Why Israel's attack on Iran is Netanyahu's 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.
5 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to his nation early Friday morning as Israel began its attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
GPO/AFP via Getty Images
Advertisement
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.
Advertisement
5 The attack came following a week of conflict in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, over the specter of compelling Ultra-Orthodox Jews to serve in the military.
AFP via Getty Images
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 drones managed to penetrate Israel's missile defense systems. Israel may be effectively closed to air travel and Israelis sequestered at home — but early Friday's military assault has been compared by many to 1967's Six-Day War in its audacity and effectiveness.
Advertisement
5 An IDF solider in Gaza, where war has raged for over 20 months. On Friday, Israel announced a new round of reservist soldiers were being called up to fight.
AFP via Getty Images
But this is just the beginning. Both Netanyahu and Trump have indicated Rising Lion could extend for days, if not weeks. It won't be enough for Israel to merely 'hit' Iranian nuclear sites such as Natanz and Tabriz, it must render them incapable of enrichment to truly claim 'mission accomplished.' That will require repeated assaults — along with the massive 30,000-pound 'bunker-buster' bombs supplied by the US.
Trump has made clear his support for Israel's operation, describing it as 'excellent' on Friday morning. But the US is not directly participating in Rising Lion, And Trump has warned Iran that Israel's next wave of assaults could be 'even more brutal' than the first in a push toward concession and deal-making (the status of Sunday's bilateral talks in Oman remain uncertain). With Washington so enmeshed in finding an Iran 'solution,' Trump may be unable to keep the US from joining Rising Lion, particularly if Iran's next round of retaliatory strikes prove especially brutal.
5 An arial image of Iran's Natanz Nuclear Facility, which Israel hit hard.
Airbus/Google Earth / SWNS
Advertisement
Ultimately, however, Netanyahu's toughest test won't be in Washington or Tehran, but in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem. Having avoided a dissolving of the Knesset that would have led to new elections, Netanyahu can focus squarely on the Iran crisis. And for the moment, Israelis appear united around their prime minister, with both Knesset majority and opposition figures praising the nation's soldiers.
But Friday saw yet another call–up of military reservists, further straining a civilian population worn down — if not worn out — from months of conflicts in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. Hours later, hundreds of Iranian missiles hit Israel amid wave after wave of retaliatory strikes. Three Israelis were killed and some 150 were wounded, a miraculously modest number, however tragic. But more attacks are almost certain and future numbers could be severe: White House envoy Steve Witkoff privately described an Iranian counter-campaign as a potential 'mass-casualty' event of an extent never witnessed in the Jewish state.
For many Israelis, the war in Gaza — and Israel's military campaigns across the Middle East — are proof that Netanyahu is committed not to protecting the Jewish people, but to the 'forever war' that will keep him from facing his myriad legal scandals or a possible re-election defeat.
5 Scenes of devastation in Teheran, which is likely to endure new attacks by Israel in the coming days.
ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The prime minister may be indifferent, if not immune, to a world increasingly committed to isolating him. But if Operation Rising Lion fails to eventually come down to Earth, Israel's Iran gamble — even if it defangs Tehran's nuclear ambitions — could finally prove Netanyahu's undoing.
dkaufman@nypost.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as nuclear talks are called off
Advertisement U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed full support for Israel's actions while warning Iran that it can only avoid further destruction by agreeing to a new nuclear deal. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that if the Israeli strikes on Iran stop, then 'our responses will also stop.' Explosions in Tehran New explosions echoed across Tehran and were reported elsewhere in the country early Sunday, but there was no update to a death toll put out the day before by Iran's U.N. ambassador, who said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded. In Israel, at least 10 people were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country's total death toll to 13. The country's main international airport and airspace remained closed for a third day. Advertisement Israeli strikes targeted Iran's Defense Ministry early Sunday after hitting air defenses, military bases and sites associated with its nuclear program. The killing of several top generals and nuclear scientists in targeted strikes indicated that Israeli intelligence has penetrated Iran at the highest levels. Demonstrators carry posters of top Iranian commanders killed in Friday's Israeli strikes on Tehran, during the Muslim Shiite holiday of Eid al-Ghadir, in Tehran, Iran, on June 14. Vahid Salemi/Associated Press Death toll mounts in Israel In Israel, at least six people, including a 10-year-old and a 9-year-old, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven are still missing. An Associated Press reporter saw streets lined with damaged and destroyed buildings, bombed out cars and shards of glass. Responders used a drone at points to look for survivors. Some people could be seen leaving the area with suitcases. Another four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed and 24 wounded when a missile struck a building in the Arab town of Tamra in northern Israel. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42. The Weizmann Institute of Science, an important center for research in Rehovot, said 'there were a number of hits to buildings on the campus.' It said no one was harmed. Israel has sophisticated multi-tiered air defenses that are able to detect and intercept missiles fired at populated areas or key infrastructure, but officials acknowledge it is imperfect. Urgent calls to deescalate World leaders made urgent calls to deescalate. The attack on nuclear sites set a 'dangerous precedent,' China's foreign minister said. The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where the war is still raging after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Advertisement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu brushed off such calls, saying Israel's strikes so far are 'nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days.' Israel, the sole though undeclared nuclear-armed state in the Middle East — said it launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The two countries have been regional adversaries for decades. Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But it has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have been able to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so. The U.N.'s atomic watchdog censured Iran last week for not complying with its obligations. Araghchi, Iran's top diplomat, said Israel had targeted an oil refinery near Tehran and another in the country's Bushehr province on the Persian Gulf. He said Iran had also targeted 'economic' sites in Israel, without elaborating. Araghchi was speaking to diplomats in his first public appearance since the initial Israeli strikes. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that an Israeli drone strike had caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant. Israel's military did not immediately comment. The extent of damage at the South Pars natural gas field was not immediately clear. Such sites have air defense systems around them, which Israel has been targeting. Israeli security forces inspect a destroyed building that was hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, Israel, early on June 15. Ohad Zwigenberg/Associated Press Iran calls nuclear talks 'unjustifiable' The Arab Gulf country of Oman, which has been mediating indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, said a sixth round planned for Sunday would not take place. Advertisement 'We remain committed to talks and hope the Iranians will come to the table soon,' a senior U.S. official said on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks. Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said Saturday that the nuclear talks were 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes, which he said were the 'result of the direct support by Washington.' In a post on his Truth Social account early Sunday, Trump reiterated that the U.S. was not involved in the attacks on Iran and warned that any retaliation directed against it would bring an American response 'at levels never seen before.' 'However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' he wrote. 'More than a few weeks' to repair nuclear facilities In Iran, satellite photos analyzed by AP show extensive damage at Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz. The images shot Saturday by Planet Labs PBC show multiple buildings damaged or destroyed. The structures hit include buildings identified by experts as supplying power to the facility. U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi told the Security Council that the above-ground section of the Natanz facility was destroyed. The main centrifuge facility underground did not appear to have been hit, but the loss of power could have damaged infrastructure there, he said. Israel also struck a nuclear research facility in Isfahan. The International Atomic Energy Agency said four 'critical buildings' were damaged, including its uranium conversion facility. It said there was no sign of increased radiation at Natanz or Isfahan. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with official procedures, said that according to the army's initial assessment 'it will take much more than a few weeks' for Iran to repair the damage to the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites. The official said the army had 'concrete intelligence that production in Isfahan was for military purposes.' Advertisement Lidman and Frankel reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel, and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
The Latest: Death toll grows as Israel and Iran trade attacks for third day
The death toll is growing as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks for a third consecutive day on Sunday, and Israel is warning that worse is to come. Israel targeted Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into buildings deep inside Israel. The region braced for a drawn-out conflict after Israel's strikes hit nuclear and military facilities, killing several senior generals and top nuclear scientists. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump also had a warning for Tehran, saying it can expect 'the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces' if it retaliates against the United States. Trump insisted that Washington had nothing to do with Israel's attack on Iran. Israel launched its attacks after weeks of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran over Iran's nuclear program. Iran announced Thursday that it planned to activate a third nuclear enrichment facility shortly after the U.N. nuclear watchdog censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations. ___ Here's the latest: The Israeli military warned Iranians on Sunday to immediately evacuate 'military weapons production factories,' likely signaling that new strikes are planned. Col. Avichay Adraee, a military spokesperson, posted the warning on the social platform X in Iran's Farsi language. Adraee in the past has signaled other strikes in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Yemen amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. His warning came just after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran would stop its attacks on Israel if Israel stopped its strikes. A bulldozer dug through debris Sunday near a home in the Arab Israeli city of Tamra. The home's third floor was pancaked and nearby buildings were also damaged. Four people, including a 13-year-old, were killed in the strike. Wahid Yassin, a neighbor, told Israeli Army Radio the blast was so powerful it nearly ripped off the door of his bomb shelter. When he emerged, he said he saw the neighbors' daughter standing on the roof of her damaged home, shaking. 