ABSTRACT
Israel and Iran have been opponents since the 1979 Iranian revolution. The conflict between them has been handled indirectly through clashes between Israel and Iranian proxies such as the Hezbollah. Gathering data for bombing Iran is a challenge for Israeli intelligence, like estimating for how long an attack could delay the Iranian nuclear program. Iran has several allies in the Middle East. Geographically, the closest is its former nemesis, Iraq, which has been under heavy Iranian influence. The Hezbollah might hesitate whether to assist Iran in a war against Israel, fearing the ramifications in Lebanon on both its position inside the Shiite community and its relations with the rest of the population. Hezbollah's bases, including its rockets, are inside Shiite villages and towns in Lebanon. Iran sees the United States as an enemy that is much stronger than ISIS. For the United States Iran, particularly if it gets nuclear weapon capability, would be much more powerful than ISIS.
