Israel Urged Not to Dismiss Its Covert Edge as Iran Deal Advances

As a new agreement with Iran appears to be taking shape, the article argues that Israel may be facing a difficult moment if Tehran is left with nuclear capabilities, missile infrastructure, and room for deception. It says that would mean the campaign against Iran is far from over, and that Israeli security cannot depend on one leader in Jerusalem or one U.S. president.

The piece credits Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with making the fight against Iran’s nuclear program a central mission of his political and security career. It says he brought the threat to the top of the global agenda, even if his choices and strategy can be debated, but stresses that Israel is bigger than Netanyahu and keeps operating through changing governments and U.S. administrations.

It then points to years of covert action against Iran, including malicious software that disrupted nuclear centrifuges, assassinations or attacks on senior nuclear scientists, explosions at sensitive facilities, the theft of Iran’s nuclear archive from the center of Tehran, and repeated penetrations of supposedly protected systems. The article says these efforts showed that Israel can operate quietly, secretly, and with sophistication, using the Mossad, Aman, the IDF, defense industries, cyber capabilities, and human talent.

The same logic, it says, applies to Iran’s missile program. Israel may not be able to destroy it in one strike, but it can slow production, disrupt supply lines, damage manufacturing, and force Tehran to spend again and again on repairs and security. The article warns that a bad deal could give Iran money, legitimacy, and time, while narrowing Israel’s diplomatic freedom, but insists Israel will continue to monitor, thwart, disrupt, and act. Its conclusion is that preventing an Iranian nuclear weapon remains a core Israeli mission, and that the deal is not the end of the story.