Former Deputy Chief of Staff on the scenario against Iran: "Attack even without the USA"
Major General (res.) Uzi Dayan, former Deputy Chief of Staff and head of the National Security Council, addressed in an interview with Shira Kai the possibility that Israel would be required to attack Iran even without American participation. He emphasized that Israel must maintain its freedom of action, even when its interests and those of Washington do not overlap.
Major General (res.) Uzi Dayan, former Deputy Chief of Staff and head of the National Security Council, addressed in an interview with Shira Kai the possibility that Israel would be required to attack Iran even without American participation. He emphasized that Israel must maintain its freedom of action, even when its interests and those of Washington do not overlap.
Dayan described the relationship with the USA using the phrase coined by the poet Yehuda Amichai: "Both of us together and each one separately." He explained:
"We are together mainly in defense, statehood, and so on, but we are separate in the sense that we have no choice but to defeat Iran."
According to him, this is exactly where the gap between Jerusalem and Washington lies. "The United States is not trying to defeat Iran; it is trying something else, some kind of utilitarian arrangement. It will always prefer a utilitarian agreement over a just war."
Dayan also criticized the US President regarding his approach:
"What Donald Trump, I don't want to say doesn't understand, but rather ignores, is that a nuclear Iran is a threat to world peace. It is not just a problem of the Middle East and not just our problem."
Furthermore, Dayan pointed to the Iranian regime's ability to survive even under internal pressure: "The Iranians manage to hold onto their regime. It is not very comfortable, there is resentment, but it does not reach the point of a coup."
According to him, in this situation, Iran can continue to stall for time, while the United States leaves it a path to a deal: "The United States always allows Iran a kind of path to some agreement, and from our perspective, this is not a good thing."
From Israel's perspective, Dayan emphasized, the focus of the threat is the capability that Iran continues to develop: "The problem for us is the nuclear-ballistic project. This is a problem that is not only ours, but we are the only ones willing to stand on its front line."
