C14 reported today (Thursday) evening on its main news broadcast: In a dramatic shift in Israel’s assessment, the political and security establishments are now preparing for the possibility that Iran could renew the war, potentially in the near future.
An Israeli political official told C14: “The Iranian regime feels it has reached a dead end, and that the only way out is by renewing the war. We’re not there yet, and we haven’t heard of a final Iranian decision to do so, but we are definitely identifying signs—and they are serious. Among other things, the recent fire toward Aqaba was an attempt to send a signal to Israel.”
1+Tehran understands that it has lost much of the leverage previously provided by the Strait of Hormuz and is being pushed toward a dangerous strategy: renewing the fighting in order to create a credible threat of destroying oil and water-desalination infrastructure in Gulf states. According to the Israeli assessment, Iran could seek to use that threat to pressure President Donald Trump into loosening the economic stranglehold Washington has successfully imposed on Tehran. Against this backdrop, Defense Minister Israel Katz held a security assessment Thursday with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior military officials—and ensured that an image from the meeting was released publicly for those who needed to see it.
1+Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, issued a threatening message to Tehran shortly afterward. “I am convinced of our ability to remove the threat once and for all and topple the regime in Iran, which is fighting for its life,” Netanyahu said. “I say to our enemies: Don’t mess with us. We have the strength, determination and internal unity to defeat you.”