The Islamic Republic of Iran has never been so vulnerable. Israel must take advantage of this window of opportunity to defuse the nuclear threat from Tehran.
The October 7 massacre set off a multifront war that enabled Israel to break the “ring of fire” that Iran’s clerical regime spent decades putting in place around the Jewish state. Hezbollah to the north posed the greatest threat with its arsenal of nearly 200,000 rockets and missiles. Israeli forces smashed Hezbollah. Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria hosted Iran-backed militias from across the region. The Assad regime collapsed. Palestinian terrorists in Gaza led by Hamas landed a traumatizing blow on October 7, but Israel has battered them to the point where they are barely effective. Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck cargo ships in the Red Sea but inflicted minimal damage on Israel. The United States is now hammering the Houthis in a military operation designed to cut the terror group down to size. Twice, Tehran itself targeted Israel with barrages of missiles and drones numbering in the hundreds. The effort failed. When Israel retaliated, Iran’s air defenses proved impotent. Indeed, now the country’s strategic air defense has been heavily degraded.
Tehran’s ring of fire was supposed to deter Israel from striking decisive blows against the regime and its nuclear program. And that strategy was effective; for years, many in Israel were indeed hesitant to preempt the threat. Hoping other solutions were available, Israel hesitated to strike even though the destruction of the country remains the clerical regime’s ultimate goal. But now the calculus has changed. Israel’s fear of preemption is gone. It is time for Israel to rapidly increase the pressure on Tehran, so it must either shut down every pathway to nuclear weapons or endure withering pressure — including the threat of devastating strikes on the regime’s leadership and nuclear assets — that may also bring down the Islamic Republic.
Complete Article
www.fdd.org
The October 7 massacre set off a multifront war that enabled Israel to break the “ring of fire” that Iran’s clerical regime spent decades putting in place around the Jewish state. Hezbollah to the north posed the greatest threat with its arsenal of nearly 200,000 rockets and missiles. Israeli forces smashed Hezbollah. Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria hosted Iran-backed militias from across the region. The Assad regime collapsed. Palestinian terrorists in Gaza led by Hamas landed a traumatizing blow on October 7, but Israel has battered them to the point where they are barely effective. Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck cargo ships in the Red Sea but inflicted minimal damage on Israel. The United States is now hammering the Houthis in a military operation designed to cut the terror group down to size. Twice, Tehran itself targeted Israel with barrages of missiles and drones numbering in the hundreds. The effort failed. When Israel retaliated, Iran’s air defenses proved impotent. Indeed, now the country’s strategic air defense has been heavily degraded.
Tehran’s ring of fire was supposed to deter Israel from striking decisive blows against the regime and its nuclear program. And that strategy was effective; for years, many in Israel were indeed hesitant to preempt the threat. Hoping other solutions were available, Israel hesitated to strike even though the destruction of the country remains the clerical regime’s ultimate goal. But now the calculus has changed. Israel’s fear of preemption is gone. It is time for Israel to rapidly increase the pressure on Tehran, so it must either shut down every pathway to nuclear weapons or endure withering pressure — including the threat of devastating strikes on the regime’s leadership and nuclear assets — that may also bring down the Islamic Republic.
Complete Article
Tehran Is Exposed
www.fdd.org
