The Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel was a climax in Iran鈥檚 proxy war against Israel and the West, as Tehran attempts to reshape the Middle Eastern order in its favor. By conducting the worst terrorist attack inside Israel using Hamas, the Iranian regime achieved numerous strategic and tactical objectives.
On that ominous Saturday, Iran dealt a great security blow to the Jewish state. Israel鈥檚 intelligence and security services have been called into question for failing to anticipate the large-scale attack as hundreds of Hamas terrorists penetrated Israel and massacred some 1400 people.
By plotting this slaughter, Iran also further managed to sideline the pro-peace, pro-two-state Palestinian factions, while propping up Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorist organizations that are determined to annihilate the state of Israel.
The ramifications of the Oct. 7 massacre went far beyond Israel鈥檚 borders, though. Tehran鈥檚 bloody adventure in Israel derailed the Saudi-Israeli normalization process and weakened efforts to expand the historic Arab-Israeli peace initiative, better known as the Abraham Accords. Amid the Israel-Hamas war, Saudi Arabia has decided to鈥痑nd it is not clear if or when the normalization can be salvaged.
Israel鈥檚 ties with Turkey too, have become a鈥痮f the Israel-Hamas war. Tehran has irreversibly harmed slowly mending Turkish-Israeli ties by fabricating a conflict that has brought about a dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, provoking Muslim and Turkish outrage.
In addition, by destabilizing the region, Iran has at least temporarily succeeded in the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. This was supposed to be the biggest international economic development plan after China鈥檚 Belt and Road Initiative. Put forth by India, the corridor would have bypassed Iran and connected India through Israel and Arab Gulf states to Europe, as an alternative to China鈥檚 project.
Furthermore, as a counterweight to U.S. deployment in the Gulf, Iran has created a conducive ground for the presence of up to鈥痠n the Middle East region.
By creating an unprovoked crisis in the Middle East, Iran has also provided Russia with much-needed relief as the U.S. and the EU have distracted from the war in Ukraine. Undoubtedly, China and Russia are appreciative of the chaos in Gaza, masterminded by Iran against the rules-based world order. China and Russia鈥疕amas鈥檚 atrocities and only criticized Israeli strikes in Gaza. Sensing weakness from the United States, China may consider a more aggressive approach toward what it calls 鈥淐hinese Reunification鈥� by taking Taiwan.
Finally, by manufacturing a conflict in Gaza, Iran has diverted global attention away from its nuclear program. A prolonged war in the Middle East, coupled with the Biden Administration鈥檚 weakness, can help Iran go nuclear.鈥�
Israel, meanwhile, is understandably angry and seeks revenge. However, instead of鈥痑 protracted ground offensive in Gaza, Israel should direct its wrath against the Iranian regime that is the main culprit behind the Oct. 7 massacre. Hamas and other militia groups in Israel鈥檚 vicinity are Iran鈥檚 subcontractors who carry out their death missions on behalf of Ayatollahs in Tehran.
In addition, due to the asymmetrical nature of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, it is an unwinnable war for Israel without mass killing of Palestinian civilians. As the war drags on and the Palestinian death tolls rise, Israel loses much of the support it gained after Hamas鈥� attack. Any mass Palestinian casualties stemming from a prolonged Israeli ground invasion or reoccupation of Gaza would only serve Iran鈥檚 interests and that of Hamas and other radical non-state players in the Muslim world.
To avoid such future terrorist attacks, Israel must win this war, but not in Gaza. As extreme as it might sound, striking targets in Iran is the way to push Iran back and defeat its expansionist agenda.
Israel has already threatened to鈥� Now that Iran has initiated a proxy war against Jerusalem, Israel should seize the opportunity to destroy the clerical regime鈥檚 advancing nuclear program, among other things.
Hamas has nothing to lose, but Iran has everything to lose. Iran鈥檚 nuclear facilities, missile, and drone programs, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters are legitimate targets. Israel needs full U.S. military, intelligence, and technological support to carry out its strikes once and for all. Only effective strikes on those targets would reverse Iran鈥檚 decisive victory on Oct. 7, not to mention its alarming nuclear advancements.
Iran has already won the 2023 Israeli-Gaza war and achieved major victories through its proxies in Gaza, namely鈥疕amas鈥痑nd鈥疘slamic Jihad. Yet the clerical regime denies having any role in the conflict and sees the West as gullible. Some Biden administration officials repeat the same falsehood and na茂vely, or even worse, dishonestly that there is no evidence Iran was involved in the recent terrorist attack in Israel.
Under the guise of plausible deniability, Tehran鈥痟as recently stepped up鈥痠ts proxy attacks against U.S. targets. The lack of a credible deterrence under the Biden administration is to blame for on U.S. forces by Iran-led proxy groups in the Middle East. Iran knows how to hide behind its terrorist proxy forces to evade consequences. Yet, by removing Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Iran鈥檚 Quds Force, former President Donald Trump proved that Iran can and must be held responsible for the actions of its surrogates.
The West must establish plausible deterrence while rejecting Iran鈥檚 game of plausible deniability concerning its terrorist activities in the Middle East region and beyond.
The longer the U.S. and Israel avoid establishing military deterrence by directly holding the Iranian regime to account for Hamas and other proxy attacks, the more Washington and Jerusalem are going to be vulnerable to attacks by Iran鈥檚 proxies.