A clip of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has resurfaced online where she flatly defended the then-Obama administration’s decision to strike Libya — without the congressional authorization she believes President Donald Trump should have secured before conducting his own strikes over the weekend.

«You’re saying that the president did not need authorization initially and still does not need any authorization from Congress on Libya?» a reporter asked Pelosi at a press event back in 2011.

«Yes,» Pelosi answered plainly.

The unambiguous answer contrasts sharply with Pelosi’s view of Trump’s strikes against Iran on Saturday.

In a joint effort targeting Iranian military leadership, the U.S. and Israel killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday, citing an imperative to halt Iran’s pursuit of developing a nuclear weapon.

Pelosi swiftly condemned the operation.

«President Trump’s decision to initiate military hostilities into Iran starts another unnecessary war which endangers our servicemembers and destabilizes an already fragile region,» Pelosi said in a post to X.

«The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation into war must be authorized by Congress.»

Pelosi, alongside other Democrats, is pursuing a war powers resolution that would limit Trump from taking further military action against Iran without express congressional approval.

Trump’s strikes bear similarity to President Barack Obama’s decision to strike Libya in 2011 under Operation Odyssey Dawn.

In that operation, Obama ordered a series of strikes against Libya in March 2011, looking to deter Muammar Gaddafi from attacking civilian protesters.

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Sept. 14, 2012: President Barack Obama, accompanied by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaks during a Transfer of Remains Ceremony, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP)

Gaddafi, known as the «Mad Dog of the Middle East,» was the ruler of Libya from 1969 to 2011. He had a long and complicated relationship with the U.S. — at times aligning with national objectives and, at others, governing in a manner the U.S. couldn’t ignore.

The final straw came in the Libyan revolt of 2011, when demonstrations broke out in Benghazi and other cities. Like recent uprisings in Iran, Gaddafi met the threat to his rule with crushing force, marching his forces toward several Libyan cities that had resisted his power.

In what he described as attempts to uphold international law, Obama said the U.S., in partnership with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), had taken the strikes to protect Libya’s civilians to protect Libya’s civilians.

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«We struck regime forces approaching Benghazi to save that city and the people within it,» Obama said in remarks after the attacks.

The strikes did not kill Gaddafi.

Gaddafi was killed later that year at the hands of revolutionaries in October.

Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi gestures to supporters as he speaks in Tripoli, Libya. As rebels swarmed into Tripoli late Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. (Associated Press)

While Obama said he had consulted a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers, he did not pursue a declaration of war before carrying out his strikes.

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«So, for those who doubted our capacity to carry out this operation, I want to be clear: The United States of America has done what we said we would do,» Obama said.

Pelosi’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether she saw any key differences between the attacks carried out by Obama and those now ordered by Trump.

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As sirens sound again across Israel amid escalating Iranian attacks, the country is confronting not only a new battlefield but old psychological wounds. In a stable in central Israel, Danny, is getting some healing.

On October 7, Danny (not his real name) said he was called up from home. Within days, he said, his unit was evacuating bodies from Kibbutz Kissufim under live fire. He spent six months in the war, moving between combat zones in Gaza and evacuating severely wounded soldiers. «We were shot at while evacuating the dead,» he recalled. «I saw the wounded arrive in pieces. These are things I will never forget.»

Since coming home, he says he is constantly on edge — sensitive to noise, tense, struggling to resume normal life. Once a week, he comes to work with a large dark horse named King. «There’s something that waits for me here,» he said. «It’s the one day I can relax and leave the chaos behind. There’s something waiting for me here.»

His story is one of many emerging from a country that is facing a mental-health crisis with many of its troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. A recent Reuters report citing Israel’s Defense Ministry said it has witnessed «a nearly 40% increase in PTSD cases amongst its soldiers since September 2023, and predicts the figure will increase by 180% by 2028.» It also said that some 60% of all wounded troops suffer from PTSD, according to those figures.

Alex, 35, is another veteran who found his way to the same stable. Standing beside a horse named Donna, he prepares for another therapy session. A victim of another one of Israel’s war he was stabbed seven times during Operation Cast Lead in 2009. He says the assault altered the course of his life.

«Pain you can get used to,» he says. «But post-trauma — you cannot get used to.»

He has been coming here for two months. «With Donna I feel the quiet and peace that I can’t feel at home when I’m alone and my thoughts go elsewhere,» he says. «The treatment with the horses is changing my life. Every week more and more, and I don’t want it to end.

