Key Points and Summary – Less than a month after a ceasefire ended the “12-Day War,” top Israeli figures are already threatening a new round of attacks against Iran.
-IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that the “campaign against Iran is not over,” while influential opposition hawk Avigdor Liberman declared it would be “worthwhile for us to strike first again.”
-These renewed threats come as Iran, though battered, is reportedly using the conflict to fuel a surge in nationalism.
-The belligerent rhetoric from Tel Aviv suggests the recent conflict did little to resolve the underlying tensions.
Israel Threatens Iran Again
Israel and Iran went to war against each other in June, for the first time in history, although the war lasted just 12 days, as the sides reached a ceasefire shortly after the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
That ceasefire has held since, although the Israeli government is making noises about attacking Iran again.
According to Newsweek, a top Israeli general has “warned that Israel will continue with its campaign against Iran and its proxies in the Middle East,” less than a month after the ceasefire deal was reached.
“Iran and its axis remain in our sights—the campaign against Iran is not over,” IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, said in a situational assessment released this week.
“The IDF is required to act proactively across multiple arenas, alongside essential defense in the arenas and along the borders. We will continue to preserve our aerial superiority and advance our intelligence efforts,” the Chief of Staff said, per Israel National News.
“The war in the Gaza Strip is one of the most complex the IDF has ever known. We have achieved significant accomplishments – Southern Command continues to lead with regular and reserve brigades operating every day in both offense and defense.
“We are paying a heavy price in combat – as we saw just today. We will continue operating to achieve our objectives: the return of the hostages and the dismantling of Hamas.”
Liberman, Too
Also this week, a prominent politician in the Israeli opposition, former deputy prime minister and defense minister Avigdor Liberman, the head of Israel’s Yisrael Beytenu party, advocated for another strike against Iran.
“I could tell you the same thing that the intelligence assessments and officials say” Liberman said this week, in a Channel 12 interview, cited by the Times of Israel, about the status of Iran’s nuclear program. “They all speak of around one to two years.”
“That’s the only thing that interests them right now. A war of revenge, that’s it,” Liberman said of Iran. He added that “it would be worthwhile for us to strike first again.”
“What worries me most are the ballistic missiles,” Liberman added. “You saw what happened here when just 26 missiles landed inside Israel and the level of damage that it caused.” In another recent interview, Liberman accused the current government of prolonging the war to keep his coalition government together.
While formerly a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Liberman is now opposed to the prime minister and does not serve as part of the current governing coalition.
The View from Iran
Meanwhile, per the New York Times, the Iranian regime has turned to “a new brand of nationalism,” following the war with Israel. While some had speculated that the war, and the subsequent attack by the U.S., might jeopardize the future of the regime, it remains in place.
“Iran has emerged from its war with Israel — briefly joined by the United States — deeply wounded. Its military defenses are battered, its nuclear program was pummeled, and its population has been devastated by a heavy civilian toll over the 12-day war,” The Times said.
“Amid that bleak outlook, the country’s leaders see an opportunity. Outrage over the attacks has sparked an outpouring of nationalist sentiment, and they hope to channel that into a patriotic moment to shore up a government facing daunting economic and political challenges.”
Among examples is a billboard in Shiraz of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “kneeling before a statue of Shapur I, the third-century Persian king, mimicking a frieze from the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis.”
“We are witnessing the birth of a fusion of Shiite identity and Iranian nationalism — and it is the result of the attack on Iran,” Mohsen Borhani, a law professor at Tehran University, told the newspaper.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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