the Jewish state — and thus weaken- ing the terror nexus between Beirut, Damascus, and Tehran. According to the Financial Times,
inflation in Iran is a staggering 47.7%, and on pace to exceed 49%, the highest ever recorded. But inexplicably, these happen to be
the best of times for Iran. The invasion of Ukraine and the
failure of Russia’s conventional forces in battle threw Tehran a lifeline from its internal woes. First, the Iranians sent Syrian vol-
unteers and mercenaries to fight along- side Russian forces in Crimea. Then they supplied Russia with
high-tech combat drones, built par- tially with stolen U.S. technology and carrying explosive payloads — similar to ones they’d deployed in Syria and Yemen and, more recently, to Hezbol- lah in Lebanon. It wasn’t a one-way deal, though.
In return, Tehran bought 24 advanced Sukhoi SU-35 fighter bombers from Moscow — a serious upgrade for both its air force and regional capabilities. John Hardie, deputy director
of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ Russia Program, warned the new fighter planes will make penetrating Iran’s airspace increasingly challenging. Russia has also been sending advanced Western and U.S.-manu- factured weapon systems captured in Ukraine to Iran for technological analysis. Not only are the Iranians interested
in reverse engineering these systems, but since the United States is the pri- mary military supplier to Israel and Egypt, the intelligence gleaned would be critical in future conflicts. Israel has been distracted by
sweeping protests across the country over the efforts of hardline officials in Prime Minister Benjamin Netan- yahu’s right-wing government to over- haul the nation’s judiciary. The debate has blurred party lines
and pitted religious Israelis versus their secular neighbors, and those of
ALLIANCE Russian President Vladimir Putin, seen here speaking with Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi, has been sending captured U.S.-manufactured weapons to Tehran for technological analysis.
European descent against those with roots in the Arab world. Israel’s internal political turmoil
has weakened Jerusalem’s influence in the Middle East and strengthened Tehran’s to the point where Iran might decide that it is in its strategic interest to launch an opportunistic strike. The next war Israel might have to
fight could be waged on five separate and simultaneous fronts: In Lebanon against Hezbollah,
where the Party of God terrorists have amassed more than 100,000 missiles aimed at Israel; Along the Syrian frontier against pro-Iranian militias; In Gaza against Hamas, which is supported by Iran; In the West Bank, where Iranian sup-
port for the Islamic Jihad and Hamas could launch a third intifada; and, Inside Israel’s Arab population,
where Iranian intelligence has actively recruited operatives. Netanyahu admitted: “Iran is responsible for 95% of the security threats against us.” The internal strife in Israel has endangered one of the calling cards of Netanyahu’s legacy: the Abraham Accords, central to Israel’s quest to be accepted by her Arab neighbors. Peace with the United Arab Emir-
ates, Bahrain, and Morocco was a crowning diplomatic Nobel Prize-wor- thy achievement, but the true prize was always a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The thought inside Israeli intelli-
gence, and indeed many Arab capi- tals, was that if Jerusalem and Riyadh
could come to terms on shaping a new Middle East, the Arab-Israeli conflict would end. Saudi Arabia had been inching
toward that goal for some time — with rumors of secret back-and-forth visits and even the Saudis allowing El Al Israel Airlines to overfly its territory. The Sunni Saudis looked to Israel
as a powerful ally in its proxy wars — and regional standoff — against Shiite Iran. But the incendiary anti-Arab rheto-
ric of some of Netanyahu’s ministers was a signal to Riyadh that the time was not right. The political convulsion has deval-
ued the shekel and weakened the Israeli economy. It has diluted Israel’s viability as a dependable strategic ally. In a stunning move, on March
10, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China announced that Tehran and Riyadh would resume diplomatic ties. The news caught Israel and the United States by surprise. The fact that the mullahs have
solidified China, a superpower intent on becoming a pariah like Russia and Iran, as a vital ally and trading partner is troubling enough. The fact that the Iranian flag will
fly in Tehran and not the Star of David is a refutation of American diplomatic efforts and Israel’s standing in the for- ever shifting sands of the Middle East. An Israeli security service insider
confided to Newsmax: “Every time that we count Iran out, it rights itself, dusts itself off, and returns to the world stage more devious and danger- ous than before.”
JULY 2023 | NEWSMAX 51
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