Why Israels attack on Iran is Netanyahus legacy-in-the-making

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proven, yet again, that he’s the ultimate master of both political indifference and unpredictability.Nearly a year after he cannily took advantage of America’s Biden-Harris political vacuum to dismantle Hezbollah in Lebanon, Netanyahu is finally taking out Iran’s nuclear armament sites following months — even years — of will-he-or-won’t-he brinksmanship.And it comes as the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, teetered on the brink of dissolution all week over the specter of compulsory military service for ultra-Orthodox men.As Netanyahu begins a potentially weeks-long campaign against Tehran, the stakes could not be higher for both Israel and its longest-serving prime minister.

Springtime has seen his veneer of invulnerability finally begin to crumble.In May, President Trump skipped Jerusalem during a tour of the Middle East that saw him strike billions of dollars worth of deals with Israel’s Arab neighbors.Meanwhile, back at home, after 20 months of war with Hamas, Israeli soldiers have begun to openly refuse to serve in Gaza — an act of defiance as heretical as it is treasonous.Traditional allies such as Canada, Australia, and Great Britain have begun sanctioning Israeli ministers while France has even indicated it could soon recognize a Palestinian state.In Syria, Israel is still battling Islamist terrorists despite regime change in Damascus; Yemen’s Houthis continue to target Israeli civilian sites, while in Gaza, Netanyahu has turned to arming local Palestinian clans to help finally eradicate Hamas.And so, Iran and Operation Rising Lion.Israel scored impressive successes in its initial assaults on Iran, eliminating key members of its military leadership and heavily damaging crucial military bases, among them, Iran’s trio of nuclear facilities.

No Israeli aircraft were lost during these opening volleys, which included a Mossad drone base operating from inside Iran.And none of Iran’s retaliatory dr...