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Yaakov Amidror

Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Yaakov Amidror is a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.

The assassination of a senior IRGC officer in Damascus dealt a blow to Iran’s strategy of maintaining distance from the actions of its proxies in the region.
The answer is simple: The 2015 nuclear deal is good for Iran. But negotiations or no, Israel must prepare for the possibility it will have to defend itself.
The Middle East is doomed to remain brutal, repressive and culturally Islamist. Regional powers, including Israel, must come together to guarantee stability.
Israel-U.S. dialogue on Iran’s nuclear program is necessary, as a good agreement with Iran is a clear Israeli interest. But Israel must be prepared with a military option, as a last resort.
In the meantime, it doesn’t seem as though Iran—the driving force behind most of the friction in the Middle East—is changing its plans or abandoning its dreams, whether in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq or even Yemen.
Escalating tensions with Iran should be a warning that Tehran’s strategy of training and arming proxy terror groups throughout the Middle East is not being countered aggressively enough.
“Operation Northern Shield,” raises complicated questions about Israel’s initiative and willingness to enter a war to prevent the threat it sees growing.
The Jewish state has three main interests in this regard: diplomatic, economic and ethical.
The Saudis loath the Turkish dictator, who dreams of resurrecting the Ottoman Empire—and the feeling is mutual.