Musings on Israel's Strike Against Iran
"When your enemy says they want to kill you, believe them." Golda Meir
I do not profess to be an expert in Middle East affairs. Like many Americans, I try to stay abreast of events in that part of the world. I have traveled three times to Israel and the West Bank- twice on medical mission trips to the West Bank/Palestine in 2004 and 2005 and once with a group of tourists from my church in 2018.
My medical mission trips were unique and very rewarding. There were no plastic surgeons in the West Bank, with a population of over 3 million people, so the need for services was great. We were treated courteously, and our presence was appreciated. I never felt in danger, even when we hitchhiked from Jerusalem to Bethlehem (a story for another day). One thing that I did appreciate from being on the ground so-to-speak, was the depth of animosity between Palestinians and Israelis. Both sides were friendly, reasonable, and measured except when speaking about the other. Then, the ugly hate bubbled to the surface.
I never believed former-President Obama’s deal with Iran regarding the development of a nuclear weapon would be effective. I know enough about radical Islam to know that lying to infidels is permitted when military interests are at stake, so anything the Ayatollahs in Tehran say must be taken with skepticism. Trust, but verify, as they say. The repeated stories of the obstruction by Iran of inspection of its nuclear facilities was a permanently waving red flag. Believing anything the Ayatollahs say is akin to believing Kim Jong Il or Xi Jinping. Like the old joke about politicians, you know they are lying when their lips are moving.
Golda Meir is reputed to have said, “When your enemy says they want to kill you, believe them.” Iran has explicitly called for the destruction of Israel and the eradication of the Jews time and time again. It has called for worldwide Jihad against Jews and the West, especially the US. The currently popular chant, “From the river to the sea,” implicitly calls for the elimination of the Jewish state. Iran has backed this up with action through relentless unprovoked attacks on the Israeli civilians through its proxies- Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. These have sent countless rockets into Israel, targeted civilians, and several were responsible for the horrific attack of October 7, 2023. Since 1983, Iran and its proxies have also killed an estimated 1800 Americans (grok.com).
The Israeli’s are wise to believe the Iranian Ayatollahs when they say Israel and the Jews must be destroyed. Theirs is an existential fight for simple survival. Does anyone believe that Israel would be fomenting unrest or attacking any Arab country if these were just to quit attacking Israel and affirm its right to exist?
I find the issue of the time course for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb fascinating. It has been 80 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and only nine countries are known or strongly suspected to have nuclear weapons, including Israel. Despite readily available knowledge regarding how to build a nuclear bomb, Iran has not yet been able to produce one, if the reports are to be believed, although they are reportedly close. The last was apparently the reason Israel struck now. The limiting factor seems to be having sufficient fissionable material since it is inconceivable that they don’t know how. Does anyone believe that Iran will act responsibly when it possesses a nuclear capability? Although his is a rogue nation, N. Korea’s Kim Jong Il is not driven by religious fanaticism and appears to have a normal degree of self-preservation keeping him in check. Radical Islamists have said repeatedly that they love death and shown that they will sacrifice even their own in the cause of destroying Israel.
Whereas terrorist attacks on Israel are indiscriminate and often target civilians, Israel’s retaliation is characterized by a high degree of precision and unprecedented care to avoid collateral civilian casualties. The exploding cellular phones and pagers that devastated Hezbollah were a stroke of military genius in planning and execution with minimal collateral damage to civilians.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Israeli attack is the tacit approval and even participation of some of Israel’s Arab neighbors. In order to reach Iran, Israeli fighter planes most likely had to fly over Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and, possibly, Saudi Arabia. Jordan reported downing a number of drones and missiles, almost certainly from Iran. This suggests a degree of cooperation against Iran that should perhaps not be surprising. How else to explain the unprecedented success with not a single Israeli plane lost to Iran’s air defenses? Israel again demonstrated not only military tactical superiority, but a highly sophisticated degree of planning and precise execution.
It was only matter of time before Israel felt compelled to attack Iran for its commitment to developing a nuclear weapon. I, and millions like me in the US and around the world, can only wish them success in this. Surveys consistently show that most Iranians disapprove of the current regime. The best case scenario for how this plays out would be for this to inspire the general population to rise up and demand true regime change to bring Iran back into the family of nations.
Richard T. Bosshardt, MD, FACS
My book, The Making of a Plastic Surgeon…., is a totally apolitical memoir of my two years spent in becoming a plastic surgeon and provides a unique glimpse into what I feel is the most fascinating of all medical specialties. It makes a great summer read. Available now on Amazon in eBook and paperback.