Iran has just strengthened Netanyahu’s hand

Israeli leader had been facing the heat over Gaza, but Tehran’s direct assault now makes it hard for allies to rein in support.

Iran isn’t a phantom boogeyman any more — and that’s a godsend for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who can now turn Saturday’s drone and missile barrage by Tehran to his political advantage, as he pursues his war in Gaza, and potentially in Lebanon. 

Netanyahu has long been scoffed at for detecting the long hand of the mullahs behind almost every threat to Israel’s security, and has been widely accused of exaggerating the risks of a direct attack from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. 

Now, Netanyahu can claim the mask has dropped and that the real enemy is clear after the Islamic Republic’s unprecedented bombardment crossed what for decades was an unthinkable red line. It is the first time Iran has launched a direct attack on the state of Israel, and Mohammad Jamshidi, a deputy chief of staff to Iran’s president, said the “strategic equation” had now changed between Tehran and Israel.