Trump’s backing emboldens Israel’s war on Iran
Israel’s increasingly aggressive stance toward Iran is being shaped by the influence of Trump, a shift that analysts say has emboldened Netanyahu’s government to act with greater impunity.
“There is the matter of the Trump presidency, in which Israel secured a president that might be willing to be bullish on Iran and is generally inclined to support them in whatever foreign policy they pursue,” Benedict Manzin, an analyst at the risk consultancy Sibylline, told Al Jazeera.
Under the watch of Trump, Manzin says Israel appears more confident that they can carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, weapons convoys, and regional allies without facing significant diplomatic consequences from Washington.
Manzin points to Israel’s military activity in Syria and its continued war on Gaza as signs that the Israeli government is exploiting what views as a favourable strategic window.
“All that taken together, Israel has a unique opportunity to invest considerable time and resources not only in degrading Iran’s nuclear capability but in undermining [the Iranian] government”.