In his attempt to restore Israel’s military and international prestige, Benjamin Netanyahu has opted for a regional escalation that, far from guaranteeing security, deepens instability. The last American bombings to Iranian factories where Uranium was enriched – justified as a preventive brake on the Persian nuclear program – mark a turning point. It is no longer a containment, but an open war. Netanyahu not only celebrated the attacks, but publicly thanked Donald Trump for his “brave and coherent leadership”, aligning Israeli destiny with the Washington Belicist agenda.
The offensive against Iran, presented by Israel as a defensive act, is more than a tactical response: it is a political attempt to rewrite a narrative that has it, today, closer to the fall than of glory. The debacle that meant on October 7, 2023When Hamas managed to infiltrate Israeli territory and kill more than 1,200 civilians, in a surprise attack that also left more than 250 kidnapped and seriously exposed Israeli intelligence services, left a legitimacy wound that Netanyahu has not been able to suture.
For almost two decades, the prime minister built his power over two pillars: Israel’s alleged invulnerability and the state’s ability to prevent any threat through intelligence and deterrence. Both premises collapsed. The excessive answer in Gaza –Calified as a genocide by multiple international organizations – it failed to stop global outrage or restore internal cohesion. On the contrary, he deteriorated his image even between historical allies, as sectors of the Democratic Party in the United States.
Since October, More than 37,000 Palestinians have died in Gazamost civilians, including at least 14,500 children, according to UN data and humanitarian organizations. The hospitals are collapsed, 80% of the population was necessarily displaced, and one million people face severe hunger. The Israeli government insists that it seeks to “dismantle Hamas”, but after more than eight months of bombing and partial occupation, the results are ambiguous. At least 670 Israeli soldiers have died, the highest figure since the Yom Kipur War, and 58 hostages remain in the hands of Hamas, many in unknown conditions. The failure in its rescue is an emotional breakdown point for Israeli society.
The recent offensive against Iran must also be read as an internal policy play. Netanyahu acts while he can: before the war ends, before international support dissolvesbefore Israeli society – today together with the external threat – demands accountability when the rumble of the bombs ceases. Its logic is clear: expand the theater of operations to neutralize criticism and recover the “threatened state” story with the right to act preventively.
But that calculation is dangerous. North American bombings to uranium enrichment plants in Natanz and Fordowwhich would have destroyed part of the critical infrastructure of the Iranian nuclear program, push the situation on the edge of the abyss. Tehran has already promised “unprecedented” reprisals and there are missile reports thrown from Yemen and Syria, attributed to militias aligned with Iran. The idea of a total regional war, which involves multiple non -state actors and interposed powers, ceases to be a hypothesis to become probable scenario.
This war “reset” also seeks to invisible other front fragility fronts. The economy, for example, suffers a deep recession: the Central Bank projects a 2.5% drop in GDP in 2024, the fiscal deficit is extended and military spending already exceeds 60 billion dollars. The Shekel depreciates, foreign investment falls and the technology industry – the engine of economy in the last decade – shows signs of deceleration. Tourism collapsed and tens of thousands of Israelis had to leave their homes in border areas.
The problem is not just image. Israel has ceased to be a stabilizer actor to become a source of disruption. His disproportion policy, his contempt for international law and the instrumentalization of conflict as a strategy of personal survival of Netanyahu, have broken regional balance. What was previously called “deterrence” now looks more like an essay of military hegemony without counterweights.
The key question is: What is the real objective of this offensive? Does Netanyahu look for a limited victory or, as in Gaza, has embarked on a no way out? Iranian reprisals have already begun, and the risk of a prolonged conflict with multiple active fronts – from leaders to the Persian Gulf – is increasingly tangible. The logic of “all or nothing” is imposed, but without a clear strategy or a vision of the future.
Netanyahu is not only fighting Hamas Oa Iran. He is at war with time, with his past of failures, with a citizenship that gave him multiple opportunities and now begins to get fed up. The security of Israel, paradoxically, has become more fragile with each bomb launched on Persian soil.
If something reveals this new cycle of violence, the region cannot be managed as a board subordinated to the interests of the Israeli State or the Government Party. Continue ignoring other voices (without minimizing the crimes of the Iranian regime or Hamas) condemns millions of people to suffering and postpones lasting peace. Netanyahu can save time, but not the trial of the story. And perhaps either that of his own people.
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