US Preemptively Strikes Iran Near Hormuz; Cruz Urges Arming Iranians for Regime Change

JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. war with Iran has reached the 6-month mark. In Washington, some lawmakers are encouraging the White House to keep up the pressure on the regime.

As the fighting passed into its seventh month, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told NBC's Meet the Press that many of the military objectives set by the White House have been met, but he's encouraging the Trump administration to go further.

“I would like to see the longer-term objective be regime collapse," Cruz stated.

He added, "This regime, the Islamic regime of Iran, has been the leading state sponsor of terror for 47 years. So, what I’ve been urging is for President Trump and the Trump Administration to arm the protestors, the people of Iran. Arm the Kurds and let the protestors remove this regime from power – not American boots on the ground but the Iranian people.”

U.S. Strikes Iranian Launchers

While the main battlefront is the economy and the blockade, Iran vowed to respond to a U.S. attack on two Iranian launchers.

For the first time in more than a month, the U.S. attacked Iran, hitting the two launchers on an Island in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. CENTCOM said Iran was planning to launch mines into the Strait, just days after the U.S. said the waterway was cleared.

President Trump told Fox News, "It can be a nuisance, but we are in control of the Hormuz Strait."

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news from a Christian perspective.***

Netanyahu Condemns Jewish Violence

In Judea and Samaria, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he called criminal acts of Jewish violence committed in the villages of Qusra and Jalud.

Spokesman Doron Spielman later issued a statement on X, observing, "These acts were committed by a small group of rioters, many from broken homes and many who do not come from Judea and Samaria. They do not represent the law-abiding Jewish community in Judea and Samaria.  On the contrary, they cause that community a grave injustice.  Their actions violate the law.  They endanger both Jews and Arabs ... and they harm Israel’s international legitimacy."

Spielman also pointed out, "However, by contrast we have yet to see the Palestinian Authority condemn even one of the thousands of murderous acts against Jews in Judea and Samaria.  In fact, instead of condemning these attacks, it condones them.” 

In response, Mahmoud al-Habbash, an advisor on religious affairs to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, declared, "The reaction (i.e., the attempted murder) should not be condemned, rather the (Israeli) perpetrator of the (original) crime should be condemned first and foremost."

PHOTO: Israeli soldiers secure a building under construction as ambulances evacuate injured Palestinians following an attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Qusra, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Qatari Media Head Calls for End of the Jewish People

Meanwhile, Jaber al-Harmi, the head of Qatar's state-run media outlet Al-Sharq News, is calling for the end of the Jewish people.

Over the weekend, he posted on X, "O God, the Jews have transgressed and acted tyrannically and spread corruption on earth. O God...disperse their unity and divide their gathering and remove their existence from the earth. O God... soon, without delay."

This rhetoric is why some Israeli leaders want to designate Qatar as an enemy state.