As February 28, 2026, comes to a close, one thing is certain: the world is a different place because of U.S. and Israeli leadership.
Much remains unknown beyond what we have seen from early reports and social media videos. The precise duration, scope and list of targets of these efforts are still coming to light — as well as the full extent of the response from the Iranian regime and its proxies. We have also yet to see the full response of our allies and partners in the Middle East and beyond.
But as Operations Epic Fury and Roaring Lion proceed under the cover of night and into their second day, there is already concrete evidence of a new world forming.
That is less because of the immediate outcomes of today’s military achievements — notwithstanding the historic significance of the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — than it is because of its circumstances: how it has been described, how it was done operationally, and how it could drive our partners to assert themselves to help advance U.S. interests regionally and globally.
President Donald Trump’s description of the operation was precise — not merely because of the determinative nature of this undertaking by the United States, but also to lay out the nearly half-century of destruction and terror driven by this regime, and to reaffirm that it is his Constitutional duty to use all levers of power to protect the American people.
He ended his speech offering an invitation to the Iranian people to take advantage of this rare opportunity to shape their country: “To the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight: The hour of your freedom is at hand.” This is not about regime change as its own end. Rather, it is about creating conditions on the ground that ensure the security of the American people and — by extension — the security of others.
This is the second occasion in two years that the United States and Israel acted together as a “team,” as President Trump described in the context of Operation Midnight Hammer in the summer of 2025, when the United States and Israel eliminated Iran’s nuclear programs.
The “team” approach represents an example for how the United States can coordinate with its allies and partners, leveraging the unique strengths of each to address common threats around the world. In this instance, the United States and Israel are working together to coordinate in the air and deploy state-of-the-art new technology.
Operation Epic Fury is also giving new confidence to our partners in their ability to stand up to Iran’s threats. This is particularly expressed in Saudi Arabia’s public support of the U.S. efforts on the very day of the launch of the operation — a complete about-face from its posture over preceding weeks. Other brave partners whose quiet actions working together to defend their neighborhood from Iran’s threats may soon follow suit more publicly. And Europe — undoubtedly in a cautious posture given the prevalent domestic threats to its citizens from the regime’s proxies — may soon join in this consensus.
This emerging context suggests that even before we know the complete outcome of the current actions of the United States and Israel to eliminate the regime’s threats, their landmark military successes instill new faith in our allies and partners around the world.
And it is this newfound faith that is needed for our friends to join us in establishing a new and lasting foundation for peace in the region and beyond.
Jacob Olidort, Ph.D., is Chief Research Officer of the America First Policy Institute and Director of its American Security program.
