In his speech Sunday at the Munich Security Conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that if need be, Israel will strike Iran directly. This was a highly unusual statement, as it is unacceptable for countries' leaders to publically threaten a normal sovereign state, which is not failing or in chaos, such as Syria, for example.
Explicit threats between countries are nothing to be trifled with, but in my opinion, the key to Netanyahu's unusual statement lies with what he underscored beforehand.
After detailing Iran's aggressive moves in the region, Netanyahu recounted the Feb. 10 Iranian drone incursion into Israeli airspace, and concluded by saying, "We will act if necessary, not just against Iran's proxies that are attacking us but against Iran itself."
Until now, the Iranians were very careful. They were willing to fight Israel until the last Lebanese and even imported Shiite militias from Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan to do their dirty and dangerous work in Syria, but the drone incursion violated what until now has been taboo. Iran targeted Israel directly and, therefore, Netanyahu was right to warn that it crossed a line and will be made to pay a price.
The ball is now squarely in Iran's court and it would be interesting to see whether it is willing to risk itself directly or revert to doing what it does best – using its proxies to pursue its interests in the region.
Dealing with Iran requires taking risks. The threat it poses is too great to ignore, and at the end of the day, the decision-makers are in Tehran – nowhere else.
