Retired General Warns Renewed Iran Attack Would Be Strategic Disaster
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Retired Major General Yitzhak Brick warns that a renewed Israeli attack on Iran, as suggested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would be a dangerous illusion leading to strategic disaster. He argues that air power alone cannot defeat Iran, and any strike would result in severe regional destruction and heavy retaliation against Israel. Brick believes such an attack would not stop Iran's nuclear program and would strategically weaken Israel's security, economy, and international standing, leading to an unsustainable conflict.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Retired Major General Yitzhak Brick warns a renewed Israeli attack on Iran is a dangerous illusion.
- Brick states air power alone cannot defeat Iran's totalitarian regime.
- An attack would ignite regional destruction and trigger heavy Iranian retaliation against Israel.
- Israel would face an unsustainable war of attrition with no clear exit strategy.
- Brick argues such an attack would not halt Iran's nuclear program.
- The attack could collapse Israel's national security, economy, and international standing.
A renewed military strike against Iran by Israel, as suggested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would be a dangerous illusion with devastating consequences, according to retired Major General Yitzhak Brick. Brick argues that a totalitarian regime like Iran's cannot be decisively defeated by air power alone, and any such attack would incur an unbearable cost for Israel.
He explained that achieving a true military victory over a regional power like Iran would necessitate a large-scale ground invasion and occupation, a capability Israel lacks and the United States is unwilling to undertake. Hopes for a popular uprising within Iran to topple the regime are also dismissed as baseless fantasies. The only certain outcome of a new attack, Brick contends, is a heavy and unsustainable price for Israel.
Such an attack would not lead to Iran's collapse but would ignite regional destruction, severely impacting all aspects of life. Iran, in coordination with Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Houthis, would launch a massive missile and drone barrage targeting Israel's strategic civilian and military infrastructure, including power plants, desalination facilities, and air force bases. Israel would face a war of attrition with no clear exit strategy, while the Iranian regime, capable of enduring significant damage to its infrastructure, would be considered victorious as long as it could continue to paralyze daily life in Israel.
Brick also stated that further attacks by the US and Israel cannot halt Iran's nuclear enrichment program, as the regime anticipated such actions and built extensive redundancies into its nuclear facilities. He highlighted concerns among Western and Israeli intelligence agencies about the existence of small, hidden enrichment workshops and laboratories.
Following an Israeli attack, while Israel would be bleeding, isolated, and exhausted, Iran would quickly rebuild its capabilities with robust backing, military and economic aid, and security support from Russia, China, and North Korea, along with strengthened ties to other Muslim nations. Brick warned that the greatest danger lies not just in immediate damage but in the strategic erosion of Israel's military qualitative edge. He asserted that the IDF's ground forces are not prepared for a scenario of expanded warfare, including incursions into Israeli territory.
Brick concluded that Netanyahu's belief in a decisive victory from another strike is a dangerous fallacy. A renewed attack would not topple the ayatollahs but could collapse the pillars of Israel's national security, economy, and international standing. Strategic decision-making, he stressed, should be measured by a nation's ability to secure its long-term future, economy, and existence, not by the intensity of explosions. Entering another military adventure in Iran without international backing, ground maneuver, or an exit strategy would lead Israel to a dead end and a devastating strategic disaster.