Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: The US, NATO, Saudi Arabia, India, and others, have all ‘urged’ it to either stop or go slow in its ongoing multi-front wars against the Gaza Strip, Yemen, Lebanon, and, of course, Iran. But a determined Tel Aviv knows these are mere ‘raps on the knuckles,’ meant for diplomatic archives. Nothing less. Nothing more.
Many of these worthies want Israel to do the ‘dirty work’ in Iran they are unwilling to do themselves!
After pulverizing most of Iran’s proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis, besides minor ones from Syria and Iraq—Israel is going the whole hog to launch a do-or-die offensive against the Ayatollahs-run regime in Tehran. The year-long war, so far, was against Iran’s proxies; the coming one would be against Iran itself.
What the shape of this Israel-Iran conflict would be like? A mere rollout of their respective killing machines? More than 43,000 people have died in the volatile Middle East after Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 in Israel and took 250 hostages on October 7, 2023, sparking the ongoing conflict. Would the expected Iran-Israel war exceed these numbers?
Likely. While one can suspect Iran’s boasts and threats against Israel and its allies as its attempts to drum up support among Muslims worldwide and wrest the leadership from the Arabs, few, if any, can ignore what Israel says, before it does.
Why haven’t Iran and Israel attacked each other directly so far? Few realize that they have an umbilical chord binding them in the depths of their existence: It was only after the then Zoroastrian Persian Emperor Darius I the Great (522-486 BC) got the enslaved Jews released from Babylonian Capitivity that they could rebuild their Soloman Temple in Jerusalem and start writing the Bible (Old Testament). The Jews have since been immensely grateful to pre-Islamic Iran and the Zoroastrians, and maybe, feel its payback time.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at what he plans.
Directly addressing the Iranians, he said that a “regime change” was looming.
“When Iran is finally free, and that moment will come a lot sooner than people think — everything will be different,” he declared, as he lambasted the “fanatic theocrats” who rule the country.
This was not only for the consumption of the Iranians but also for the Sunni Muslims worldwide, especially the Arabs! Remember, many Sunni Muslims ‘celebrated’ the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
“Our two ancient peoples, the Jewish people, and the Persian people, will finally be at peace. Our two countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace,” he added.
Netanyahu’s video message came amid fears of all-out regional war in the Middle East. He said that Iran’s leaders support the “rapists and murderers of Hamas and Hezbollah,” but “Iran’s tyrants don’t care about the future of the Iranian people” and the country “deserves better” leadership.
“There are tens of millions of decent and good people with thousands of years of history behind them and a brilliant future ahead of them. Don’t let a small group of fanatic theocrats crush your hopes and dreams. You deserve better. Your children deserve better. The entire world deserves better,” Netanyahu said.
“The people of Iran should know, that Israel stands with you. May we together know a future of prosperity and peace,” he said.
His carrot to the Iranians and the Arabs was followed by a stick.
Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Israel’s retaliation to an Iranian missile strike on its territory would be “lethal.” It would catch Iran off guard. “They will not understand what happened and how it happened.”
Meanwhile, after almost neutralizing the Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi terrorists—all Iran’s proxies—Israel is pushing ahead in Lebanon to secure a buffer zone it lost after 2006 as the United Nations failed to implement the peace plan and Hezbollah’s demilitarization. Only by safeguarding its flanks from remnants of proxies, can Israel directly take on a bigger and mighty enemy—Iran.
But it also wants to keep its allies in good spirits, ahead of the November 4 presidential elections in the US where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are said to be in a neck-and-neck running. In any case, Israel would, if does, attack Iran at the time of its choosing, maybe after the US election results.
Until then, Tel Aviv is making all the right noises.
On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) expressed “deep concern” after two UN peacekeepers were injured by an Israeli strike in Lebanon, and said the peacekeepers were injured by Israeli fire as it was engaging Hezbollah, The Times of Israel said.
“It is unfortunate that since 2006, UN Security Council Resolution 1701 has not been fully enforced and that Hezbollah violated it by establishing an extensive militarized presence in southern Lebanon, requiring the IDF to operate against Hezbollah’s weapons, assets, and personnel in the area,” the IDF said.
“The IDF remains committed to protecting Israeli communities along the border and will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety of civilians and peacekeepers in this volatile region. We are committed to a careful examination of these incidents and to engaging in ongoing dialogue with UNIFIL and the nation states that participate in the peacekeeping mission,” it added.