Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has come to Israel’s defense as the country repels Iranian drone attacks.
“There is no country that is systematically attacked by its enemies and then told to use restraint in defending itself (despite its military superiority) more than Israel,” Portnoy, 47, wrote in a post on X.
Portnoy emphasized that he hopes for a peaceful solution in the region, while defending Israel amid widespread criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military action in Gaza.
“I want peace for all the innocents in the Middle East,” Portnoy wrote. “I also fully support Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.”
Portnoy previously spoke out in support of Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, which killed more than 1,160 civilians, according to Agence France Presse’s count in February. In total, more than 34,000 people have been killed in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, including at least 33,000 Palestinians, 224 humanitarian aid workers, 179 United Nations employees and 95 journalists.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has come to the defense of Israel amid attacks from Iran.
Portnoy hopes for a peaceful solution in the region while defending the state of Israel.
Although he was born into a Jewish family in Swampscott, Massachusetts, Portnoy insists that his support for Israel is not based on religion or ethnicity, but rather on his belief that the country has a right to exist.
“People keep asking me to talk about Israel’s terrorist attacks because I’m Jewish,” Portnoy wrote in a Barstool op-ed in October. ‘(For the record, I talked about it almost instantly, by the way) but it shouldn’t matter that I’m Jewish.
“This is a basic human rights issue,” he wrote in October. ‘Everyone should be outraged. It shouldn’t matter what religion or race you are. Every time innocent men, women and children are brutally murdered, raped and kidnapped in broad daylight, the entire world should be outraged.’
Hamas has denied sexually abusing any of the 1,200 Israelis who were killed or the 253 who were taken prisoner on October 7, although a team of United Nations experts found compelling evidence that some degree of sexual violence occurred.
“Hamas demonstrated once again that it is a terrorist organization that will never make peace with Israel or the West,” Portnoy continued. ‘They are no different from ISIS or Al Qaeda in that sense.
“Unfortunately, Israel now has no choice but to defend itself as strongly as possible, just as the United States would do if this happened on our soil.”
Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip
Palestinians gather on Al-Rashid Street to cross into northern Gaza after rumors spread that children and women under the age of 14 were allowed to cross north into Gaza City, Gaza.
Iran launched the latest attack in response to an attack widely attributed to Israel on an Iranian consular building in Syria earlier this month, which killed two Iranian generals. Israel said Iran launched 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles and more than 120 ballistic missiles.
Israel on Sunday praised its successful air defenses in the face of an unprecedented attack by Iran, saying it and its allies thwarted 99 percent of the more than 300 drones and missiles launched into its territory. But regional tensions remain high, amid fears of further escalation in the event of a possible Israeli counterattack.
President Joe Biden said he would convene a meeting of the Group of Seven advanced democracies on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.” The language indicated that the Biden administration does not want Iran’s attack to escalate into a broader military conflict.
Israeli forces intervened with gas bombs against Palestinians who were trying to cross to the north
On Sunday morning, Iran said the attack was over and Israel reopened its airspace.
The two enemies have been engaged for years in a shadow war marked by incidents such as the attack on Damascus. But Sunday’s attack, which set off air raid sirens across Israel, was the first time Iran launched a direct military attack against Israel, despite decades of enmity dating back to the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. .
Over the years, Israel has established – often with the help of the United States – a multi-layered air defense network that includes systems capable of intercepting a variety of threats, including long-range missiles, cruise missiles, drones and short-range rockets.
That system, along with collaboration with the United States and other forces, helped thwart what could have been a much more devastating attack at a time when Israel is already deadlocked in its war against Hamas in Gaza and engaged in low-level fighting. in its north. border with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran.