Will Bennett Change Israel's Policy Toward Iran?
The new Prime Minister of the Israeli entity, Naftali Bennett, worries that Syria may turn into a platform for launching Iranian missiles against the occupying entity such as Lebanon.
Therefore, he seeks to expel Iranian forces from Syria through urgent military action by launching continuous and regular attacks on Iranian sites there, with increasing economic sanctions against Tehran, and applying international political pressure on it.
Although since Bennett assumed the presidency of the Israeli occupation government, succeeding Benjamin Netanyahu, the Iranian presence in Syria has not been subjected to military attacks like the ones it had during the era of the former prime minister, but there are indications of a new direction by Bennett, with Iran during his rule.
On June 13, 2021, the Israeli Knesset granted confidence to the government of Naftali Bennett, leader of the "Yamina" party (right), thus ending the Netanyahu era, which witnessed an unprecedented escalation against Iran and its proxies in Syria and Iraq, as well as the targeting of nuclear facilities inside Iran.
Different Orientation
“Hitting the Iranian presence everywhere in the region,” was Netanyahu’s military policy against Iran. The statement of the new Israeli Prime Minister indicates that there is no political change towards the Iranian nuclear program, and Tehran’s military positioning in the region, with the continuation of overt and secret attacks on Iranian targets in Syria and inside Iran.
Bennett, during a press conference on July 1, 2021, said: "Israel will always confront with its own forces any external threat, and it will not tie its hands in ensuring its security, and we will work firmly, creatively and continuously to repel emerging, near and far threats."
Bennett's statements were interpreted by observers as an attempt to fend off criticism from the Israeli right and accuse his government of weakness.
The Israeli analyst, Uri Dromi, saw that "there is no change in Israeli policy except in tone, but Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear capability."
On June 25, 2021, Bennett implicitly hinted at his country's role in the drone attack on a site belonging to Iran's nuclear program, according to the Hebrew "Times of Israel".
During the graduation ceremony of the Israeli Air Force pilots, he said: "Our enemies know that we are more determined and smarter and we do not hesitate to act when needed."
He added that Israeli prime ministers have always had a "sacred responsibility not to allow an existential threat to the State of Israel, formerly Iraq, and today Iran."
In a global incident, the first of its kind, Israeli F-15 and F-16 fighter jets targeted the “Iraqi July nuclear” reactor on June 7, 1981.
The Israeli operation, known as "Opera", resulted in the destruction of the Iraqi reactor, and the killing of 10 Iraqis and a French civilian.
New Attack
The statements of the new Israeli Prime Minister, Bennett, came a day after a drone attack on an Iranian centrifuge production facility outside Tehran.
"The New York Times" reported that the attack on a facility belonging to the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency, on June 24, 2021, targeted a building for the manufacture of centrifuges, by means of a "drone."
A person familiar with the attack told the American newspaper: The drone took off from a location not far from the centrifuge factory, which is used to enrich uranium at the Fordow and Natanz facilities.
Meanwhile, official Iranian media confirmed that the attack had failed, and "did not result in casualties or damage and cannot disrupt Iran's nuclear program."
But despite Iranian media claims that the centrifuges were not damaged, the strike caused damage to the facility, according to reports by the Times of Israel.
Nuclear Deal
In a move that contradicts the policy of his predecessor, Bennett said during his statements on June 25, 2021: that Israel deviated from the policy of Benjamin Netanyahu, in refusing to communicate with America about its plan to join the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement.
The Netanyahu government had refused to discuss the deal with Washington, stressing its strong rejection of the American move.
However, Bennett said that while Israel will ultimately defend itself, if necessary, the country will cooperate with the administration of US President Joe Biden, on the issue.
"We will continue to consult with our allies to persuade and exchange information and understandings out of deep mutual respect," Bennett emphasized. "But ultimately, the responsibility for our destiny will remain in our own hands. We will act responsibly and prudently."
He continued, "The world must know that there is a brutal and extremist regime like this, ready to starve its people for years in order to achieve its military nuclear program, this is a regime that you cannot make deals with," he said.
Channel 13, the Hebrew, reported on June 19, 2021, that Bennett had canceled the ban imposed by Netanyahu on discussing with Israeli officials the details of the possible new agreement between Washington and Tehran.
It stressed that Bennett, hopes to conduct negotiations with Washington during the coming weeks that precede the inauguration of the new government in Iran after the presidential elections on June 18, 2021. Aiming to “positively influence" America's expected decision to return to the nuclear agreement.
Since April 2021, America and Iran have been holding indirect negotiations in the Austrian capital Vienna, under European auspices, to resave the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew. Tehran demanded from Biden to cancel the unprecedented sanctions before any direct negotiations.
Precedent Approach
The prime minister Bennett raised an important question about the extent to which he applied his previous approach to dealing with Iran when he was defense minister in the Netanyahu government. On December 1, 2019, he announced that he was working to change policy against Iran, with the aim of pressuring it to withdraw its forces from Syria.
Bennett said at the time "the Israeli army will increase its activities in Syria," noting that "the new policy toward the Iranian presence is being coordinated with senior American and Russian officials."
He warned against turning Syria into a missile base similar to Lebanon, saying: "If Israel does not act against Iran in Syria, there will be thousands of missiles, similar to the situation in Lebanon."
He continued, "Through low surgical strikes, we will not be able to prevent Iran from being in Syria, and attacking it there would be much better than protecting the home front completely."
On November 29, 2019, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted Naftali Bennett, when he assumed his position as defense minister in Netanyahu's government, that he was "adopting a new plan to confront Iran."
The newspaper confirmed that Bennett talks in closed sessions with the Israeli army’s staff about a new policy, which includes launching continuous and regular attacks against Iranian forces in Syria, until they are expelled from there.
It added that this is to take advantage of the current period in which Iran is witnessing a deep internal crisis as well as in Iraq, and at a time when its ally, "Hezbollah" in Lebanon, is facing a similar challenge, decreases the chances of its interference in Syria.
Yedioth Ahronoth clarified that the policy of the Bennett plan revolves around the need to take offensive military action, along with increasing economic sanctions and political pressure on Iran.
Bennett asserted that "the appropriate time to do this is now and only now. The issue should not be postponed, because there is a strategic window, which constitutes a golden opportunity to adopt an offensive policy against Iran from Syria."
Bennett believes that "the greater the number of Iranians killed in Syria, the greater the pressure from Tehran, to withdraw the forces from there."
It is believed that there is an opportunity for Iran to incur heavy losses, forcing it to withdraw from Syria now, with a very low percentage of risk.
Bennett also speculates that if Israel does not act now to expel Iran from Syria, the increased risks over time will limit Israel's military options.
According to Bennett's vision at the time, none of the superpowers would do this work in place of Israel, and that in the current situation, it is impossible to rely on American and Russian moves in this regard.
