A number of days have passed with no Israeli retaliation against Iran for its Oct. 1st major attack which saw nearly 200 ballistic missiles pummel the Tel Aviv area, including hits on important Israeli air bases. A lot of back-and-forth and contradictory reports later, and with the US side reportedly trying to 'talk Netanyahu down', Israel is saying that strikes on Iran's energy facilities are still definitely on the table:
US OFFICIALS TO NBC - ISRAEL IS CONSIDERING STRIKING ENERGY FACILITIES IN IRAN
The news wire sent crude prices spiking, as has been the pattern over the last week of threats and counterthreats flying between Tehran and Tel Aviv...
The New York Times reported Monday based on Israeli officials that a significant counter attack is still coming, and it is expected to target Iranian military sites. The fresh report also lists as likely targets Iranian intelligence sites and officials' offices or headquarters. President Biden has warned against striking Iran's nuclear sites, and even days ago backed off the idea of hitting energy and oil facilities. Thus a 'debate' has still been raging internally as both sides are said to be coordinating the response.
"At least initially, Israel seems unlikely to go after the country’s nuclear crown jewels," NY Times writes. "After considerable debate, those targets seem to have been reserved for later, if the Iranians escalate with counterstrikes of their own."
But hawks and hardliners in the Israeli government, who may or may not have PM Netanyahu's ear, are saying the 'opportunity' must be seized:
"Israel has now its greatest opportunity in 50 years, to change the face of the Middle East," Naftali Bennett, a hard-line nationalist and former prime minister who once described himself as to the right of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, recently wrote on social media. "We must act *now* to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime."
He added: "We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralyzed, Iran stands exposed."
But this sounds a lot like the rhetoric leading up to the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, but instead of setting in motion the "birth pangs of a new Middle East" — the Iraq war resulted in an estimated million deaths and casualties, destabilization going on two plus decades, the rise of ISIS, and the ascendancy of a pro-Tehran government in Baghdad.
Interestingly, Washington is now trying to 'manage' Israel's impending Iran strike, with Biden urging a "proportionate" response, or one that avoids major regional war.
Strangely, the US administration is apparently offering Israel "compensation" for its military to hit only US-approved targets. According to a Sunday Jerusalem Post report, "An American official said, ‘If you don’t hit targets A, B, C, we will provide you with diplomatic protection and an arms package'."
"Israeli officials responded saying, ‘We consider the United States and listen to them. But we will do anything and everything we can to protect the citizens and the security of the State of Israel'," the report continued.
Notable answer not included in the 60 minutes broadcast last night (was in Overtime)
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) October 8, 2024
Asked which foreign country she considers to be the US’s “greatest adversary,” Harris says:
“I think there’s an obvious one in mind which is Iran. Iran has American blood on their hands.” pic.twitter.com/yLefXJM1Cr
Concerning the desire of some Israeli officials to strike Iran's nuclear sites hard, there remains a significant practical problem: US 'bunker-buster bombs' are needed to do damage to underground facilities. Much of Iran's missile silos are also protected underground. Washington would have to sign off in this case.
Currently, US CENTCOM Chief General Michael Kurilla is in Israel leading the coordinated discussion from the US side. To be expected in the post-9/11 world of 'forever wars' in the Middle East, Congress seems completely absent from the conversation as US taxpayer dollars are literally being used to essentially bribe Israel.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump while on the campaign trail recently argued that Israel should "hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later." This is sure to frustrate and anger the sizeable part of his base which has been sick and tired of the unauthorized 'forever wars' - especially ones waged on behalf of foreign powers which have little or nothing to do with defense of the US homeland.
