Outgoing Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Fleur Hassan-Nahoum joined “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy” to discuss escalating tensions in the Middle East following a direct attack by Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes by Israel.
“For the first time ever, Iran has shown their hand,” Hassan-Nahoum explained Sunday, noting Iran’s usual strategy of engaging in proxy warfare through forces like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Earlier this month, the Pentagon reported Iran “launched over 300 air threats” towards Israel, involving hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. “99% of those were knocked down,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder added.
This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s nuclear site in Isfahan, Iran, April 4, 2024. ((Planet Labs PBC via AP))
The deputy mayor pointed to international defense collaborations, including support from the United States and European allies, in helping mitigate the impact of Iran’s attacks. “We’re very grateful to the United States for helping us fend off that very brutal attack,” she said.
Hassan-Nahoum then raised concerns about the broader implications of Iran’s aggression, likening the current environment to the pre-World War II era and criticizing what she perceives as appeasement strategies.
IRAN’S ‘NUCLEAR ENERGY MOUNTAIN’ IS ‘FULLY SAFE’ AFTER ISRAELI STRIKE: STATE MEDIA
“I actually think that Iran is the Nazi Germany of the 1930s, and I think that the world eventually is going to have to deal with Iran. Enough with this Chamberlain attitude of appeasing them. They will not be appeased. These are fundamentalist jihadi ideologues who want to push the wall back 500 years. So, sooner or later, they threaten the entire free world,” she said.”And so at the moment, maybe it’s not the time for a regional war, because that may have escalated to that, but I think that eventually we’re going to get there. Whether the administration thinks we’re going to get there or not, it’s inevitable.”
Iranian pro-government supporters hold a giant Palestine flag at Palestine Square in Tehran, on April 14, 2024, in a celebration of the early morning Iran’s IRGC attack on Israel. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
The House of Representatives last week showed overwhelming bipartisan support for a $26 billion foreign aid bill providing funding for Israel and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Hassan-Nahoum additionally called for a firmer international stance against Iran.
“When people keep telling you they want to kill you, you should believe them. And for years already, what Iran really wants to do is change the world order, but start with the Middle East,” she asserted.
“They want a very dark jihadi fundamentalism, and this is a threat to the entire world,” she added. “If you get rid of the Iranian regime, you get rid of the majority of the terrorism in the world. Just think about that for a second. So I don’t see how, eventually, we don’t have to deal with it. The question is, who’s going to be brave?”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Christopher Lopez is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital. He joined Fox News in 2021.