«The Transcending Trauma Project was founded by Dr. Anita Shkedi, a pioneer in therapeutic horseback riding in Israel since the 1980s. After years in the field, she came out of semi-retirement following the Oct. 7 attacks to launch the program under a new charity she created, Brothers of Jonathan.

The initiative provides equine-assisted therapy to reservists, soldiers, veterans, Nova music festival survivors and family members struggling with the psychological aftermath of war.

‘SHEEPDOG’ SHINES LIGHT ON THE WAR AFTER WAR, AS VETERANS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH LIFE BACK HOME

A participant in the Transcending Trauma Project works with a horse during a therapy session at a rehabilitation stable in Israel. The initiative was launched after the October 7 attacks to help those struggling with trauma. (Anita Shkedi)

For Shkedi, the project is deeply personal.

Her son, Jonathan Boyden, was mortally wounded during a rescue mission in Lebanon in 1993 and died weeks later from his injuries. For years, she said, she felt she had never fully honored his memory. «When he was alive and serving in the army, he always said to me, ‘Do something and help the injured soldiers,’» she recalled. «So I put everything together and felt this was the right thing to do — to start a charity called Brothers of Jonathan and help people in the way I know best, which is with the horse.»

Since launching in late 2023, the program has delivered more than a thousand therapy sessions and now operates with a growing waiting list. From the outset, Shkedi said her goal was not only treatment but prevention. «Right from the beginning, I was interested in prevention — if we can get to people early, maybe we can prevent symptoms of trauma from turning into chronic PTSD,» she said. «We need to save this generation.»

Many participants arrive in what she describes as «survival mode,» stuck in cycles of fear, anxiety and hypervigilance. But she warns that another psychological wound is emerging alongside classic PTSD symptoms.

«There will be a high level of moral injury — shame and guilt — alongside fear, anxiety and depression,» Shkedi said. «When that combines with PTSD, it is very shattering for a person.»

MARINE-TURNED-PSYCHOLOGIST’S BRAIN BREAKTHROUGH IS HELPING VETERANS STILL FIGHTING INSIDE

A former IDF soldier bonds with a horse as part of a structured, trauma-informed therapy program designed to help veterans and civilians process the psychological aftermath of war. (Anita Shkedi)

In the stable, she says, something shifts.

«Traumatized people need a safe place. Sometimes home is not a safe place,» she explained. «When they come to the horses, they attach easily. The environment becomes safe for them — and they start to feel safer inside.»

The therapy is structured and trauma-informed. Participants learn first to regulate themselves alongside the horse and eventually to guide and care for the animal.

«We don’t get rid of trauma. Trauma has happened,» Shkedi said. «Our job is to build resilience and post-traumatic growth — to help people move from co-regulation to self-regulation.»

For some, she said, the bond has been lifesaving.

«We have had people who were struggling with suicidal thoughts. The fact that they can attach themselves to the horse has really helped them.»

Looking ahead, Shkedi hopes to expand. «The dream is to have a place in Israel where people can come 24/7,» she said. «A place that says: you are safe here.»

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An Israeli veteran participates in an equine-assisted therapy session at the Transcending Trauma Project in central Israel. Organizers say the program supports soldiers and survivors coping with post-traumatic stress. (Anita Shkedi)

As the war continues and more soldiers rotate home, she believes the psychological toll is only beginning to surface.

«We are not just here for people to ride a horse,» she said. «We are here to help them move forward.»

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Tras perder Siria, Rusia observa hoy cómo se debilita su histórica influencia en Medio Oriente con la oleada de bombardeos estadounidenses e israelíes en Irán, su principal aliado en la región.

Esta nueva guerra le puede pasar una costosa factura a Moscú. No solo la Revolución Islámica ha sido clave en el suministro de drones militares para su conflicto en Ucrania. También el país es un importante polo de negocios y una ruta comercial estratégica para el Kremlin.

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Pero además hay un gran paradoja surgida del juego de poder geopolítico. Teherán está bombardeando a los países del Golfo que albergan bases militares estadounidenses, entre ellos los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, donde la oposición rusa denuncia que el Kremlin montó un entramado de empresas fantasmas para eludir las sanciones internacionales derivadas de su invasión a Ucrania.

Qué puede perder Rusia en la guerra en Irán

La guerra en Irán es un gran dolor de cabeza para Vladimir Putin.

El presidente ruso solo pudo recurrir a la retórica contra Donald Trump, con quien negocia una salida a la guerra en el Dombas, para condenar la ofensiva contra Irán, a la que calificó de “cínica e inmoral”. Una situación similar había ocurrido tras el ataque a Venezuela y la captura de Nicolás Maduro el 3 de enero pasado. Moscú no está en condiciones de ejercer presión sobre Washington.

