JOHN SPENCER

John Spencer is the executive director of the Urban Warfare Institute. He is the coauthor of Understanding Urban Warfare. Learn more at www.johnspenceronline.com. Substack: https://substack.com/@spencerguard

A Druze boy holds a flag as he looks at the ceasefire line between Golan Heights and Syria, on the day of first visit by Druze delegation from Syria just after 1973 war in Israel, March 14, 2025.

The forgotten slaughter of Syria’s Druze, and Israel’s moral response - opinion

 Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on a Tehran oil refinery, on June 15, 2025.

Israel won the war, Iran lost it: Here's why the world is much safer for it – opinion

 Iran and Israel flags on geopolitical map.

Who are the real winners and losers of Israel's 12-day war with Iran? - opinion


No, US strikes on Iran are not the start of a new 'forever war' in the Middle East - opinion

This is not a forever war - it is decisive action to prevent the single most destabilizing development in the region: A nuclear-armed Islamic Republic of Iran.

 People attend a protest against the US attack on Iranian nuclear sites, in Tehran, Iran, June 22, 2025

Operation Midnight Hammer: The strike that shattered Iran's nuclear ambitions - opinion

Saturday night was not just a military achievement. It was a strategic message written in steel, silence, and sky - Iran’s path to the bomb has been shattered.

 Satellite image shows a close up view of destroyed buildings at Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, after it was hit by US airstrikes, in Isfahan, Iran, June 22, 2025.

Why dismantling Iranian threat won't create another Libya or Iraq - opinion

Israel has the cards, and Iran can take the diplomatic offramps offered by the United States and Europe, or it can continue on a path that ends with its program being destroyed.

 Smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building, the country's state broadcaster, in Tehran, Iran, June 16, 2025.

This is the bunker-buster Israel needs from the US to quickly destroy Fordow - opinion

To date, the US military has never confirmed operational use of the GBU-57A/B in combat. It is a strategic weapon held in reserve for the highest-value, hardest-to-reach targets.

 A satellite image shows the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran in this handout image dated June 14, 2025

Redefining shock and awe: Lessons from Israel's opening strikes on Iran - opinion

Israel didn’t just strike Iran. It disarmed, disoriented, and destabilized a much larger adversary before the war had even begun in earnest.

 IAF fighter jets taking off to intercept the UAVs launched from Iran, June 13, 2025.

The selfie flotilla: Greta Thunberg’s Gaza stunt and the weaponization of activism - opinion

Their objective is clear: generate headlines, provoke confrontation, and frame Israel as the aggressor, while ignoring the reality on the ground.

 Activist Greta Thunberg and crew stand aboard the aid ship Madleen, which left the Italian port of Catania on June 1 to travel to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, in this picture released on June 2, 2025 on social media.

No one should want ceasefire in Gaza until clear defeat of Hamas - opinion

The goal for Hamas has never been a two-state solution or co-existence. Its charter,still unchanged,calls for the annihilation of Israel.

Smoke rises from Gaza after an explosion, near the Israel-Gaza border, as seen from Israel, May 29, 2025.