Israel, the 'canary in the coal mine' of the free world, has lost its patience

How many times can a country send a warning before it is heard? How many times can it point out the danger, warn of concrete threats, point out the growth of a nuclear and terrorist monster while the world looks the other way or issues tepid condemnations, occasional statements and sanctions that don't move the needle? Israel has reached the limit of its patience, and the recent attack on strategic targets in Iran is not only justified: it is inevitable.

For years, Israel condemned the advancement of the Iranian nuclear program, the shenanigans of a regime that never really wanted to negotiate, that used every conversation as a delaying tactic. Meanwhile, Iran built its network of terrorist proxies: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank, the Houthis in Yemen and Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq, with the aim of surrounding Israel and bleeding it dry. But even that was not enough for them. Not even with the Oct. 7 massacre, the most brutal attack against Jewish civilians since the Holocaust, did they manage to break the Hebrew state.

What we saw now was a surgical operation, impeccable, with millimetric precision. There were imultaneous strikes on key nuclear plants such as Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Arak. They resulted in elimination of scientists linked to the nuclear program and of senior military commanders: the head of the Iranian military, his deputy, the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps and others directly responsible for the repression and expansion apparatus of the regime. And all this, apparently, was preceded by an intelligence operation that deactivated Iran's immediate response capabilities, combined with a distraction of communications that unsettled the Iranian leadership. The Mossad, once again, operated with an efficiency bordering on the cinematic, with an operation that could even put the impressive pager operation against Hezbollah in second place.

The Iranian regime is not only militarily shattered; it is politically and socially bankrupt.Leandro Fleischer

Iran responded like a cornered rat: weak, humiliated, with no real capacity for a counter-offensive. The Iranian regime is not only militarily shattered; it is politically and socially bankrupt. It is deep in an economic crisis, facing a population fed up with repression and which wants to get rid of the fanatics who imprison, torture and murder for ideological or sexual reasons, persecuting peaceful dissidents, homosexuals or women who simply do not want to wear a veil on their heads. In that sense, weakening the regime is also a bid for the freedom of Iranians. It is no coincidence that, according to some rumors, Benjamin Netanyahu today has more support in Iran than in his own country.

An offensive with a nod from Trump

Trump acknowledged that the United States was aware of the attack. After years of waiting for Iran to sit down to negotiate a real nuclear deal (not another sham like the one in 2015), the White House seems to have understood that only real pressure can make the regime react. The same must be understood by countries like Qatar, which can no longer play the "neutral broker" while funding terrorist groups and maintaining a propaganda network that intoxicates universities and social media platforms in the West. Qatar must decide whose side it is on. And if it does not cease its poorly disguised hostile activities, it should prepare for the consequences.

Iran's regional enemies, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are probably quietly celebrating. Russia, locked in an endless war in Ukraine, and China, too pragmatic to take risks for Tehran, are unlikely to intervene. The Iranian regime is more alone than ever.

"Canary in the coal mine"

The time for warnings is over. Israel has always been the "canary in the coal mine" of the free world, for on its fate depends the fate of the West. But, unfortunately for Iran and its friends, it is no canary; it is a fierce, determined, courageous and intelligent eagle that not only defends its survival, but fights on the front line against the radical Islamists that threaten the entire free world. Thanks to Israel, the world is and will be a safer place with greater freedom.