The West’s criticism of Israel’s policy on Iran – a policy that will need to be fundamentally reevaluated after Tehran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on April 14 – is one such example.
Many Westerners criticized Israel for assassinating the IRGC commander for Syria and Lebanon, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, on April 1. These same critics also urged Israel not to attack the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program.
In the end, Israel somewhat heeded those critics, with Transportation Minister Miri Regev confirming an Israeli attack on Iran’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile system – as a warning to Iran of the damage Israel could have done, but no more than that.
It is far from clear that this move provided safety for Israel in any direct attacks from Iran in the future.
Those who slammed Jerusalem for killing Zahedi said he was too high ranking and the assassination destabilized the region. They add that Israel was surprised at the intensity of Tehran’s anger, and its first-ever direct attack on the Jewish state was proof that the strike was indeed very painful.
The critics then urged Israel not to attack Iran back to avoid a spiraling conflict. Most importantly, to avoid a regional war, they urged Israel not to target Iran’s nuclear weapons program. READ MORE