Iran

For Washington, there is genuine risk. Iran’s leadership may conclude that it can no longer tolerate a humiliation and launch a direct attack on Israel. That would give Israel grounds for a broad counterattack and could draw the United States into precisely the escalation Trump has sought to avoid. Tehran could also claim that Israel deliberately tried to provoke an Iranian response in order to force Washington into an all-out war.

Ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s diplomatic visit to Washington, the Israeli defense establishment and decision-makers stand at a critical crossroads. Naturally, the strategic discussion with the American administration focuses on …

When hostile regimes declare their intention to destroy the Jewish state, the country has the right and duty to take preventive action.

Four months into the Iran campaign, the US risks repeating Vietnam by relying on gradual pressure over decisive victory.

Western observers tend to dismiss the new supreme leader’s threats as mere rhetoric. In reality, revenge is an ideological imperative that Iran has sought to put into practice by recruiting operatives and activating proxies inside the US.

Against enemies of this kind, deterrence cannot be relied upon. Only prevention and the denial of capabilities can provide real security.

The Iranian leadership has not changed its goals or ideology, and the chants to kill Americans and Israelis are still what the public hears from its government.

History shows that Israeli concessions in the face of Iranian threats lead to demands being escalated, not to calm. In the Middle East, and certainly when dealing with the regime in Tehran, giving up freedom of action out of risk of escalation is not seen as an act of responsibility.

Tehran has made significant concessions, entering the negotiations militarily weakened, economically devastated, and politically fragile. It is now critical that Jerusalem help shape the outcome of the talks.

The deal gives the Iranian regime a lifeline from the lowest point it has reached and resources to rebuild its capabilities. Instead of forcing Tehran to sever its ties with Lebanon, it strengthens Iran’s hold there. With an outcome like this, the Trump administration is making itself a laughingstock in the countries of the region.