This Waiting Game Must End: Hit Iran at a Time of Our Choosing, on Our Terms

[Published on Times of Israel here 8 August '24]

This Waiting Game Must End: Hit Iran at a Time of Our Choosing, on Our Terms

The mood in Israel seems reminiscent of everything I’ve ever heard or read about May 1967.  (And not just in Israel but among Jews and other supporters of Israel around the globe.)

We all know (hate that phrase but it fits here) that Israel’s 1967 opening military operation was and is the paradigm of a legitimate pre-emptive defensive first strike under the laws of war and the UN Charter, still taught in law schools (in the West, where it counts).

Can anyone question that the same legitimacy applies now to a long-overdo attack on Iranian military installations, nuclear plants, and leadership – as ToI reported Israel is considering?
Historical analogies only go so far, but… in this case there’s another element which is worth noting (which The Times of Israel leaves out in its article – David Horovitz take note?):

Iran on April 13 attacked Israel directly from its own territory.  This is a crucial new development. Whereas until now Iran and its strikeforce the IRGC have managed/promoted/guided/funded attacks on Israel (and Jews around the world, and demonstrations in the West) via its various proxies in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, in April it launched rockets, missiles and drones from Iranian territory.

Under international law and the laws of war, Israel is absolutely within our rights to directly attack Iranian military forces and political leadership (not that we weren’t before this – their declared intent to destroy Israel, their support for terror and terrorist orgs, their illegal buildup of nuclear materiel and weapons all could have been used to justify an Israeli military operation). But we don’t have to wait til they attack us again, as they’ve promised to do in the next few hours/days/weeks.

Considering the threat/plans (and history) of Iranian (and Iranian-backed Houthi) attacks on US possessions/ships and international shipping, it’s worth noting that a US/UK/western coalition finally carrying out defensive military operations against the Iranian terror regime is in the interests of their countries and the West in general, and would be preventing further regional war – not simply defending/protecting Israel.

It’s actually – again – playing into Iranian hands this waiting game; Iran hasn’t carried out more extensive attacks against America and American interests, so as not to ‘provoke’ a more serious response. Iran has always stopped just short of that. But its actions against the US and others are no less illegal, and no less provocative, and defensive military action no less justified because of this.

Many of us had urged a US-led operation to prevent Iran from building nukes, hoping that – whether under Clinton or Bush, Obama or Trump, especially at the end of their tenures – America for its own interests would stop appeasing Iran and rather act decisively to stop their nuclear ambitions… to no avail.

At this point, on the brink of WWIV (or in the middle of it already, depending on how you judge things – and like many I consider the Cold War as WWIII and our global defense of freedom against Islamist terror, whether Al Qaida, ISIS, Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah or others, as WWIV), with all the evidence of Iranian malfeasance as the most active and determined supporter of terror on the planet, maybe it’s finally time.

And let’s not be distracted (American politicians and pundits among others) by the new supposed ‘de-escalation’ plan being proposed, whereby Iran won’t attack Israel in return for – wait for it – Israel withdrawing from Gaza, releasing terrorists held, ceasing its defensive military operations in Gaza and Lebanon (and Syria, and Iran, and…).  In other words: Iran won’t attack Israel if Israel stops defending itself.  Seriously?  As Golda Meir is said to have said: If the Arabs [add: Muslims/Persians] put down there arms, there will be no war; if Israel puts down its arms, there will be no Israel.

It would be nice if Israel doesn’t have to do this alone. April demonstrated what the free world can do, together, on the ground (and in the air) – including some of those not-yet-so-free countries whose interests align with ours and the US’, ie. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt. We don’t wish for war, we pray and work towards peace… but if there will be more war, we should go into it on our own terms, at a time we choose (with our allies, especially the US) – and not just sit here waiting for Iranian bombs to fall.