It is unclear why every time an explosion is reported at one of the nuclear facilities in Iran or a senior Revolutionary Guards official meets their end at the entrance to their home in the heart of Tehran, senior anonymous officials in Washington let it be known that the US was not responsible for the act and insinuate responsibility lies with and the resulting act of vengeance should be directed at Israel.
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This has repeatedly happened in recent years when pro-Iranian militias assisting the Islamic Republic in its struggle to take control of the country and establish a land bridge from Tehran to the Mediterranean Sea were targeted in Iraq.
Senior American officials, who were concerned someone in Iraq or Iran would settle the score and attack their forces stationed in Iraq - something the Iranians do regardless of whether or not they have a reason - rushed to leak that Israel was behind these attacks. The same thing happened last week, when Pentagon officials anonymously, of course, said that Israel had ramped up its activities against Iran and was acting against Iranian targets to an unusual degree without asking for US authorization or informing Washington of its actions.
There was only one instance when the Americans broke their habit and that was when they themselves took out "the head of the snake," then-Quds Force commander and the man behind Iran's expansion in our region Qassem Soleimani in January 2020. The assassination was deemed a success as it prevented the Iranians from truly responding to the hit. It goes without saying that the Americans usually conduct themselves vis-à-vis Iran with hesitation and compromise. And so, when the Iranians attacked Saudi and Emirati oil facilities in the summer of 2019, the Americans did not respond at all. They did not respond despite the fact that these two countries are close US allies. Even when US bases were attacked by Iran's emissaries in the region, the US response was minor.
The US is Israel's most important ally, and a few anonymous officials must not be allowed to place the American friendship and commitment to Israel's security in question. After all, this is not 1948, when both the Pentagon and the State Department enlisted in the effort to prevent the State of Israel's establishment out of concern it would become a Russian satellite state and the assessment that Israel would not survive a war with the Arabs, forcing the Americans to intervene and send their forces to the region to prevent another Holocaust.
Nevertheless, there is something both unclear and unhealthy about these repeated leaks that insinuate Israel is behind regional tensions.
As the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin said, Israel is not a vassal state of the US and does not need US approval for any move. It has its own interests that do not always perfectly align with those of the Americans, and it must act according to those interests.
Moreover, American concerns over Iran are neither understandable nor justified. Iran is a large and important country, and there is no need to unnecessarily start a war with it. But at the same time, there is no need to exaggerate its power. After all, Iran is in a state of serious financial crisis, and its military is not as powerful as Tehran would have us believe.
Israel has proven over the last decade that one can set red lines for the Iranians and thwart their activity. It has also proven that Tehran is limited in its ability to retaliate and is deterred from conflict. While this understanding is being put to the test in light of what has been seen as increased activity attributed to Israel on Iranian soil, we nevertheless live in the Middle East. In this region, those who turn the other cheek are guaranteed to get struck once again. The Iranians understand the language of force, and we therefore must not hesitate to act. It is inappropriate for officials in Washington to try to hide behind Israel's apron strings and place the blame on us.
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