The Jerusalem Post ran a story early this morning headlined, “
Israeli sources to Post: 'An eye for an eye'; not clear why Pentagon leaked info on attack.” Last night, assisted by the U.S., Israel launched a retaliatory strike on an airbase in western Iran. Still-emerging accounts are describing the strike as as “limited,” “nuanced,” and only intended to send a message. The New York Times’s headline cautioned, “
Israel Strikes Iran, but Scope Appears Limited.”
The strike happened a few hours ago and the full story isn’t out yet. What we know so far is that Israeli jets, supported by American refueling planes, used long-range missiles to blast a military airbase in Isfahan, Iran. The extent of damage is unknown.
Some reports say the airbase was located near a nuclear reactor, implying the Israelis were sending the message
we can blow up your nuclear site next if we want to.
Last weekend, Iranian missiles damaged an Israeli airbase; hence the Post’s reference to Old Testament justice: “an eye for an eye.” An airbase for an airbase. Or maybe it would be more accurate to say, a cactus next to an airbase for six goats next to an airbase. We’ll see.
Great debate occupied the week’s headlines over whether Israel should retaliate at all. I confess being confused why some Israelis were still so angry even though the massive Iranian strike last weekend failed so miserably. Having done more research, I think I understand better some of the factors at play.
“You got a win. Take the win,” Joe Biden claimed to have advised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week in urging him not to counter-attack. Yesterday we noted the New York Times blamed the conflict on Israel, as a miscalculation. But the miscalculation was made by Team Biden; they negotiated Iran’s strike against Israel reasoning that if there wasn’t much real damage, Israel could just “take the win” and stand down.
To outsiders it does look like everybody should be happy; Iran made a dramatic statement, Israel took no meaningful damage, and suffered no human cost at all. The strikes just reorganized the desert landscape some. But for at least two reasons, team Biden was wrong, and the Israelis still felt it absolutely necessary to do
something.
The first issue seems to be, as the Israelis correctly pointed out, even though there was no meaningful damage, a symbolic ‘red line’ was crossed — Iran had attacked Israel
directly for the first time, from Iran’s own soil, and not this time through any cutouts or proxies. It’s hard for Americans to understand, but the Iranian attack felt categorically different to
Israel — and Iran probably knew it.
The second problem is more nebulous. For most Israelis, October 7th changed everything. It was worldview-shattering inflection point that warped reality itself. It was like their 9/11 moment. And that psychic injury remains recent, unfinished, and raw. The October 7th attack disrupted long-standing Israeli confidence leaving them paranoid, fearful, and defensive.
So the neocons in the Biden Administration should have known that giving Iran a green light to attack Israel would lead to further conflict.
The good news is that Iran seems unlikely to further respond. Early reports suggest the Iranians have re-opened their airspace, suggesting they don’t plan any further retaliation. So if Biden’s neocons will quit meddling, which I admit is a long shot, the Middle East might quiet down.
Two Trump jurors already exposed as moles; Israel re-retaliates vs Iran; more fantastic furry video; East Palestine faces possible settlement; intellectual explains jab defect; media lies; and more.
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