Interview with Emily Harding: Watching Iran's attack on Israel unfold
Iran’s attack on Israel has started — its second since April.
Earlier today, a senior White House official told me on the condition of anonymity, “The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.” The U.S. had increased its military positions in the Middle East, and the official said a direct attack “will carry severe consequences for Iran.”
So I called up Emily Harding, who previously served as the director for Iran at the White House’s National Security Council. We spoke just before Tehran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles — retaliation for Israel sending troops into Lebanon, killing the leader of Hezbollah, and detonating their communication devices in an unprecedented intelligence operation.
“They're kind of in this strange position where if they attack and it succeeds from their perspective, which means that it actually causes some damage inside Israel, they're inviting a massive retaliation from Israel,” she said. “On the other hand, if they fail — and what that means is that all their missiles get intercepted, Israel manages to shoot everything down — then what that means is that they look sort of feckless on the world stage. And either one is a bad outcome for them.”
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None of this would be if Israel wasn’t facing an existential threat. Free hostages and accept Israel’s right to exit and to live without fear of attack. End terrorism in the ME.
Excellent interview. I tend to think Israel will strike hard into Iran. A second major attack in six months. It matters that such attacks are defended against effectively, but a successful defense is not the same as ending the problem.