While the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro was perfectly aligned with President Trump’s emerging “doctrine” of increasing U.S. focus on the Western Hemisphere, Maduro’s demise also delivered an unintended ancillary benefit to Israel, improving the Jewish state’s position against Iran by depriving the mullahs of a valuable ally.

Indeed, Maduro had forged a strong alliance with Iran, involving energy initiatives and military ties, and allowing both rogue states to evade tightening U.S. sanctions. Maduro’s arrest threatens greater insecurity for Iran’s badly deteriorating economy, political stability and military strength, since Iran will no longer be able to use Venezuela as a terror hub or diplomatic partner.

The Maduro event puts further pressure on Iran’s plummeting trajectory over the last few years, since its proxy Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and following its devastating military losses inflicted by Israel and the U.S. last June.

Iran’s economy is also in freefall. The value of its currency is at an all-time low, inflation is high, food prices are skyrocketing, and the country is suffering from acute water and energy shortages.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Iranian citizens are in the streets demanding an end to the Islamist dictatorship. As of this writing, protests have spread nationwide, affecting most of Iran’s 31 provinces and more than 100 cities.

By contrast, as Iran’s fortunes take a nosedive, Israel’s strength and prosperity are ascendant, making it one of the world’s most powerful military and economic players. Israel’s remarkable achievements in both spheres are bolstered by U.S. diplomatic support, which gives Israel more latitude in dealing with its enemies than it’s enjoyed in decades.

While Israel has absorbed brutal reputational damage from Western nations and their publics during the Gaza War, its growing military and economic prowess, combined with its warm relations with the American administration, surely ease the pain caused by widespread political disapproval. In a war for survival, nothing beats security and prosperity.

Maduro’s fall enhances Israel’s position in the Middle East. The U.S. action disrupted Iran’s extended global network, serving as a warning to enemies of the West and providing a psychological deterrent against threats to Israel and other U.S. allies in the region.

Maduro’s Venezuela was a base for Iranian terrorism. Both Hezbollah and the Iran’s IRGC military arm conducted operations there, including narcoterrorism and money laundering. Now, expanded U.S. influence in Venezuela neutralizes these threats.

Venezuela also allowed Iran to circumvent sanctions, for example, by serving as an intermediary in oil and fuel swaps that masked Iranian shipments from direct scrutiny. Without this sanctions-busting mechanism, Iranian funding for activities against Israel will be even further curtailed due to diminished oil revenue.

Iran’s loss of Venezuela as an ally occurs at a low point for the Islamic Republic. Since the October 2023 massacre, Israel’s Defense Forces have decimated Iran’s terrorist proxies. Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon lost most of their military infrastructure, thousands of their fighters, and most of their leaders. Iran also lost another strategic ally—Syria—with the fall of its dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Iran lost Syria’s use as a base from which to attack Israel and as a conduit for transferring weapons to its proxies. Syria’s new rulers are now in talks to stabilize relations with Israel.

Iran itself is also staggering after devastating losses to its military and nuclear programs following Israeli and U.S. strikes last summer. In short, Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” intended to form a “Ring of Fire” around Israel, is now a hollow shell, dramatically limiting the power Iran can project in the region.

Iran’s economic turmoil means less funding for anti-Israel activities. Indeed, Iran’s economy can barely sustain itself, much less finance attacks on Israel. Inflation in Iran is skyrocketing at 48% annually, while its currency, the rial, has fallen to record lows—now trading at 1.47 million per US dollar. Food prices in Iran have jumped 72%, and as many as 50% of Iranians live in poverty. Worse still, Iran suffers from severe water and energy shortages.

These economic woes have had a direct impact on Iran’s terror financing. For instance, Iran reportedly informed Hezbollah that it is dramatically reducing its support and advised the terror group to initiate cost reductions.

Iranians want to end the Islamic Republic. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets, shouting slogans like, “Death to the dictator,” “Death to Khameini,” “We don’t want the Islamic Republic.” These protests have apparently worried the Supreme Leader enough to plot an escape to Russia should his regime collapse. Suffice it say, the fall of the Islamic Republic would virtually eliminate Iran’s existential threat to Israel.

While Iran falters, Israel prospers. Even as the Islamic Republic is crumbling, Israel has emerged as a military powerhouse. Noted military veteran Colonel Richard Kemp (ret.) described Israel’s 2025 accomplishments as “extraordinary,” stating that many of them “confounded its critics.” In addition, Israel’s sales of sophisticated military equipment and cybertechnology globally have expanded by tens of billions of dollars.

Israel’s economy has performed so well that The Economist labelled it the third-best performing economy out of 36 mostly wealthy, advanced countries, citing the outsized performance of Israel’s stock market and a strong economic recovery following the war against Hamas in Gaza.

Israel’s achievements since the October 7^th massacre are further bolstered by U.S. support. The Trump Administration has ended the practices of the previous administration, which sought to curtail Israel’s defensive military actions. Most recently, Trump gave Israel the green light to resume attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah should they fail to disarm.

For Israel, it’s better to be secure than popular. While Israel was falsely hammered with accusations of “genocide” and “starvation” tactics in Gaza, it stayed focused on defeating its barbaric enemies—all while abiding by the rules of modern warfare. This focus—along with superior intelligence and determination—allowed Israel to prevail. Its enemies, while not yet defeated, are reeling. Israel enjoys greater security than it has in decades.

Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that Israel has survived by prioritizing its self-defense, despite media lies and international criticism. Indeed, as former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir observed, “If we have to choose between being dead and pitied, and being alive with a bad image, we’d rather be alive and have the bad image.”

If you agree we need to spread this truth, please use your email browser to forward this Hotline issue to fellow lovers of Israel—and encourage them to join us by subscribing to the Hotline at no charge.

Best regards,
James Sinkinson, President
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME)

P.S.      Surely, you’ve recently read of some celebrity, politician, radical student, foreign head of state or media pundit slander Israel with the “Gaza genocide” lie. Many who spread this lie are ignorant, but most are anti-Israel haters. They care nothing for the truth. The tragedy is, when they utter the Gaza genocide falsehood, too few knowledgeable people—and virtually no media—stand up to refute it. Indeed, when you share the simple facts, the genocide lie crumbles. Upon learning that Israel conducts its war against Hamas terrorists with the highest ethical standards—and that nothing Israel does in Gaza fits the definition of genocide—fair-minded people quickly see through the lie. I hope you’ll agree that we supporters of the Israel-U.S. relationship need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“Facts Shatter Gaza Genocide Lies”—describes what genocide is and is not and proves factually that Israel’s tactics in the war are ethical and righteous. It also reveals demographic data showing that the Palestinian population in Gaza is actually increasing. Finally, it notes that those who spread the Gaza genocide lie fit the classic definition of antisemites. Please review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME is about to publish to millions—in leading social media, as well as in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Denver Post and Los Angeles Times. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, the President and Vice President. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us with a donation.