Before we consider the President's remarks about Iran in his U.N. speech last week, let me take a moment to wish you a Shanah Tovah—a happy Jewish New Year. In the face of formidable challenges currently confronting the United States and Israel, may this coming year be a blessing to you, your family, America, and the Jewish State.

In Mr. Trump's U.N. speech, we at FLAME were encouraged by his deservedly harsh criticism of the Islamic Republic as a nation that "speaks openly of mass murder, vowing death to America, destruction to Israel and ruin for many leaders and nations in this room."

Of the Iran Nuclear Deal, the President vowed that "we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program"—which the deal specifically does. He capped these comments calling the deal "an embarrassment."

Finally, President Trump said "Iran's government must stop supporting terrorists, begin serving its own people, and respect the sovereign rights of its neighbors."

This rhetoric is a refreshing change from the last administration, which tolerated Iran's aggression in missile development and its building of terrorist military infrastructure in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, all for the sake of doing the Nuclear Deal—essentially an approved pathway for Iran to acquire nuclear arms in 10 or so years.

The question now is, what will the Trump administration do concretely to blunt the negative effects of the Nuclear Deal and restrain Iran's headlong dash to military hegemony in the Middle East—Israel's neighborhood-and beyond? It won't be easy or cheap—and it most likely won't be popular with a lot of our European allies.

In recent FLAME Hotline issues, we've highlighted the imminent danger Iran poses to Israel as the Islamic Republic continues building a "land bridge" from its national territory in the east, through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to the Mediterranean Sea—bringing the world's most belligerent state sponsor of terrorism right to Israel's northern borders.

In this week's Hotline (below), we feature a short, but pithy opinion piece by the editorial board of the Washington Post—written a few days before the U.N. General assembly—which praises Israel's devastating attack several weeks ago on a Syrian weapons depot used to manufacture chemical and other weapons.

The Post expresses hope that Israel's bold, definitive use of force will inspire President Trump to consider similar measures to halt Iran's march west through sovereign—though unstable—nations, in its effort to colonize a broad swath of the region.

The op-ed calls on Mr. Trump to recognize the huge threat Iranian schemes in Syria pose to the U.S . . . and to Israel. We couldn't agree more. ISIS is a dramatically lesser—and daily decreasing—problem in the Middle East compared with the burly, well-funded, expansionist Iran.

We hope the Post editorial—and the support of FLAME and voters like you—help fortify the President for difficult steps he must take against Iran in the coming months.

I hope you'll also quickly review the P.S. immediately below, which describes FLAME's long-running hasbarah campaign to stop the U.S. Congress from funding Palestinian terrorism. If you haven't yet, please email and call your U.S. Senators to encourage their vote for the Taylor Force Act. Go right now to the U.S. Senate directory and choose your state: Your Senators, as well as their email address and phone numbers will appear. Please use both—it's one thing you can do to support Israel today.

Israel's strike in Syria should be a wake-up call for Trump

By Editorial Board , Washington Post, September 14, 2017

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu says he's looking forward to meeting "my friend" President Trump next week at the United Nations. But the warm feelings might not be wholehearted. Israel's leaders are deeply disturbed these days by what they see as a mounting threat from Iran and its proxies in Syria—and by the reluctance of the Trump administration to do anything about it.

The gulf between the two allies was made clear last week when, on the same day Israel carried out an audacious bombing raid on a Syrian military facility, Mr. Trump declared at a news conference that "we have very little to do with Syria other than killing ISIS." From Mr. Netanyahu's point of view, that's exactly the problem. The Israeli leader has spoken out in recent weeks against Iran's steps toward "turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment," including the construction of sites to build sophisticated guided missiles for possible use against Israel and its attempt to consolidate control over a land corridor stretching across Syria to Lebanon. He has objected to a cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States in southern Syria that, Israel says, allows Iranian-backed forces to hold on to positions too close to Israel's border. And he has said that the international deal limiting Iran's nuclear activities should be scrapped or revised.

Throughout the Syrian civil war, Israel has quietly carried out strikes to stop Iran's principal proxy in the region, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, from acquiring advanced weapons and to prevent Iran's forces from advancing too far south. According to Israel's Air Force chief, there have been close to 100 such missions. But the Sept. 7 attack was something new. It targeted not a warehouse or convoy but one of the Syrian missile production facilities Mr. Netanyahu referred to, on a base that also was reportedly used for the manufacture of chemical weapons and the barrel bombs used by the regime of Bashar al-Assad against civilians.

If it slows the production of those deadly weapons, Israel's attack will have done a service for humanity as well as itself. It also should have served as a wake-up call for the Trump administration. Mr. Trump has been slow to recognize that the United States has vital interests in Syria beyond eliminating the Islamic State—and that those interests don't coincide with those of Russia, which has been working in tandem with Iran.

By expanding into Syria, Iran is escalating what is already a major threat to Israel. Since the war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, Tehran has supplied its client with an arsenal of up to 150,000 rockets, according to Israeli sources. Adding precision missiles to that, as well as a new front along the Golan Heights, could make another war inevitable—one that could become a direct conflict between Israel and Iran.

We don't believe the Trump administration should rupture the nuclear deal, which has restrained Iran's dangerous stockpiling of enriched uranium. But the United States should be taking its own steps to block the Iranian "entrenchment" in Syria that Mr. Netanyahu spoke of. Diplomacy might achieve some of that, but military steps should not be ruled out.

President Trump's Blast at Iran in His U.N. Speech Was Welcome, But Will He Back It with Action?

Israel's strike in Syria should be a wake-up call for Trump

THIS MONTH'S AD APPEARED IN PUBLICATIONS REACHING 10 MILLION READERS

IF YOU SUPPORT PUBLISHING FLAME'S BOLD PR MESSAGES, PLEASE HELP US!!

FLAME'S WEEKLY HOTLINE E-NEWSLETTER