Excerpt
A sequence of dramatic events over the past three days has brought Israel to the brink of war with Iran-backed militias in Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. This is the product of a continuing effort by Tehran and its various franchises to "unite the arenas" of engagement with the Jewish state against the background of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. It isn't yet clear if Israel has developed a coherent strategy to counter this Iranian effort.
If Israel continues to avoid escalation to war, it may eventually find that its deterrence erodes to the point that it can no longer guarantee Israelis normal lives. The desire for normalcy pursued at too high a cost ends up forfeiting the very thing it seeks. Israel should as a matter of urgency pursue the goal of restoring the eroded balance of terror that had largely held since 2006—even if this entails hitting the senior and junior members of the Iran-led regional axis.
Read the full article at the Wall Street Journal.
Jonathan Spyer is director of research at the Middle East Forum and director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis. He is author of Days of the Fall: A Reporter's Journey in the Syria and Iraq Wars (2018).