American media personality Megyn Kelly is drawing fierce online criticism after declaring that US service members killed in the ongoing strikes on Iran died “for Iran or for Israel” rather than for the United States, a statement that has ignited heated backlash across social media. The former Fox News anchor, now a SiriusXM host, made the remarks during a monologue on her show while discussing the escalating conflict involving the US, Iran and Israel. Her comments have since gone viral, drawing sharp criticism from netizens who accused her of dishonouring fallen service members.Kelly began her segment by acknowledging the deaths of four American service members in the ongoing military operation, reportedly dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.” She said she was praying for the troops but questioned the purpose of the mission.“The guys and the gals who have to actually carry out this mission … why again? And put their lives on the line … for whom, again?” she asked.Kelly added that early polling suggested Americans were divided over the strikes and admitted she was leaning against the attacks.“My own feeling is no one should have to die for a foreign country. I don’t think those four service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel,” she said.She further argued that “our government’s job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. It’s to look out for us,” adding that the conflict “feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel’s war.”Kelly also named conservative figures such as Mark Levin, Ben Shapiro, and Senator Lindsey Graham as voices who had strongly supported military action.At the same time, she said she did not believe former President Donald Trump intended to drag the US into another “Forever War,” though she described him as being “all over the board” about how long the conflict might last.

Rubio cites ‘imminent threat’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the strikes were carried out after US intelligence indicated Israel was preparing to attack Iran and that American forces in the region faced an imminent threat of retaliation.“There absolutely was an imminent threat,” Rubio said, arguing that a defensive posture following an Israeli strike would have exposed US troops to greater casualties. According to officials, five American soldiers have died so far in combat.Rubio maintained that the US acted “proactively in a defensive way” to prevent higher losses.Kelly, however, questioned the administration’s claim that Iran was planning preemptive missile strikes on US military and civilian targets. Referring to comments by CNN contributor Scott Jennings, she said the assertion “doesn’t make any sense,” arguing that Iran would have known about the substantial American military presence in the region.

Netizens react

Kelly’s comments quickly triggered a storm of reactions online, with critics accusing her of disrespecting fallen troops.One user wrote, “Megyn Kelly saying our fallen American soldiers died ‘for Israel’ is absolute evil. It’s disgusting, disgraceful. She is dishonoring the fallen. I will never forgive her for this.”Another post read, “Purposely putting American soldiers into the path of death with absolutely no objective, no end game and no authorization from Congress is what’s evil.”Some users dismissed her as “not conservative,” while others defended her right to question the administration’s rationale for military action, arguing that public debate over war powers and foreign policy is legitimate.