There Is No Challenging Israeli Aggression without Facing the US and NATO

After waiting for two months, Iran has struck back powerfully. Its missile attack, illuminating the night, was a punch in the face not only to Israel, but to the United States as well. Since the death of Hamas Political Bureau Chairman Ismail Haniyeh in an Israeli-American strike during a visit to Tehran at the end of July, Iran’s response to the attack has been the subject of debate.

After organizing an unexpected operation against Israel in April, Iran returned with a heavier wave of assault on the evening of Oct. 1. The offensive is an important catalyst for a reversal of the demoralization facing the resistance front and the region’s nations as a whole, following the martyrdom first of Hamas leader Haniyeh and then of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

More significant is the striking revelation that Iranian missiles were able to successfully bypass the Iron Dome on which Israel relies so heavily, despite concealment efforts from the influential imperialist propaganda machine. The event showcased to the people of Israel, already on edge, that nowhere in the country is safe.

What Israel Can Do, and What It Can’t

Now, Benjamin Netanyahu continues to bluster, and it seems as if Joe Biden and Kamala Harris stand behind him, but the Israeli administration will be forced to consider this: If, as claimed, it organizes an attack targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities instead of conducting a symbolic operation to “save the day,” then what consequences will it face?

Hamas and other resistance organizations in Palestine, as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, are in active conflict with Israel, but they are following a restricted defensive strategy without deploying their major forces to the field. Yemen’s Ansarullah, government and opposition organizations in Syria, as well as anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist organizations in Iraq, are in the war to an extent, but their main forces are not on the battlefield.

All these organizations are waiting, trigger fingers at the ready. Realistic analysts in the U.S. and Israel say that in the event the Netanyahu government attempts something crazy, Israel itself may be rendered uninhabitable. Plus, in addition to its military capabilities, Iran has another important trump card to deter the U.S. regarding Israel’s unrestrained assaults: The leverage Iran holds due to its ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key route in global oil trade, must be taken into consideration.

Not a Tale of the Promised Land, but the United States’ Strategic Goal

Let’s think about what all this means for Turkey: In remarks at the Turkish Grand National Assembly’s opening ceremony, President Recep Erdoğan made reference to the “Promised Land,” stating that Turkey is also in Israel’s crosshairs. In the speech, he aptly labeled this objective as a “pipe dream,” but stressed that the threat has increased with each passing day since Oct. 7, 2023. Erdoğan said:

“As Israel continues to closely follow its attacks in Palestine and Lebanon, we can see quite clearly how Israel wants to form small satellite structures in the north of Iraq and Syria by means of separatist organizations.”

This threat analysis seems sound at first glance, but there’s a fundamental pitfall: Where is the U.S. in this business? Don’t just say, “What does it matter? Israel and the U.S. are one and the same.” This assessment, in failing to recognize or express America’s essential role in the equation, impedes the proper strategic deployments necessary to stave off the threat in question.

Moreover, while on one hand the Turkish administration is using the S-400 system acquired from Russia to negotiate with the U.S. for F-16 and F-35 jets, on the other hand they’re complaining that “Islamic countries should lead the opposition against Israeli aggression, but unfortunately, there’s been a serious weakness in this regard since Day 1.”

Let me emphasize this one more time: The U.S.-led Atlantic system is behind Israel’s aggression.

Without the Atlantic front, with NATO and the EU — entities whose slightly different approaches don’t change the baseline — Israel can’t survive a single day. It is an artificial state formed by the U.S. and England after World War II.

In other words, the “Israel is running America” fallacy does nothing but shroud today’s real threat.

The threat to Turkey must be determined, based not upon any imaginary goals in the Torah, but instead upon the realities of the world today. It is the U.S. that divided Iraq, sustained fragmentation operations in, and occupied part of Syria, threatened war with Iran, spent years growing and nurturing terror organizations and surrounded Turkey with bases in an attempt to divide it. The source of the threat is the United States; Israel, a terrorist state, is one of its tools. Turkey must shape its alliances according to this threat.