War in Iran Shows Growing Conservative Divide Over Israel

As the U.S.-Israel-Iran war continues, conservatism’s most famous figures are in a rhetorical brawl over America’s role.

The podcaster Megyn Kelly and the Fox News host Mark Levin are two of the country’s best-known conservative influencers. She opposes the war in Iran. He supports it.

Ms. Kelly, herself a former Fox News host, recently argued that the war was sold to the American people by “Israel firsters like Mark Levin.” He called her an “emotionally unhinged, lewd and petulant wreck.” It only got uglier from there.

As the joint U.S.-Israeli military action against Iran rolls into its third week, leading figures of the MAGA movement have attacked each other with increasing vehemence over the wisdom of the war, and more broadly, what the American relationship to the Jewish state should be.

The  debate reflects a widening rift within the American conservative movement. For decades, conservatives were stalwart supporters of the Jewish state, but over the last few years, some have grown disenchanted with Israel and its role in American politics. The  disagreements have only intensified since the attacks began on Feb. 28.