The American relationship with Israel is complex and rarely well explained by media. There are 700,000 Americans living in Israel, many with dual citizenship and dual homes. A nuclear threat against Israel is seen by many as a threat against Americans visiting, studying, or living in Israel. Additionally, Israel has significant meaning for around 2.5 million Christians. This support is rooted in the belief that the existence of Israel is a fulfillment of biblical prophecy and is necessary for the second coming of Jesus Christ - a Jew born in Israel (Judea then) from a Jewish mother.
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Iran's Islamic regime seeks the destruction of Israel by any means necessary. Technologically less equipped than Israel, Iran funds "proxy groups" in Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis to conduct terrorist operations against Israel and the United States. Iran's proxies hit U.S. military bases 170 times over the past few years. Iran even plotted to assassinate Trump. Foreign policy experts state a nuclear Iran increases the chances that these strikes would be more deadly and more frequent in the future.
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Even when framed as a nuclear threat against Americans, views on U.S. involvement with Iran barely shift. A Washington Post/SSRS poll found only 25% support airstrikes, with 45% opposed and 82% concerned about a full-scale war.
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Trump may have launched bunker busters abroad, but at home, he’s facing a political base that doesn’t want another war.

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