Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett: It’s time for Israel & West to make Iranian regime pay ‘deeply painful price’

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JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Three days have gone by since the Iranian regime fired nearly 350 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and killer drones at Israel in an unprecedented, first-ever attack on the Jewish state from Iranian soil, rather through terror proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Yet Israel’s War Cabinet has not yet authorized a direct Israeli attack on Iran.

Why not?

The New York Times is reporting that in a phone call on Saturday night, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu not to retaliate, telling Bibi the U.S. would not support such a move as it might escalate the situation into an apocalyptic regional war.

Israeli Hebrew media outlets are reporting that Israel’s War Cabinet – and Security Cabinet – are divided.
Some Israeli ministers are pushing for a hard and fast military response.

Others are urging caution, since 99% of Iran’s missiles and drones were shot down by Israeli, Arab, U.S., British and French forces and no Israelis died from the Iranian attack on Saturday night.

Naftali Bennett – the former Israeli prime minister who also previously served as defense minister – is publicly urging Israeli and Western leaders to take strong, decisive, and “clever” action to make the Iranian regime pay “a deeply painful price.”

The goal, Bennett says, should be bringing down the wicked regime in Tehran once and for all.
“I’ll be clear,” he says, “if these crazy fanatic Islamic terrorists get away with murder by hiding among civilians, this method will be adopted by terrorists worldwide."

"We’re not asking anyone to fight for us. We’ll do the job. But we do expect our allies to have our back, especially when it’s tough – and now it’s tough. Be on the right side and help us defeat these horrible and savage regimes.”

Though Bennett is not currently serving in the Knesset – Israel’s parliament – recent polls indicate significant and growing support for his return to politics and he is widely believed to be considered for such a return in the next election cycle.

Yesterday, Bennett posted on 𝕏 (formerly known as Twitter) his analysis of the Iran attack, the various international government and media responses to it, and his own recommendations.

They are worth reading in full.

Text of former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s post on 𝕏 on April 14.

Some points regarding the overnight Iranian missile attack on Israel:

1. Contrary to what pundits are saying, this wasn’t designed merely as “bells and whistles” with no damage. When you shoot 350 flying objects timed to hit Israel at the same moment, when you use three fundamentally different weapon types—cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and UAVs, you’re looking to penetrate Israel’s defenses and kill Israelis.

2. The US administration is telling us: “This is a victory, you’ve already won by thwarting the missiles. No need for any further action.” No, it’s NOT a victory. Yes, it’s a remarkable success of Israel’s air defense systems, but it’s not a victory. When a bully tries to hit you 350 times and only succeeds seven times, you’ve NOT won. You don’t win wars just by intercepting your enemy’s hits, nor do you deter it. Your enemy will just try harder with more and better weapons and methods next time. How DO you deter? By exacting a deeply painful price.

3. It’s incorrect to say “nobody got hurt”. There’s a 7 year-old Israeli-Arab girl called Amina Elhasuny fighting for her life. That’s who coward Khamenei hit.

4. The Islamic Republic of Iran made a big mistake. For the past 30 years it’s been wreaking havoc on the region—through its proxies. A terror-octopus whose head is Tehran, and its tentacles are in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Gaza. How convenient. The Mullahs send others to conduct horrendous terror attacks, and die for them. Other people’s blood. Israel’s strategic mistake for the past 30 years was to play along this strategy. We always fought the Octopus’ arms, but hardly exacted a price from its Iranian head. This should change now: Hezbollah or Hamas shoots a rocket at Israel? Tehran pays a price.

5. The enemy is the Iranian REGIME, not the wonderful Iranian people. The Iranian regime reminds me of the Soviet regime in 1985: corrupt to the core, old, incompetent, despised by its own people, and destined to collapse. The sooner the better. The West can accelerate the regime’s inevitable collapse with a set of soft and clever actions, short of military force. Remember, USSR collapsed without any need for a direct American attack. Let’s do this.

6. Israel is fighting everybody’s war. In Gaza, Lebanon and Tehran. We’re considered “the small satan” by radical Islam. America is the big one. I’ll be clear: if these crazy fanatic Islamic terrorists get away with murder by hiding among civilians, this method will be adopted by terrorists worldwide. We’re not asking anyone to fight for us. We’ll do the job. But we do expect our allies to have our back, especially when it’s tough—and now it’s tough. Be on the right side and help us defeat these horrible and savage regimes.