CANAAN LIDOR
With Hezbollah in distress, some security analysts see its erosion as a vulnerability for the Iranian nuclear program, which they say is more susceptible to an Israeli attack than it's been in years.
In that reading of the situation, Israel's apparent trouncing of Hezbollah in recent weeks has diminished its capacity to deter the Jewish state from striking Iran's nuclear facilities. Other experts, however, warn that Hezbollah's muted response to Israeli attacks is in part because it's conserving its strength to safeguard Iran.
Before the thrashing, which began on Sept. 17 and included the assassination of Hezbollah's entire upper echelon including its leader Hassan Nasrallah, the Shi'ite group was seen as a powerful platform for a retaliation by Iran against Israel. It was seen as potentially offsetting Israel's aerial superiority and missile defense systems.
Offensive action by Iran, which on Tuesday fired scores of ballistic missiles at Israel, in the second such barrage this year--in support of its proxies may have also increased the likelihood of an Israeli attack, giving it urgency and added justification.
Amid widespread speculation that Hezbollah has suffered a major blow, experts opined that this leaves Iran exposed to an attack on its nuclear facilities by Israel, where a strike has been debated for at least two decades.
"They're absolutely more vulnerable now," Or Yissachar, a national security researcher who focuses on Iran's strategic capabilities, told JNS.
Hezbollah was the "crown jewel" in a network of proxies that Iran has for decades set up around Israel to offset its technological superiority and complement Iran's own military capabilities, said Yissachar, vice president of research and content at Israel's Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) think tank. But Hezbollah has taken "a severe beating" by Israel, he added.
The April 14 attack "may have shown that Iran was dangerous, but it also exposed its weakness," Yissachar said. He added: "Now more than ever, this is a good time for Israel to strike Iran's nuclear facilities."
Daniel Pipes, a prominent Middle East analyst and president of the Middle East Forum think tank, told JNS regarding an Israeli attack on Iran: "The sooner the better. By all means, this is a good moment."
Iranian leaders have often threatened to destroy Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Israel will not allow the Islamic Republic to obtain nuclear weapons, something Israel and other Western nations believe Iran is indeed trying to do.
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