Iran’s psychological war against Israel

Most of us remember the iconic Peanuts comic strip where, each time Charlie Brown would try to kick the football, held by Lucy, she would pull it away, tricking him over and over again.

This pretty much sums up the same psychological warfare, being perpetrated by Iran against Israel, along with those who rush to her defense, each time it is announced that, within days, there will be a significant attack against the Jewish state.

We’ve been hearing about this planned operation which has threatened to exact painful and disastrous results as hundreds of ballistic missiles are expected to be launched by multiple enemy combatants, from various locations, hitting our air force bases and air defense systems whose industry is located in Haifa. 

Deliberately leaked, to keep us on highest alert, it would be posted that we’d be hit on a particular day, at a certain time, lasting for a specific number of hours. Needless to say, such ominous warnings take a toll on people whose nerves are already on edge after having previously received similar texts, advising that an attack will occur at any moment, promising that the destruction will be unprecedented. 

Most of you reading this probably wonder how it’s possible to live this way. In truth, most continue to go to work and resume their lives, as normally as possible. Yet, at the same time, we carefully assess whether or not we think it’s safe to go out for the evening or to risk events which aren’t absolutely necessary. That calculation, made by Israelis, is not taken into consideration by the citizens of other countries, because they aren’t being threatened with extinction.

Needless to say, there is the enormous cost, on many levels, by keeping us in a constant state of preparedness as we wait for an attack that doesn’t come. According to Ynet, “the staggering cost of Israel’s defense against Iran’s missile attack, back in April, rose to the tune of 4-5 billion shekels per night.”

Expecting an imminent attack has necessitated the calling up of more reserve units, in the anticipation of a situation where all-hands-on deck is needed. And that, of course, is the reason that there are so many US military assets in the region, sent as a deterrence to make Iran think twice before pulling the plug, as they threaten to go nuclear.

“The US has sent more aerial assets and has even deployed the THAAD air defense system. These systems can’t be deployed forever,” and that is probably part of Iran’s strategy, knowing, that, at some point, they will wear everyone down and bleed them dry, forcing them to pull out, leaving Israel vulnerable to attack – because the cost will eventually become unsustainable. 

So, each night, we sit, not knowing if this will be the one which ushers in the worst of our fears. It is nothing more than a cruel, psychological game of chicken to see how long they can trick us over and over again until we finally realize that we are never going to be able to kick the football. It is the ultimate power play, as they flex their muscles to show who is in the driver’s seat.

But, while we’re waiting for the attack that never comes, we might be smart to undertake our own psychological assessment to dissect the reasons behind their delay. While it’s true that their ominous threats keep us on the defensive, making us pay a steep price to maintain readiness on all fronts for every possible scenario, there actually might be more to this clever manipulation which gives Iran the advantage.

Journalist, Seth Frantzman, in his analysis article, titled, “Iran wants to hold region hostage with ‘retaliation op,’ he asserts that, “Iran knows the limitations of its various systems, such as the S-300 or 3rd Kordad air defense systems, knowing that it likely could not stop Israel through its air defenses.” Consequently, Iran has resorted to extending their threat to European targets.  What can we glean from that kind of bullying?

The need to hold everyone hostage seems to indicate a crack in the armor, showing weakness rather than the strength expressed in their over-the-top bluster. It seems that the more pressure they put on as many as possible, the expectation is that everyone will be intimidated enough to back down and call off their attack dogs.

But Israel cannot afford to continue playing this costly game, and why would we, especially if we suspect that Iran may possibly be feeling a twinge of angst, due to the response from the military buildup, whose force is awaiting them if they dare to attack? We should call their bluff, because if we don’t, they will simply put themselves on pause and wait for a more opportune moment, when they feel their military position is superior to that of the present moment.  

Other nations must also realize that Iran is a ticking time bomb which will, at some point, go off, ready to destroy anyone they perceive to be a threat to them. This is why they must be challenged now – whether that is in the form a pre-emptive attack or diffusing their power and control by some other means.

Iran cannot and must not have the capability of holding nations hostage. If ever there was a time to realize that this fight is not contained between Middle-East players, the time is now. Those who believe that they have a moral responsibility to help Israel will, in any event, find themselves in Iran’s line of fire, added to the list of countries who have made a powerful enemy, so why not take them on as a united front with a winning strategy?  

It is clearly to the advantage of all freedom-loving, democratic governments to see what is going on and to recognize that, at some point, their time is coming. They, too, will somehow bear the consequences of allowing Iran to threaten the world’s inhabitants, whether through a missile attack or nuclear weapons. And that is why this dangerous game of psychological warfare, cannot continue, because there is too much at stake.

Iran has to be forced out of the driver’s seat and be neutralized to a place of inaction by every nation who hopes to live in safety. It is time to take back our planet by not allowing a lunatic, rogue nation to continue to hold a loaded gun to the heads of humanity.