Is Iran Reconsidering an Attack on Israel?
After threatening aggressive retaliation against Israel, which Iran holds accountable for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran last week, the United States believes Iran may be reconsidering such an assault. U.S. diplomacy and efforts toward deescalation have contributed to Iran’s apparent slowdown, as has the arrival of many U.S. warships and fighter jets to the Middle East as a show of force.
Despite the United States’ analysis of Iran, major conflict remains all but inevitable for Israel. Not only must it anticipate a forthcoming Iranian attack, but it also continues to battle Hamas and faces a significant possibility of a similar-scale war with Hezbollah after eliminating senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week.
Ever surrounded by hostile powers, Israel is venturing into particularly murky waters. Once again in its storied history in the Middle East, the Jewish state is faced with a coalition of enemies seeking its destruction. American diplomacy and deescalation are useful, and Israel must trust the United States to be a valuable and powerful ally against Iranian aggression, both direct and by proxy. One thing is certain: Our petitions to our all-powerful God, the God of Israel, are greatly needed in the days to come.
