By James M. Dorsey
Iran and its Arab allies may not want an out Middle East war, but that has not stopped them from increasingly engaging Israel on multiple fronts.
The Iranian-backed strategy aims to pressure Israel to agree to a Gaza ceasefire by sapping its military strength and fueling mounting domestic pressure on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
The strategy is also geared towards enhancing the Islamic Republic’s regional influence at a time of mounting widespread anger at Israel and the United States, the Jewish state’s main military and political supporter.
Iran’s strategy is proving effective militarily and politically, even though it builds as much on bluster as on kinetic action and threatens to undermine newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian’s efforts to reengage with the West. Please read further, watch the video, or listen to the podcast at https://jamesmdorsey.substack.com/p/netanyahu-iran-and-iranian-backed