Fox News co-host Jessica Tarlov came unglued during a heated debate with Jesse Watters over President Donald Trump’s military operation against Iran. Tarlov unloaded a lengthy list of complaints about civilian casualties, oil prices, Gulf-state investments, Russia, and America’s strategic reserves. Watters cut through the barrage by repeatedly asking whether she believed the operation was succeeding. The exchange ended with Watters accusing his liberal colleague of lying about the war and offering to put his beard “on the line.”
The confrontation aired during the March 6th edition of Fox News’ “The Five,” as the panel discussed Operation Epic Fury and the administration’s campaign against the Iranian regime. Tarlov argued that Republicans were prematurely treating the operation as a completed success despite serious risks and setbacks. Watters pressed her to give viewers a direct assessment of the operation instead of listing every possible complication.
“Well, the Right would have you believe that it’s been an imminent threat for 47 years, even though we were sending birthday cakes all around,” Tarlov began. She then argued that the administration had more time to consider its options before launching the operation. “And Jesse says in five or 10 years it could have gotten really bad. That would have given us a little more time to think this through,” she said.
Tarlov accused Watters and other supporters of the operation of wanting to “wave that mission accomplished banner” and return to the attitude that followed the opening stages of the Iraq War. She claimed they were speaking as though the conflict were already settled and nothing could go wrong. From there, she launched into a rapid rundown of reports about a deadly strike on an Iranian school, regional alliances, energy markets, and the economic consequences of the war.
The Fox News liberal also raised economic concerns, pointing to reports that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar were considering reviewing certain American contracts and future investment commitments. “Oil prices surging. You love to talk about gas prices, up to $86 a barrel,” she continued. Tarlov warned that Qatar had suggested oil could reach $150 per barrel and claimed gas prices had already climbed by approximately 35 cents in several conservative states.
Tarlov blamed the administration for failing to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve during Trump’s first year back in office. She then accused Russia of helping Iran identify American targets while Washington considered easing restrictions on Russian oil. Before she could continue running through the list, Watters interrupted with a straightforward question: “Are you saying this operation’s not going well?”
Watch the heated exchange here:
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“I am saying that there are problems with this operation,” Tarlov answered. Watters immediately pressed her again, asking, “Tell the American people right now: Is the American operation against the Iranian regime going well? Tell them.” Tarlov refused to give him the simple answer he wanted and returned to the school strike.
“I don’t know how you could listen to me say that we struck an Iranian school and that there are a bunch of dead kids and just say, ‘This is going great,’” Tarlov declared. Watters pushed back, replying, “Jessica, he murdered 35,000 people. If someone made a mistake when they hit a school, that’s bad. But that’s war.” When Tarlov objected that he had failed to mention the incident, Watters accused her of giving viewers a false picture of the campaign.
“Don’t lie. Don’t lie about the war. Do not lie about the war, Jessica. You’re lying,” Watters said. He then contrasted Tarlov’s refusal to assess the operation with his own willingness to make a firm prediction about its success. “I’m prepared to come out and say the war is going well. I’m willing to say that this is a done deal. I’m excited about this. I will get my banner. I’ll put my beard on the line.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.