'Her two sisters and her mother were killed in this incident. And suddenly she's there on the roof, alone, shaking.' The Israel Airports Authority said Israel's airspace remained closed on Sunday and the country's Ben Gurion International Airport was still closed to landings and takeoffs, for the third day. The authority said it was working with Israeli airlines toward returning Israelis stranded abroad to the country: 'All air crews and aircraft are ready for action as soon as this becomes possible, but this may take a long time, depending on the security situation.' It said Israel's land border crossings to Jordan and Egypt remain open. At least 10 people in Israel were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country's total death toll to 13. At least six people, including two children, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven are still missing. An Associated Press reporter saw streets lined with damaged and destroyed buildings, bombed out cars and shards of glass. Responders used a drone at points to look for survivors. Some people could be seen leaving the area with suitcases. Four people were killed when a missile struck a building in the northern Israeli town of Tamra, and another 24 were wounded. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42 people. New explosions echoed across Tehran and were reported elsewhere in the country early Sunday, but there was no update to a death toll put out the day before by Iran's U.N. ambassador, who said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that an Israeli drone strike had caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant, in what could be the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel's military did not immediately comment. World leaders are issuing urgent calls to deescalate. But Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel's strikes so far are 'nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days.' President Donald Trump said the U.S. had 'nothing to do with the attack on Iran' and warned Tehran against targeting U.S. interests in retaliation. 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' Trump wrote on Truth Social late Saturday. Planned talks on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, have been called off. The Arab Gulf country of Oman, which has been mediating indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, said a sixth round planned for Sunday would not take place. Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said Saturday that the nuclear talks were 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes, which he said were the 'result of the direct support by Washington.' Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But it has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have been able to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so.
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Death toll grows as Israel and Iran trade attacks for third day
The death toll is growing as Israel and Iran exchanged missile attacks for a third consecutive day on Sunday, and Israel is warning that worse is to come. Israel targeted Iran's Defense Ministry headquarters in Tehran and sites it alleged were associated with Iran's nuclear program, while Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses and slammed into buildings deep inside Israel. The region braced for a drawn-out conflict after Israel's strikes hit nuclear and military facilities, killing several senior generals and top nuclear scientists. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump also had a warning for Tehran, saying it can expect 'the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces' if it retaliates against the United States. Trump insisted that Washington had nothing to do with Israel's attack on Iran. Israel launched its attacks after weeks of escalating tensions between Israel and Iran over Iran's nuclear program. Iran announced Thursday that it planned to activate a third nuclear enrichment facility shortly after the U.N. nuclear watchdog censured Iran for failing to comply with nonproliferation obligations . ___ Here's the latest: Death toll grows in Israel At least 10 people in Israel were killed in Iranian strikes overnight and into Sunday, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service, bringing the country's total death toll to 13. At least six people, including two children, were killed when a missile hit an apartment building in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv. Daniel Hadad, a local police commander, said 180 people were wounded and seven are still missing. An Associated Press reporter saw streets lined with damaged and destroyed buildings, bombed out cars and shards of glass. Responders used a drone at points to look for survivors. Some people could be seen leaving the area with suitcases. Four people were killed when a missile struck a building in the northern Israeli town of Tamra, and another 24 were wounded. A strike on the central city of Rehovot wounded 42 people. Explosions in Tehran New explosions echoed across Tehran and were reported elsewhere in the country early Sunday, but there was no update to a death toll put out the day before by Iran's U.N. ambassador, who said 78 people had been killed and more than 320 wounded. Semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported that an Israeli drone strike had caused a 'strong explosion' at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant, in what could be the first Israeli attack on Iran's oil and natural gas industry. Israel's military did not immediately comment. World leaders are issuing urgent calls to deescalate. But Israeli's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel's strikes so far are 'nothing compared to what they will feel under the sway of our forces in the coming days.' Trump warns Tehran not to target U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. had 'nothing to do with the attack on Iran' and warned Tehran against targeting U.S. interests in retaliation. 'If we are attacked in any way, shape or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before. However, we can easily get a deal done between Iran and Israel, and end this bloody conflict!!!' Trump wrote on Truth Social late Saturday. Nuclear talks called off Planned talks on Iran's nuclear program, which could provide an off-ramp, have been called off. The Arab Gulf country of Oman, which has been mediating indirect talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran's nuclear program, said a sixth round planned for Sunday would not take place. Iran's top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, said Saturday that the nuclear talks were 'unjustifiable' after Israel's strikes, which he said were the 'result of the direct support by Washington.' Iran has always said its nuclear program was peaceful, and the U.S. and others have assessed it has not pursued a weapon since 2003. But it has enriched ever larger stockpiles of uranium to near weapons-grade levels in recent years and was believed to have been able to develop multiple weapons within months if it chose to do so. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
