ABSTRACT
Concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions have consumed Israeli decision-makers for decades. Another grave concern is what Israelis perceive as Iran’s growing political and military influence in the region, particularly in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. From fissures within the security establishment about the utility of military options and the wisdom of the Iranian nuclear agreement to concerns among political leaders about publicly opposing an American president, Israel’s positions on Iran policy were more divided over the past decade than is often understood. The perception of Iranian vulnerability has only grown in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, which has hit Iran particularly hard as its leaders blundered their response to the outbreak. The result is that Israel’s Iran policies are now unusually cohesive, with hardly any divergence about the wisdom of Netanyahu’s preferred policy. For decades, Israel has promoted efforts to expose and prevent an Iranian nuclear-weapons capability.
