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Israel Warns It Could Strike Iran Again
(Wall Street Journal) Dov Lieber - Six months after a 12-day war with Iran over its nuclear program, Israeli officials are raising the prospect of another clash over Tehran's efforts to rebuild its arsenal of ballistic missiles. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel was watching Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran as they rearm and would act if necessary. Israel's new national security doctrine following Hamas's surprise Oct. 7, 2023, attacks holds that Israel won't hesitate to act on possible threats. Satellite images show Iran is rebuilding the missile production sites targeted by Israel in previous strikes, said Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Should Iran get its production facilities running at full capacity, it could produce hundreds of missiles a month, Lair said. Israel is concerned Iran could eventually produce thousands of missiles in the coming years, enough to overwhelm any defense. Security analysts said Israel sees a short window of opportunity while Iran's capacity to launch missiles is still degraded, its air defenses are weak, and the regime is dealing with a number of challenges. "We don't want to wait for them to get stronger to attack us," said Amir Avivi, a former senior defense official. "We have to deal with this now and hit them while they are weak and the air corridor is open."