T he ongoing verbal war between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over Iran's nuclear deal has been escalating ahead of the May 12 deadline by which Trump is to decide whether or not to withdraw from the deal. Of late, Israeli officials have been beating the drums of war against Iran at various levels. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu employed a theatrical address on April 30 to reveal what he said were intelligence documents about Iran's nuclear ambitions. And a few weeks earlier, Israel had been heating up the security situation on the border with Syria. This makes it look as though Israel and Washington have synchronised their steps in the face of Iran. Israel started a face-off with Iran in Syria a few months ago when it brought down an Iranian aircraft claiming that it carried explosives. And then a few weeks later, it launched an air raid that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members at the Syrian base. In fact, the two sides have been trading threats which have increased the tension in an already volatile region. The Iranian president vowed retaliation against Israel's skirmishes, although he did not specify when and in what way. Israel is aware that an Iranian revenge attack is quite possible at any time. However, Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz yesterday brought his country's warning to a new level. He sent a strong-worded message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warning him that Israel would eliminate him if he continued to let Iran operate from Syria. Steinitz told an Israeli news site: "If Assad allows Iran to attack us from Syrian territory, he should know that would be the end of him." Moreover, the Knesset's recent approval of a bill which grants Netanyahu the authority to declare war with only the defence minister's approval in extreme situations, has reinforced speculations that a war may well be looming. Yesterday, Rouhani warned the US that it would regret a decision to leave the 20l5 nuclear deal. He made it clear that Tehran would fiercely resist US pressure to "weaken Iran and limit its influence whether in the region or globally". The point is that if and when Israel – backed of course by the US – comes into direct conflict with Iran, it is Syria again that will pay the price of another power struggle on its soil. Syria is the only place where Israel and Iran would come into direct confrontation. Israel is making the best of the fragile situation in the Middle East to provoke Iran and to push Trump into upholding his tough stand against the nuclear deal, to score a goal against its arch foe Iran which has at present a strong foothold in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Israel is concerned over Iran's nuclear capabilities, but no one has dared to question Israel's own capabilities. The world is anticipating what the three countries will do next. And Trump's decision next week, which depends on what the five other signatories will do to fix what Trump calls "flaws" in the deal, will be instrumental in determining whether or not a war will erupt. By the Gazette Editorial Board The ongoing verbal war between US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over Iran's nuclear deal has been escalating ahead of the May 12 deadline by which Trump is to decide whether or not to withdraw from the deal. Of late, Israeli officials have been beating the drums of war against Iran at various levels. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu employed a theatrical address on April 30 to reveal what he said were intelligence documents about Iran's nuclear ambitions. And a few weeks earlier, Israel had been heating up the security situation on the border with Syria. This makes it look as though Israel and Washington have synchronised their steps in the face of Iran. Israel started a face-off with Iran in Syria a few months ago when it brought down an Iranian aircraft claiming that it carried explosives. And then a few weeks later, it launched an air raid that killed seven Iranian Revolutionary Guard members at the Syrian base. In fact, the two sides have been trading threats which have increased the tension in an already volatile region. The Iranian president vowed retaliation against Israel's skirmishes, although he did not specify when and in what way. Israel is aware that an Iranian revenge attack is quite possible at any time. However, Israel's Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz yesterday brought his country's warning to a new level. He sent a strong-worded message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warning him that Israel would eliminate him if he continued to let Iran operate from Syria. Steinitz told an Israeli news site: "If Assad allows Iran to attack us from Syrian territory, he should know that would be the end of him." Moreover, the Knesset's recent approval of a bill which grants Netanyahu the authority to declare war with only the defence minister's approval in extreme situations, has reinforced speculations that a war may well be looming. Yesterday, Rouhani warned the US that it would regret a decision to leave the 20l5 nuclear deal. He made it clear that Tehran would fiercely resist US pressure to "weaken Iran and limit its influence whether in the region or globally". The point is that if and when Israel – backed of course by the US – comes into direct conflict with Iran, it is Syria again that will pay the price of another power struggle on its soil. Syria is the only place where Israel and Iran would come into direct confrontation. Israel is making the best of the fragile situation in the Middle East to provoke Iran and to push Trump into upholding his tough stand against the nuclear deal, to score a goal against its arch foe Iran which has at present a strong foothold in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. Israel is concerned over Iran's nuclear capabilities, but no one has dared to question Israel's own capabilities. The world is anticipating what the three countries will do next. And Trump's decision next week, which depends on what the five other signatories will do to fix what Trump calls "flaws" in the deal, will be instrumental in determining whether or not a war will erupt.
