Israel needs more than military force alone to counter Iran and its proxies

Israel's current strategy of escalating military force against Iran and its proxies, while seemingly resolute, may not achieve lasting security, according to this opinion piece.

The recent confrontations with Iran highlight the regime's determination to resist capitulation and continue fighting for its interests and national honor. Following setbacks in Syria, Iran is actively coordinating with its proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shi'ite militias in Iraq, to project strength and signal continued relevance in the struggle against the United States, Israel, and their allies. Israel's response, exemplified by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's past assertion that "only force works, when they fear you," has been to apply greater force when initial efforts fail.

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only force works, when they fear you.

However, the article posits that this reliance on force is ineffective against adversaries driven by fervent religious or nationalist ideologies who perceive surrender as worse than death. Historical examples, including American involvement in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq, Soviet involvement in Afghanistan, and potentially Russia's situation in Ukraine, demonstrate that such conflicts do not yield "final victory" through military might alone. The piece suggests that when force fails to intimidate, simply applying more force is not a sustainable solution.

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This solution... does not produce a “final victory.”

The author proposes a "third path" that moves beyond the immediate confrontation. This involves recognizing that such conflicts are protracted and may not have a definitive end. Instead, an indirect and covert approach is recommended, utilizing subversion and maneuvering to destabilize the enemy from within. This strategy aims to weaken the adversary over the long term, potentially leading to its toppling. The article notes that this method has been primarily employed against Iran, with the logic that damaging the core (Iran) would critically impact its proxies.

While acknowledging past successes of intelligence agencies like Mossad in sabotaging Iran's nuclear development and advancing regime change efforts, the piece concedes that ultimate goals have not yet been achieved. This is attributed partly to underestimating the mission's difficulty and overestimating the will of groups like the Kurds. The article implies that a more nuanced, long-term strategy is necessary for Israel to effectively counter the persistent threat posed by Iran and its network of proxies.

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A substantial blow to the heart (Iran) would also critically damage the limbs (the proxies).