Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

Victor Davis Hanson Details Why Iran Operation Doesn’t Qualify As A Forever War

Victor Davis Hanson Details Why Iran Operation Doesn’t Qualify As A Forever War (Screenshot/Fox News)

Hoover Institution senior fellow Victor Davis Hanson said Wednesday that the United States’ military campaign against Iran should not be considered a “forever war.”

Hanson made the comments during an appearance on “The Ingraham Angle” while responding to concerns about divisions within the Republican Party over foreign intervention. Hanson said critics of the Iran operation have a point, however, he said that the recent strikes resemble targeted operations that the political right has broadly supported in the past.

“What do you make of that as any long-term damage to the Republican Party or Republican chances in the midterms and beyond?” host Laura Ingraham asked.

WATCH: 

“Well, they have a point in the sense that they thought that MAGA meant no optional forever wars. But, if you look at them and dissect them, they are more like the Soleimani or the Wagner Group or the al-Baghdadi bombing and destruction of ISIS, all of which they approve,” Hanson said. “By that I mean the first time we went into Iraq we were there for, what, 25 hours, and we had no casualties, and we degraded their nuclear facilities. That was excellent. Then we went into Venezuela.”

Hanson said that the U.S. military operation against Iran does not qualify as a forever war, pointing to the short duration of combat and comparatively low casualties despite Iran’s size and military capabilities.

“We didn’t lose. We had some wounded, but we didn’t lose anybody. As tragic as it is to lose seven lives, you went to war with a country that’s huge and has 90 million people and was armed to the teeth. It has more jet fighters, some of these countries do, than European countries. They have more missiles than probably France or England, ballistic missiles and drones. And yet, we lost seven people. That’s tragic, but that’s unheard of in military history,” Hanson said.

“So I don’t think these qualify as forever wars, and they have benefits for the American people to be freed of this nightmare of 47 years. You never know when you’re going to kill them or when you’re going to get a nuclear weapon and all of that.”

The United States launched major strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 under Operation Epic Fury, targeting the regime’s military infrastructure and nuclear program after diplomatic efforts collapsed. U.S. and Israeli forces struck thousands of targets across Iran during the opening phase of the campaign in what officials described as one of the largest and most complex military offensives ever carried out.

Trump said the strikes killed dozens of senior Iranian regime and military leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, triggering a leadership crisis within Tehran’s ruling structure. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. forces and allied targets across the Middle East, escalating tensions throughout the region.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/Fox News)