LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's widely considered one of the most consequential foreign policy decisions of President Donald Trump's second term: whether the United States military will step in to help Israel's offense in Iran.
WATCH | Tricia Kean sits down with Congregation Ner Tamid for a local perspective on the Israel-Iran conflict
Israel has been lobbying for more American support because only the U.S. has the military power to accomplish its goal of eliminating Iran's nuclear capabilities, according to Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his pitch for support, insists that allowing Iran the potential to build a nuclear weapon is as much a problem for the U.S. as it is for them.
As this conflict rages on, I spoke with local religious leaders Rabbi Sanford Akselrad and Rabbi Cantor Jessica Hutchings from Congregation Ner Tamid for their thoughts on the conflict and its impact here at home.
"But when a country says they're gonna kill you and they're gonna wipe you off the face of the earth, you're gonna have to believe them, that's the first thing," Rabbi Akselrad said. "And so I think now that they have decimated Hamas, they have taken out Hezbollah, Syria is now trying to regroup after a massive civil war and they want no part of a conflict with Israel, the stars aligned that if they were gonna take it out — this would be the time."
"What we are doing is not just for Israel, this is for all of us... this is for all of us to say we believe in a world that is not dominated by terror or a need to suppress people," Rabbi Cantor Hutchings said.
Both rabbis told me they are very concerned about the rise of antisemitism and are on high alert.
WATCH | Tensions mount worldwide as Trump calls for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER'
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