Trump Practices Strategic Deception in Favor of Israel

By Dr. Hassan Mohamed Saleh

Strategic deception is inseparable from strategic thinking and its well-known principles, including the formulation of long-term strategic and tactical plans, accompanied by ruses, patterns, stances, and developments.

Yehoshafat Harkabi, a military historian and former officer in the U.S. Army’s Psychological Warfare Intelligence Unit, defined deception as the dissemination of information—through statements or actions—to push others to accept a false perception of reality in order to influence their behavior.

While we won’t delve too deeply into the academic aspects of the topic, it remains a dangerous and misleading act. It utilizes camouflage, media, and psychological warfare, even employing truth to obscure the actual truth in pursuit of the adversary’s objectives. Misinformation itself becomes a goal, redirecting the opponent toward a more attractive alternative by inflating certain facts and promoting them intensively—causing other truths to fade from consideration. This fosters a distorted image of reality.

This is summarized by former CIA senior analyst (1970–1984) and author on security and intelligence, Robert Clark, who said all forms of deception work within the framework of what is true. Facts lay the foundation for perceptions and beliefs, and are then manipulated to deceive the opponent.

Strategic deception was employed in World War II. For example, the Allies used sun shields in Operation Bertram, and inflatable decoys in Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the enemy about the size, location, and objectives of Allied forces.

Israel emerged as the real victor in the Yom Kippur War with a sweeping victory on the ground. Israeli forces expelled Syrian troops from the Golan Heights, seized the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, expelled Jordanian forces from the West Bank, and most importantly, maintained exclusive control over Jerusalem.

U.S. presidents, diplomats, and U.S.-controlled organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency have a history of engaging in strategic deception—in the Vietnam War, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the First Gulf War, and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The U.S. ambassador to Iraq even gave Saddam Hussein the green light to invade Kuwait. Furthermore, Mohamed ElBaradei, as head of the UN’s weapons inspection team, played a role in falsifying evidence about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction—paving the way for the U.S. invasion, destruction of Iraq, and the disbanding of its national army.

In Sudan, strategic deception played a key role in the destruction of the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory. American intelligence operatives claimed the Khartoum-based facility, which produced human and veterinary medicine, was manufacturing chemical weapons. This led to its destruction by Tomahawk missiles, under orders from President Clinton in August 1998.

Amid Sudan’s current battle for dignity against the terrorist militia led by the Dagalo family (RSF), the U.S. falsely accused the Sudanese Armed Forces of using chemical weapons. This blatant lie was based on misinformation from Jaafar Hassan, an activist in the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) and an American agent. All evidence points to the fabrication of these claims, warranting caution regarding U.S. intelligence agencies and their agents, who prioritize pretexts for intervention and destruction over truth.

Turning to the Islamic Republic of Iran: President Trump canceled the nuclear agreement brokered by his predecessor Obama, under pressure from Israel. Trump has since resumed talk of negotiations with Iran over its peaceful nuclear program. These negotiations, however, are a strategic cover intended to destroy Iran after a planned Israeli military strike. This plan materialized on Friday morning, June 13, 2025, when Israel launched a surprise attack on the Islamic Republic, killing senior military, intelligence, and nuclear scientists through a deep intelligence and espionage operation. The Iranian opposition played a spearheading role in this.

Iran responded by targeting Israel’s heartland, striking Tel Aviv with over 200 missiles and causing massive destruction. Despite this, Israel continues to threaten Iran and has begun attacking Iranian ports, economic infrastructure, and oil facilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues practicing strategic deception in favor of Israel under the guise of negotiations and mutual understandings.

American intervention in Iran and its allies under such pretenses is nothing new. The U.S. has long plotted the destruction of Hezbollah. In a notable case, the U.S. mediated between Hezbollah and Israel through its special envoy Amos Hochstein. Experts assert that American diplomacy—via this envoy—was a tool of strategic deception. Negotiations were used to create a misleading image of military and field realities, downplaying Hezbollah’s awareness of risks and threats. This enabled Israel to violate red lines and the established rules of engagement.

Israeli forces went on to assassinate Hezbollah’s historical and senior leadership, including the Secretary-General, through airstrikes that also killed civilians in Lebanon. Hezbollah failed to respond with decisive military action, not due to material limitations, but due to mental stagnation and misjudgment. Misreading the situation led to poor conclusions and strategic setbacks, culminating in the martyrdom of Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah.

The same plan is being implemented in Iran—military leaders like Qassem Soleimani have been assassinated, and Iranian regional influence is being systematically dismantled through diplomatic maneuvers and alliances designed to isolate its allies and supporters.

The U.S.’s ultimate strategic goal is the security of Israel. President Trump once stated: “We have supported Israel like never before.” To achieve this goal, the U.S. seeks to eliminate Palestinian resistance. It believes that dismantling Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and others can only be achieved by destroying Iran and replacing its Islamic regime with a secular government loyal to the West and the U.S.

In conclusion, the condemnation of Israel’s attack on Iran by many Arab and Islamic countries—foremost among them Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, and Turkey—reflects an awareness of the Israeli threat to the Arab and Islamic world. This provides the Islamic Republic of Iran with a diplomatic opportunity to strengthen unity and solidarity in the face of the Zionist agenda targeting the region’s economic, human, and strategic resources.

Source: “Sudanese Echoes”