With the region on the brink of all-out war, rhetorical moderation is required.
No American who keeps score can mourn the demise of Hassan Nasrallah—or lament the disarray into which the Israelis have thrown Hezbollah. But it’s one thing to bid good riddance to Nasrallah and cheer the weakening of his Iranian-backed Lebanese militia. It’s quite another to welcome this as a prelude to a full-on war with Iran, as Jared Kushner, one of the architects of Trumpian foreign policy, did on Saturday.
“This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed,” tweeted Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and a key mover behind the Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. “The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel.” The implication is that the loaded gun has now been removed, and that a military intervention against the Tehran-backed regime can be launched more safely.
Such rhetoric is perilous, especially in a region already teetering on the brink of all-out war. Kushner’s statement fails to account for the broader consequences of escalating tensions with Iran, a country with far more military assets than Hezbollah alone. His rhetoric could easily be misconstrued as a green light for military intervention, which would only deepen the region’s instability.
Instead of feeding into dangerous, hawkish sentiments, what the Middle East needs now is a cooler, more restrained approach from American diplomats and leaders. Moderate rhetoric, rather than provocative statements, is necessary to avoid further escalation and find diplomatic solutions that avoid an open conflict with Iran.
While it’s tempting for some to view the current moment as an opportunity to press for military action, history has shown that such actions often spiral into wars that no one intended. The region’s fragile political and military equilibrium makes it essential to navigate with care and foresight, rather than rushing toward confrontation.
Kushner’s words, if taken as a sign of American intent, could send the wrong message. The U.S. should prioritize diplomacy, not escalation, in the Middle East. By rejecting military adventurism and embracing dialogue, America could help stabilize the region while avoiding the kind of catastrophic war that so many fear.