August 16, 2024 | The Wall Street Journal
Israel’s Approach to Iran May Be Getting Bolder
Officials are beginning to think about targeting the ayatollahs, not merely their nuclear program.
August 16, 2024 | The Wall Street Journal
Israel’s Approach to Iran May Be Getting Bolder
Officials are beginning to think about targeting the ayatollahs, not merely their nuclear program.
Excerpt
A digital billboard in central Tehran’s Palestine Square was unveiled in 2017, counting down until Israel’s demise. Shiites are usually ambiguous about eschatological dates, but when it comes to the Jewish state, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei wants something imminent. Threats to Israel have many causes but one abetting force: the Islamic Republic’s implacable hatred of Zion.
Strip Iranian aid from anti-Zionism, and Israel’s intractable struggle with the Palestinians loses its capacity to throw the Mideast into regional war. Israelis have long viewed their tactical successes as a long-term strategy. The Jewish state “mows the lawn” of nearby threats, which means, among other things, destroying enemy weapon stockpiles, killing enemy commanders, and executing old-fashioned incursions that tear up enemy infrastructure and offensive capacity. The Gaza war began because Israelis forgot they have to perform this unpleasant task routinely. With the Islamic Republic always seeking to fortify its “ring of fire” around the Jewish state, too long a respite led the Israelis to pay a terrible price.
Mr. Gerecht, a former Iranian-targets officer in the CIA, is a resident scholar at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Mr. Dubowitz is the foundation’s CEO.