Israeli officials aren't shying from confronting Tehran's forces — since no one else will.
JERUSALEM – Israeli officials believe that Iran is winning its bid for dominance in the Middle East, and they are mobilizing to counter the regional realignment that threatens to follow. The focus of Israel’s military and diplomatic campaign is Syria. Israeli jets have struck Hezbollah and Syrian regime facilities and convoys dozens of times during Syria’s civil war, with the goal of preventing the transfer of weapons systems from Iran to Hezbollah. In an apparent broadening of the scope of this air campaign, on Sept. 7 Israeli jets struck a Syrian weapons facility near Masyaf responsible for the production of chemical weapons and the storing of surface-to-surface missiles.
The strike came after a round of diplomacy in which Israeli officials concluded that their concerns regarding the developing situation in Syria were not being addressed with sufficient seriousness in either the United States or Russia. A senior delegation led by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen visited Washington in late August, reportedly to express Israel’s dissatisfaction with the emerging U.S.-Russian understanding on Syria. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi to raise similar concerns with Moscow.
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WNU Editor: Iran and Hezbollah are not ready to get embroiled into an escalating conflict with Israel. Their focus is on winning the Syrian war, defeating the Islamic State in Iraq, and fighting the proxy war against Saudi Arabia in Yemen. A fourth conflict .... and against Israel to boot .... is a bridge too far for them. My prediction .... Iran is going to avoid Israel for the moment, but I suspect that the Israelis are going to increase the pressure via through more airstrikes and public announcements.What will Iran/Hezbollah/Syria/etc. do after that is anyone's guess.
