Why the Mullahs Will Keep on Fighting Us, and Destroying Iran
Michael Ledeen: “it’s hard for me to imagine an Olmert Government launching a first strike”
But Olmert did take out the Syrian nuclear project. And it’s very hard to understand why he would essentially capitulate to Hamas and Hezbollah, unless he’s maneuvering to strike Iran. As any number of astute commentators have pointed out, these deals have strengthened Israel’s enemies and made war more likely — to which I’d say that if Israel has already determined that war is necessary anyway, then it’s of no particular moment that the capitulations would merely take you to a place you’re going to end up anyway; the question is whether they gain you some tactical advantage in pursuit of that end. (We can quibble about whether they do, but that’s beside the present point, which is whether Olmert might reasonably think they do, perhaps by clearing the ground for massive retaliation should Hamas or Hezbollah react to an Israeli strike against Iran.)
Of course, it’s also quite possible that Olmert is simply feckless, and has given away strategic assets to genocidal enemies only because he doesn’t know what else to do. That possibility ought to seem as unimaginable as a first strike against Iran, but unfortunately it isn’t. Michael Ledeen may easily be correct.
