The United States and Israel have to target Iran if either hopes to curb terrorism that plagues the Middle East, according to Knesset member and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
Bennett, who served as prime minister of Israel from 2021 to 2022, wrote in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Friday that Israel and the U.S. should target Iran over the activities of its terrorist proxies. Ramping up consequences for the Iranian regime over the work of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah is the only way to curb terrorism in the region, he said.
“The Iranian regime is at the center of most of the Middle East’s problems and much of global terror. Yet inexplicably, almost nobody is touching it. For the past 45 years, the regime has been the source of endless war, terror and suffering throughout the world. I’ve come to realize that enough is enough. The evil empire of Iran must be brought down,” Bennett said.
The Iranian regime supported the October 7 terror attack on Israel, which was perpetrated by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. The attackers massacred roughly 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds more hostage. To Israel’s north, Iran-backed Hezbollah has launched hundreds of rockets at Israel, forcing the Jewish state to evacuate tens of thousands of its own citizens from their homes.
Further south in Yemen, Iran-backed Houthis have launched rockets and drones against cargo ships in the Red Sea, disrupting shipping lanes into Israel and the Suez Canal, through which roughly a third of container ship cargo passes. In Iraq and Syria, Iran-backed militias have carried out numerous strikes against U.S. bases.
“Iran constantly attacks Israel via its proxies in such places as Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen,” Bennett wrote. “Iran’s terrorist proxies have waged war on every moderate element in the Middle East. They’ve attacked the Saudi oil company Aramco, the United Arab Emirates, the Kurds and Israel on many occasions. The most amazing part: Iran has largely gotten away with it.”
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Curbing Iran’s terror network does not require war with the Iranian regime, according to Bennett. The U.S. and Israel can use other levers to pressure and topple Iran’s ruling class.
“There are many ways to weaken Iran: empower domestic opposition, ensure internet continuity during riots against the regime, strengthen its enemies, increase sanctions and economic pressures,” Bennett says.
“Iran’s tyrants are softer than one might expect. They gleefully send others to die for them. But when they’re hit at home, suddenly they become timid,” he continued. “The U.S. and Israel must set the clear goal of bringing down Iran’s evil regime. Not only is this possible. It is vital for the safety and security of the Middle East — and the entire civilized world.”