Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, has had a bad week. ’s X his new Hebrew-language account, and the Israel Defense Forces unleashed a devastating series of air raids against his country’s military infrastructure. Given the disparity between Iran’s capabilities and Israel’s, the beleaguered ayatollah doesn’t have many good options for a counterstrike.
Israel’s prime minister, on the other hand, has had a good week. Benjamin Netanyahu pleased both his American and Gulf Arab allies by refraining from attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and oil refineries. But deterrence was restored. Israeli warplanes didn’t only cripple Iran’s air-defense systems and inflict painful blows on its missile-producing facilities. They also sent a message that Israel knows where Tehran’s strategic vulnerabilities are, and it can destroy them any time it wants.
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