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Source: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-892465
Military Success Is Real but It Is Not Permanent
(Jerusalem Post) Yaakov Katz - Final and absolute victory is never how war works in the Middle East and certainly not against an enemy like Iran. Military action can buy time and weaken, disrupt, and delay. But it does not, on its own, produce the victory. That is why, when we look at this war and ask what exactly was achieved, there is not yet a clear answer. In a historic joint military campaign, Israel and the U.S. inflicted serious damage on Iran's military and nuclear infrastructure. Missile stockpiles were hit. Production sites were struck. Launchers were destroyed. Naval assets were targeted. Air defenses were degraded. Scientists and commanders were eliminated. But the real question is what comes next. Wars are not judged only by what is destroyed on the battlefield. They are judged by what is built, secured, or prevented afterward. They are judged by whether the diplomatic and strategic outcome locks in the military gains and prevents the enemy from simply rebuilding. Before Oct. 7, Israel knew that Hamas and Hizbullah had amassed massive arsenals and built extensive military infrastructure. But Israel's containment strategy focused on intent. In trying to assess intentions, Israel ended up deterring itself. It allowed the enemy's capabilities to grow. After the 12-Day War in June 2025, when it became clear that Iran had accelerated missile production and was nearing a nuclear threshold, Israel decided not to wait until Iran had fully restored its missile arsenal and accumulated enough military-grade uranium. It acted first to deny the capabilities themselves. It shows that after Oct. 7, Israel revamped its defense doctrine. It is no longer willing to tolerate threats on its borders simply because the enemy has not yet pulled the trigger. As long as this regime remains in Tehran, it will rebuild. It will develop newer missiles. It will seek to reconstitute its nuclear program. Had Iran possessed a nuclear weapon, this war likely would never have happened. Which means Israel's job will be to stop it again. Leaders need to explain that military success is real and important, but that it is not permanent. The writer is a co-founder of the MEAD policy forum, a senior fellow at JPPI, and a former editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Post.