13__v145.md). Two weeks after it, Prime Minister Netanyahu said "there has to be a ground component, as well," and declined to say whose (Just the News, 20 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t13__v147.md). Fredman's caution and Netanyahu's "ground component" are two Israeli views of the same question.

What it shows​

Fredman's column shows how tightly the United States was tied into Israel's war from the first day: American jets at Israeli bases, American tankers fueling Israeli planes, shared intelligence. It also shows the line Israeli voices drew from the start: "great caution" about ground forces, with regime change left to the Iranian people.

Two weeks later Netanyahu said "there has to be a ground component, as well" and would not say whose, while Israel's own press reported that its infantry would stay home. The ground question was left for Americans. See Israeli Press on US Ground Troops and Israeli Leaders on a Ground War.

Check it yourself​

Status: Asher Fredman is alive. Reza Pahlavi is alive.

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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