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America Should Follow Israel's Lead on Iran

(National Interest) Mark Fox, Andrew Ghalili and Ari Cicurel - For years, Iran's missiles and drones have terrorized the Middle East and, more recently, Ukraine. With its attacks on multiple Iranian military interests, Israel appears to be the only country consistently and proactively countering Tehran's threats to regional and global security. Since 2015, Israel has launched over 400 airstrikes to degrade the capabilities of Iran and its partner militias and prevent Tehran from proliferating precision weaponry. These include 350 in Syria, over 50 in Lebanon, four in Iran, and one in Iraq. Moreover, Israel is the only country now hindering the flow of Iranian drones into Russia's hands. In the two years since President Biden took office, there have been 80 attacks on U.S. troops or contractors in Iraq and Syria, with Iranian-backed groups firing 170 rockets and launching 60 drones. Yet the U.S. has launched only three rounds of airstrikes on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. Working with Israel, the U.S. should publicly adopt a policy similar to Israel's to deter and thwart Iranian attacks and weapons proliferation by using consistent, preemptive military force. The U.S. should expedite the delivery of KC-46A aircraft refueling tankers to Israel that would be critical should it become necessary for Israel to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. The Pentagon should also replenish its war reserve stockpile in Israel to preposition the precision-guided munitions that Israel would need in a full-scale war with Iran and Hizbullah. The U.S. should be closely partnering with Israel to degrade Iranian capabilities more broadly. Israel has developed a model for directly combating Iranian aggression that America should firmly endorse. Vice Admiral Mark Fox, USN (ret.), a member of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, served as Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command. Andrew Ghalili and Ari Cicurel are Senior Policy Analysts at the JINSA.
2023-03-02 00:00:00
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