WhatsappThe Middle East moves closer to all out war after a Syrian anti-aircraft missile lands near Israel’s nuclear facility in Dimona.
The war between Israel and Iran continues to heat up just as the US and other world powers are attempting finish a reconfigured nuclear deal with the Iranian regime.
The latest flare up between Israel and Syria means that the stakes have risen in the region and with each passing day events appear to push the Middle East to an all out war. Although the errant anti-aircraft missile did no damage to the Dimona nuclear facility, the idea that a Syrian projectile came that close and reached that far is a foreboding concept for most Israelis.
“The IDF worked to prevent a potential strike on critical assets in the State of Israel. A SA-5-model of surface-to-air missile was fired, passed through the area. There was an attempt to intercept it, which did not succeed. We are still investigating the event,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said at a press conference in Tel Aviv.
Military Ready, But Government Is In Disarray
There has been many signals from within the IDF, that the upper echelon of commanders are fully prepared for war with both Hezbollah and Syria – the two most important Iranian proxies that surround Israel.
Israel’s Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said the following a few weeks ago:
“I say these things simply, clearly and with complete commitment: our retaliatory steps have been prepared and rehearsed. I advise our enemies not to test us.”
So why are they nervous?
The political echelon is so distracted and disunited that even issues of great importance, like the Syrian missile that reached the Negev, barely gets a mention.
Typically, there would have been a serious retaliation, but without an official government, there is no one to guide the nation through the existential crisis it is now in. The IAF merely struck Syrian anti-missile batteries a second time after the Syrian attack.
Afraid of Angering Biden
One of the reasons that Israel has not responded with more force to the Syrian missile is due to the fact that it will blamed for any failure in the nuclear talks the US is now in with Iran.
Since the covert attack the Natanz nuclear facility, the Western powers eager to return to the 2015 nuclear deal have been dismayed at Israel’s actions against Iran.
A European diplomat relayed to the Washington Post that: “‘These attacks are counterproductive from so many perspectives.’ They empower Iranian hard-liners, who were always skeptical of the deal, and by feeding the narrative that the United States is subservient to Israeli interests, ‘this is also not helpful for the U.S.’.”
This is exactly why Iran wants to draw Israel into a conflict now. The Ayatollahs have no interest in returning to any deal, especially since the Chinese are backing them, but they want the deal to crash on the back of Israel – not themselves.
For this reason, Israel is holding back from an all out assault.
However, with attacks on sensitive sites now a real possibility there is no way for Israel to hold back for long – with or without an official government.