El analista Oleg Ignatov, experto en temas rusos del Crisis Group, una ONG internacional encargada de la resolución de conflictos, dijo a TN que, si cae la Revolución Islámica, “Rusia perderá un régimen amigo que comparte en gran medida su visión del conflicto con Occidente”.

“Rusia podría perder una ruta logística alternativa hacia la región a través del Mar Caspio e Irán, importante para Rusia debido a la presión occidental sobre su logística comercial, pero que, sin embargo, aún no está plenamente operativa”, indicó.

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El analista afirmó: “Rusia no tiene muchos socios cercanos. Y ahora ve que su número se reduce aún más. En general, Rusia se sentirá más vulnerable y se comportará menos cooperativamente. Moscú considera que la mejor defensa en este nuevo mundo es ser fuerte. Se prepara para una nueva guerra y se vuelve lo más resistente posible porque no hay garantías y no se puede confiar en ninguna negociación”.

“No quiero hablar de eso”

En junio pasado, un periodista le preguntó a Putin qué pasaría si el líder supremo iraní, Ali Jamenei, fuera asesinado.

El presidente ruso, según The Moscow Times, fue sorprendido por el interrogante durante el Foro Económico anual de San Petersburgo. Entonces respondió: “Ni siquiera quiero hablar de esa posibilidad. No quiero”.

El peor escenario para Moscú finalmente se materializó. Jamenei fue eliminado en uno de los bombardeos del sábado. El gobierno ruso condenó la acción y la calificó como una “violación cínica de todas las normas de la moral humana y el derecho internacional”.

“En nuestro país, el ayatollah Jamenei será recordado como un estadista destacado que hizo una enorme contribución personal al desarrollo de las relaciones amistosas ruso-iraníes, elevándolas al nivel de una asociación estratégica integral”, dijo Putin.

Pero la reacción de Moscú solo se limita hoy a la retórica.

La cartera de inversiones rusas en Irán

Nikita Smagin, un experto en relaciones ruso-iraníes, dijo al periódico que la mayor preocupación del Kremlin en este momento es su sustancial cartera de inversiones que incluyen proyectos millonarios en las industrias petrolera y gasífera

“Esto incluye el corredor Norte-Sur, una ruta ferroviaria multimillonaria entre Rusia e Irán a través del Cáucaso Sur, y un acuerdo de 25 000 millones de dólares para construir cuatro reactores nucleares en el sur de Irán”, enumeró.

Además, afirmó: “Rusia ha invertido mucho esfuerzo y dinero en Irán. Ciertamente, si imaginamos un cambio de régimen o inestabilidad en Irán, todos estos proyectos están amenazados”.

El mayor temor de Moscú es que la caída de la Revolución Islámica lleve al poder un gobierno que rompa su alianza con Rusia. El Kremlin ya perdió toda influencia en Siria tras la caída en diciembre de 2024 del gobernante Bashar al Assad. Hoy Siria está bajo una virtual tutela de Estados Unidos.

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“Los intereses de Rusia en Irán podrían verse afectados. Sobre todo si quienquiera que venga después busca relaciones más pragmáticas con Occidente. Este ha sido un temor de larga data en Rusia”, dijo Hanna Notte, directora del Programa de Eurasia en el Centro James Martin de Estudios de No Proliferación, citada por The Moscow Times.

Pero hay otro punto adicional. El Kremlin podría sufrir un duro golpe si se ven afectados sus intereses en los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, bajo bombardeo iraní. Allí se habrían creado cientos de empresas fantasma para eludir las sanciones de la Unión Europea y Estados Unidos. Incluso, hay sospechas de que Rusia ha usado los puertos emiratíes para trasladar crudo ruso.

La única buena noticia para Moscú es el aumento del precio del barril de crudo. Su economía depende en parte de sus exportaciones petroleras. Pero se trata de un beneficio a corto plazo, más allá de que pueda ser significativo para sus arcas.

Analistas militares dijeron además que Moscú ha comenzado a diversificar la producción de drones militares utilizados en la guerra en Ucrania. Así, empezó a producir los drones iraníes Shahed.

“Todo lo que ocurre en Oriente Medio amenaza los intereses rusos. Es un cambio de norma, un cambio de patrón sobre cómo las potencias mundiales actúan hacia los países autoritarios. Y, sin duda, no es una buena señal para Rusia”, concluyó Smagin.