LOS ANGELES - FEBRUARY 28: A woman kisses a picture of President Trump. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

This evening, Jews around the world will celebrate Purim, one of the greatest triumphs in biblical history in which Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai thwarted Haman’s scheme to convince King Ahasuerus to slaughter all the Jews in Persia. The modern-day Haman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, won’t be celebrating this year. On Oct. 6, 2023, Khamenei looked like one of the world’s more effective hard power strategists. But like Haman, he made fundamental mistakes that cost him dearly. Free Beacon columnist Mike Watson writes:

Both men’s strategic acumen evaporated at the moment of success. Haman somehow failed to realize that Mordecai was a relation of the queen; Khamenei underestimated Benjamin Netanyahu and his countrymen. Iran’s Arab lackeys failed to coordinate effectively, so Israel counterattacked Hamas while Hezbollah refrained from anything more serious than pinprick strikes. Israel crippled Hezbollah with a surprise attack in late 2024 and in June 2025, similarly paralyzed Iran. Trump then dispatched the Air Force to bomb heavily fortified Iranian sites, including key nuclear facilities.

Despite the fevered stories about the “Israel lobby,” the tight bond between Israel and the United States depends far more on Israeli steel than on silver tongues or golden gifts. The alliance serves both countries well. Iran has attacked both countries repeatedly since the 1979 revolution, so they share a common enemy. American assistance provides enormous benefits for Israel—for example, American refueling aircraft have enabled Israel to drop about half as many bombs in the first 30 hours of this campaign as in the entire 12-day June operation. Israel holds up its end of the bargain, too. Usually American aircraft need to open up hostile skies for their allies to operate, but Israel cleared out Iranian air defenses.

Haman and Khamenei both led their followers to ruin. Ahasuerus executed Haman on the gallows his councilor intended for Mordecai, and then directed his subjects to slaughter the Jews’ enemies. Israel has killed every senior Iranian military and terrorist leader. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tacitly admitted that the regime cannot direct the military, which is senselessly attacking neutral countries. Russian and Chinese diplomats are sputtering impotently as the Americans and Israelis continue the bombing campaign.

READ MORE: Khamenei, Haman, and a Purim for the Ages