Mayim Bialik Speaks Out on Iran’s Israel Attack: ‘Scary’

Mayim Bialik has spoken out on Iran’s latest strike on Israel, stating in a social media post that the attack signals “a scary and destabilizing series of events.”

Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday, in response to an April 1 strike widely attributed to Israel on an Iranian consular building in Damascus, Syria, that killed 12 people, including two senior Iranian generals.

President Joe Biden said U.S. forces helped Israel down “nearly all” the drones and missiles. He said he would convene a meeting of allies on Sunday “to coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran’s brazen attack.”

Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, told state television that Tehran’s response “will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran.”

Bagheri said that Tehran has communicated to the U.S. through the Swiss Embassy, which handles U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations, that any backing of Israeli retaliation against Iran would result in U.S. regional bases being targeted.

“If the U.S. participates in the next aggressive actions by [Israel] through the bases it has in the [Middle East] region or the military facilities it has in the region and this information is confirmed for us, its bases in the region will not be safe,” he said.

Former Jeopardy! co-host Bialik, who has spoken out in support of Israel amid the country’s ongoing war with Palestinian militant group Hamas, on Sunday took to Instagram to share her thoughts on the latest developments.

Posting a screenshot of The Times of Israel‘s coverage of the attack, the TV personality wrote: “It was an astonishing weekend in Israel as Iran initiated an unprecedented attack. Hoping for a swift recovery for the 7-year-old Bedouin girl injured when shrapnel from an Iranian weapon hit her home.”

“I’m not a politician or diplomat but this is a scary and destabilizing series of events,” the Call Me Kat star continued. “I’m continuing to pray for peace and safety for the people of Israel and an end to war, destruction and suffering.”

Newsweek has contacted Mayim Bialik‘s representative via email.

Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said his country has no intention of continuing the military operation against Israel.

He called the attack “exercising the right of legitimate defense” in a post on X, formerly Twitter, adding that it shows Iran’s responsible approach to “regional and international peace and security.”

He added: “At this juncture, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of continuing defensive operations, but if necessary, it will not hesitate to protect its legitimate interests against any new aggression.”

In December, Bialik appeared in a video on Instagram in which she suggested that people with certain views on the Israel-Hamas conflict might be antisemitic.

The TV personality, who in December revealed that she had been dropped as a Jeopardy! co-host after more than two years in the role, was shown in a clip featuring herself with Israeli actor and activist Noa Tishby.

In the video, they addressed viewpoints that have been shared on heightened tensions in the region after Hamas on October 7 led a surprise attack on Israel, which it said was retribution for worsening conditions for Palestinians under Israeli occupation. More than 200 people were taken hostage in the attack.

Israel subsequently declared war on Hamas and launched hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, followed by a ground invasion. At least 1,200 people were killed in Israel, the Associated Press has reported, and more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to health authorities in Gaza, the AP has said.

In the video she appeared in, Bialik a swipe at Pink Floyd vocalist Roger Waters, who is known to take an outspoken pro-Palestinian stance.

“If you in any way think that you don’t really know what went on on October 7th—Roger Waters I’m talking to you—you might be an antisemite,” Bialik said. “If you think that that footage in some way is not reflecting exactly what happened as it was broadcast from the GoPros on the terrorists’ heads, sorry folks, you might be an antisemite.”

Bialik addressed the assertion from some who “think that the solution to what is going on in the Middle East is that the Jews should just go back to where they came from,” asking Tishby to explain why this stance was disagreeable.

“The Jews have originated in Judea. This is actually Israel, the Jewish people came from Israel. There has been a Jewish presence in the land of Israel for thousands of years. The Jews are the indigenous people of the land of Israel, so there’s nowhere to go back to.”

Bialik interjected: “And if you think we should go somewhere, you might be an antisemite.”

Iran and Israel have long waged a shadow war, but Saturday’s attack was the first time Iran has launched a direct military assault from its own territory on Israel.

“We intercepted. We blocked. Together, we will win,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X, but it remains unclear how Israel will respond.