U.S. President Joe Biden and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu engaged in a highly anticipated 30-minute phone conversation, their first known communication since August. The discussion focused on Israel’s planned response to Iran’s missile strike last week.The White House characterized the exchange as “frank” and “constructive,” stating that Biden and Netanyahu agreed to maintain “regular contact” in the coming days. Vice President Kamala Harris was also involved in the call.Following the call, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared that Israel’s retaliation against Iran would be “lethal, precise, and, most importantly, unexpected.”Two key dynamics are unfolding. Biden remains cautious about entangling the U.S. in a war with Iran, which he views as both unnecessary and perilous.Conversely, some within Israel feel they have a rare chance to deliver a significant blow to Iran, their longstanding adversary.Israel’s recent offensive against Hezbollah has invigorated Israelis, many of whom are eager to break the cycle of attrition on their northern border with Lebanon—a situation viewed as a success, in contrast to the ongoing challenges in Gaza.
Despite Israel’s onslaught on Gaza that has killed at least 42,000 people, most of them civilians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not been able to deliver his two war aims – the destruction of Hamas and the recovery of the hostages.Hamas is still fighting, and still holds around 100 hostages, many of whom might be dead.The damage done to Israel’s enemies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, has produced in some Israelis an urgent conviction to go further and mount a direct assault on Iran.For them, a devastating air attack on Iran is a seductive prospect.Top of the target list for many Israelis are the heavily fortified sites, some driven deep into mountains where Iran houses nuclear facilities that Israel and others fear could be used to make a bomb.
