Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have started a war, the scope of which may be unknown for months or years. Netanyahu has needed constant conflict with various Middle Eastern nations to remain in office. Netanyahu is currently facing both domestic corruption charges and international war crimes allegations. In his corruption cases, he’s been accused of receiving luxury gifts (cigars, champagne, jewelry) worth over $195,000 from businessmen Arnon Milchan and James Packer in exchange for political favors. He allegedly negotiated favorable media coverage with Arnon Mozes, publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, in return for legislation that would harm a rival newspaper. Bebe was charged with bribery and breach of trust for allegedly promoting regulatory benefits for telecom giant Bezeq while receiving favorable coverage from its news outlet Walla!.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu for:

1. War crimes — Starvation as a method of warfare; intentionally targeting civilians.
2. Crimes against humanity — Murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts during the Israel-Gaza conflict from October 2023 to May 2024.

These charges are tied to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’s October 7 attack, which reportedly killed over 44,000 people according to Gaza Health Ministry figures. 76% of Israelis have lost trust in Netanyahu’s government, according to a 2025 poll by the Institute for National Security Studies. Only 30% of Israelis express confidence in Netanyahu personally. Now that Hamas has returned all the hostages and bodies, Netanyahu could be removed by a vote of no confidence in the Knesset, a failure to form a government after elections, or a criminal conviction.

Netanyahu’s corruption trials have been repeatedly delayed due to wartime conditions and political maneuvering. Netanyahu needed this war, not to make Israel safer but to ensure his own longevity in office.

Donald Trump’s motives for the combined strike with Israel on Iraq are similar. Though the Supreme Court has granted him immunity for official acts while in office, he is not immune to impeachment, which he’s been through twice during his first term. Nor is he immune to pressure from the public and Congress, should he get more caught up in the crimes perpetuated by Jeffrey Epstein and his circle of rich friends. Trump was in that circle and, according to Epstein himself, his closest friend for ten years. One might have thought Congress incapable of mustering up the courage to oppose Trump on this issue, but that was before public pressure forced them to pass the Epstein Transparency Act with a veto-proof majority.

The attack on Iran comes just a few days after the revelation of 53 missing pages from the Epstein Files. Pages including an FBI interview where a young woman claimed Trump forced her to have oral sex when she was thirteen or fourteen years old.

Trump has tried to distract America from the Epstein Files. As the Epstein saga progressed. Trump has:

• Announced new tariff baselines.
• Promoted the GENIUS Act.
• Publicly celebrated foreign leader visits.
• Teased a Coca‑Cola drink made with U.S. cane sugar.
• Pushed to rename the Washington Commanders.
• Sued the Wall Street Journal over Epstein-related reporting.
• Blown up small boats near Venezuela, claiming each boat saved 25,000 American lives (None of the boats were headed to America and didn’t contain Fentanyl, which accounts for the majority of U.S. drug deaths).
• Trump’s Justice Department has ignored the Epstein Transparency Act and refused to release material implicating Trump and others.

Some of his efforts to distract have been more effective than others, yet the topic always returns to Epstein. The most recent focus has been on the missing pages, including the allegation that Trump struck the teenager who bit him rather than perform oral sex.

Several countries have become directly involved in the U.S.–Israel strike on Iran — either because Iran retaliated against them or because they host U.S. military bases that were struck in response. These are countries where missiles, drones, or explosions were reported after Iran responded to the U.S.–Israel strikes.

1. Bahrain

• Iran launched missiles at a U.S. Navy facility in Bahrain.
• Multiple explosions were reported in the capital.
• Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, making it a primary target.

2. United Arab Emirates (UAE)

• Airstrikes hit Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.
• The Fairmont Hotel on Palm Jumeirah was struck.
• UAE hosts U.S. military facilities and logistics hubs.

3. Qatar

• Explosions were reported in Qatar as Iran targeted U.S. bases.
• Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. base in the region.

4. Saudi Arabia

• Iranian missiles targeted U.S. bases in Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Arabia hosts multiple U.S. air and missile-defense installations.

5. Iraq

• New strikes were reported on an Iraqi base that housed pro‑Iran groups.
• Iran has historically targeted U.S. positions in Iraq during escalations.

6. Syria

• Explosions in southern Syria killed several people, though not all were confirmed as Iranian missile strikes.
• Syria is a known theater for Iranian and Israeli proxy conflict.

For a portion of one day, U.S. media outlets have dedicated their coverage to the attacks on Iran, with barely a mention of Epstein. Unfortunately for Donald, his move to involve America in another forever war is one of the two things even MAGA won’t forgive, the other being involvement with Epstein.

Many presidents experience a bump immediately after our involvement in a major war. President George H.W. Bush saw a surge in 1991 during the Gulf War, as did his son, George W. Bush, who gave us “Shock and Awe,” also in Iraq. Trump can expect no such bump, as those who generally support him most want war the least.

Trump told America in an 8-minute video that Iranian missiles represented an immediate threat to America, though they have no missiles that can reach our shores. He said they may have a nuclear weapon within weeks, after claiming weeks ago a previous strike had “obliterated” its capacity. He said Iran was a threat to neighboring countries and U.S. military bases. His actions caused retaliation against neighboring countries and U.S. bases. Trump will find that America's interest in a foreign war is waning, but will never forget about Epstein. Trump will suggest he’s too busy to deal with more than one issue at a time, though he’s always found time to push for things outside his purview, like the production of Rush Hour 4.

Netanyahu had his own reasons for wanting this attack, most of them selfish, but some possibly legitimate from his nation’s point of view. Trump needed World War Epstein for purely selfish reasons, as Iran has no capacity to strike the United States with missiles, though the possibility of a terrorist attack has now increased exponentially.

Even as the world fixates on the spiraling conflict and the political calculations driving it, the Epstein files remain an unresolved moral and institutional crisis that will not disappear simply because more urgent headlines arrive. The files will continue to surface, to be analyzed, and to demand answers long after today’s political actors have moved on. What happens with the war is highly unpredictable, and there’s no telling how many will die as a result, or how many countries will be dragged in. The conclusion of the Epstein saga is inevitable, and some who thought themselves protected because of their wealth and power are about to eff around and find out.