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How Israel Decided on the Iran War

(Israel Hayom) Itay Ilnai - Plans for targeting Iran's nuclear facilities had been in development within the Israeli defense establishment for years, shaping the IDF's force buildup over the past two decades. Yet those plans were discarded at the last moment to make way for a bold, creative, and swiftly-crafted new strategy. "In reality, we began the operational planning for the strike in its current form only in October 2024," said an official privy to the details. "That's when we realized the IDF needed to prepare not just for a pinpoint strike in Iran but for an entire campaign." Until recently, even senior defense officials considered the idea of attacking Iran far-fetched. Then in September 2024, "Operation Pagers," the air campaign to neutralize Hizbullah's rockets, and the successful eliminations of the group's leadership, including Hassan Nasrallah, turned Hizbullah into a weakened force. Hizbullah was seen as standing at Israel's northern border, "ready to respond fiercely if we attacked" Iran. "Once that [threat] was erased, a new game began." In October, in response to a major Iranian missile attack, the Israeli Air Force executed widespread strikes on Iran's air defense systems for the first time. In November, Donald Trump's election further emboldened strike advocates, led by Prime Minister Netanyahu. By December, Israel's top echelons no longer debated whether the strike would happen - only when.
2025-06-22 00:00:00
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