"Israel" is in a serious strategic quagmire with Iran, Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on Tuesday, putting into question the strategy behind the war on the Islamic Republic.
In a sharply worded analysis, the paper asserted that “Prime Minister Netanyahu’s pressure to resume the attack on Iran could entangle Israel even further.”
“The magic has backfired on the magician,” Maariv wrote, adding “Iran has inflicted a bitter defeat on Israel through the ceasefire that was imposed on it in Lebanon.”
The newspaper was dismissive of Israeli claims of battlefield success, stating, “The heroic stories Netanyahu attributed to himself are beginning to unravel as limited achievements, akin to ‘the mountain laboring and bringing forth a mouse.’”
On Iran’s military capabilities, Maariv conceded that “70% of the Iranian missiles hidden in underground cities have not been damaged.”
The paper further warned that “the entire war could turn into a strategic disaster for Israel, which today has no control over negotiations or over the existing situation.”
Strategic errors swamp Netanyahu, Trump swept along in the mess
In a striking critique of past decision-making, Maariv wrote, “Eliminating Khamenei was a wrong decision. It would have been better to keep him alive. We are now learning that Trump’s being swept along by the glitz of ‘elimination’ on Netanyahu’s recommendation now leaves him facing a dead end. And the advice Netanyahu continues to offer now will only complicate matters further.”
The paper added, “Were it known in advance that the chances of toppling the regime are slim, the last thing to do is hammer the nail so deep that it becomes impossible to pull out later.”
Maariv argued that the focus of the conflict was fundamentally misguided. “Had the operation’s goals been correctly defined, the first thing to do would have been to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and ensure it remains open.”
“This mistake regarding Hormuz fell like ripe fruit into Iran’s hands,” the paper wrote. “Iran ultimately turned the situation to its advantage, so that today the core negotiation revolves around opening the Strait.”
Israeli military slowly imploding
On the state of the Israeli military, Maariv wrote, “The Israeli army’s ‘chariot’ continues to erode. Its fuel is running out in an endless war on all fronts. The chariot appears closer to stopping and stalling than to reaching unclear goals beyond the horizon.”
“Reservists are suffering from breakdown,” the paper stated, “while the regular army has eroded and completely lost discipline, becoming more like a messianic militia than an organized military.”
“The army is stretched beyond its capacity and is weakening everywhere,” Maariv continued. “Settlement expansion in Samaria (the northern West Bank), where there are not enough forces to protect, and the dispersal of troops across four fronts have left the army in a state of paralysis.”
Weak, humiliating tactical achievement
The newspaper delivered a sweeping verdict on current Israeli strategy: “Maintaining security belts today in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria has set Israel back forty years. This is a weak and humiliating tactical achievement, as far removed from the lie of ‘absolute victory’ as the sky is from the earth – a lie born of Netanyahu’s absolute failure to protect Israel’s borders during his time in office.”
“But this, too, is a failure whose results were known in advance,” Maariv added. “It does not bring more security; it drains the army even further, as it has become clear that it cannot long endure such a war of attrition.”
“Under the weight of this current weakness,” the paper concluded, “Hamas has begun to recover, Hezbollah has not stopped attacking, and the Iranian front could end in a situation that is the worst for everyone.”
Source:Websites
