(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Emanuele Ottolenghi - After 12 days of war between Israel and Iran, the ayatollahs have proclaimed victory. In their mind, they have downed Israeli F-35 stealth jets and captured Israeli pilots. They have turned Israeli cities to rubble. They have destroyed the largest U.S. airbase in the Middle East in retaliation for a U.S. strike they claim caused minimal damage. In fact, Israel targeted every component of the nuclear weapons' program's supply chain: along with the enrichment plants it blew up factories assembling centrifuges; a heavy water reactor; and a conversion plant where enriched uranium could be turned into metal - a core component of a nuclear weapon. Military research centers linked to the nuclear program were also hit. At the 11th hour, the U.S. air force came to finish the job, targeting sites that were critical to Iran's ability to produce nuclear fuel. There were nearly 20,000 centrifuges installed in those facilities. Israel's accomplishments are remarkable and have caught the attention of every military in the world. The display of might, precision, and ingenuity that American and Israel-made weapons showed stands in stark contrast with the weapons systems that should have defended Iran's most prized sites: all made in Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran. All wiped out by Israeli-made or American-made and Israeli-operated weapons systems. Most importantly, the operation broke two taboos. Israel could attack Iran's nuclear program with impunity and succeed. And America joined in. If Iran's leaders seek to reconstitute their nuclear program, America and Israel will likely strike again. The writer is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
2025-07-01 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive