While there may be contradictions in our judgments about Israel's war effort in Gaza, there must be no ambiguity in our condemnation of Iran's attack on Israel. Our outrage must be as deafening as our outrage when President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
There is no place in our developed world order for unilateral aggression against one country's sovereign territory by another. Such actions are completely outside the United Nations' international security architecture, created by multilateral agreements after the turmoil that followed World War II and overseen by the United Nations Security Council. Iran made a grave mistake in attacking Israel directly. That this attack did not result in mass civilian casualties was solely due to the technical excellence of Israel's air defense systems and the active cooperation of some of its allies.
Pressure on Israel from other Western countries, including the US and UK, to moderate its actions in the Gaza Strip has been put on hold while those same countries cooperate with Israel to repel Iranian illegal attacks. There is. Of course, Israel firmly took the lead in carrying out defensive operations against Iranian attacks, but the role of US Central Command was equally vital.
While China, Russia, and even Iran may like to believe they have superpower status, there is still only one military power in the world, and that is the United States. President Donald Trump may want the United States to withdraw from international police operations, but in recent days President Biden has announced that the United States, through Central Command (CENTCOM), will There was no doubt that Japan had an important role to play in protecting the rights of people. by another person. For the sake of the honor of our country and other countries, there was an attitude of actively contributing to this defense military operation. The Prime Minister's confirmation that Royal Air Force fighter jets shot down an Iranian drone over Syria and Iraq is a credit to Britain's participation in the operation.
The question for the coming days is how Israel will react to the weekend's events. Israeli Minister Benny Gantz said Israel would offer “the exact price” from Iran “at the right time for us.” Timing is everything in war, and the right time may not be now. After the Oct. 7 massacre in Gaza, Israel has burned through much of its international support through coercive tactics, well-thought-out operations with no achievable strategic objectives, so it is time to pause and be cautious. We recommend that you make a considered decision. A large-scale reaction against Iran itself could be counterproductive. Unlike Israel, Iran does not have sophisticated air defense systems and its allies are multilingual terrorist groups scattered across the Middle East. A major attack by Israel on Tehran, Iranian oil fields, or a putative nuclear facility could result in massive destruction and loss of life. A more nuanced approach is to stop, reflect, and then decide what action to take.
Flip the coin and there are other factors to consider. Had Iran chosen to attack Israel through its Hezbollah proxy rather than directly attacking Israel itself, the region might be in a very different situation today. Hezbollah has an estimated 130,000 to 150,000 missiles and rockets in southern Lebanon that can hit all of Israel. In the event of such an attack, the iron dome air defense system would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and Israel would have suffered significant loss of life. In this context, Israel, and I personally, during my last visit to IDF headquarters, believe that such an attack would be countered by a devastating counterattack against southern Lebanon and strikes against targets inside Iran. I made it clear what was going to happen. As a result, large-scale conflict in the region would have been inevitable.
In the past week since the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Iran has calculated that a long-awaited direct attack on Israel would only cause limited damage. they were right. An attack by Hezbollah would have been disastrous. Israel today needs to exercise restraint. It may prove to be the right strategic choice.
General Dannatt is a former Chief of Staff.