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Source: https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/06/16/iran-is-playing-with-fire/
Iran Is Playing with Fire
(Israel Hayom) Prof. Eyal Zisser - Washington is slowly strangling the Iranian economy, and the ayatollahs are finding it difficult to find a way out of the noose they feel tightening around their necks. The Iranian economy has collapsed faster than officials in Tehran thought it would, and the budget hardships forced Iran to slash the generous aid it provided to its various satellites including Hizbullah and Syrian President Bashar Assad. With the recent attacks against oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, the Iranians have decided to turn up the flames. But Iran is a paper tiger. While it is capable of making its neighbors' lives miserable and spreading terrorism throughout the region, when it is confronted directly and red lines are drawn - and when other nations are poised to strike - Iran falls back. That is what happened in Syria, where Israel managed to check Iranian attempts to entrench itself in a position to face off against Israel. The writer is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.