Ron Jagergrew up in the South Bronx of New York, making Aliyah in 1980. Served for 25 years in the IDF as a Mental Health Field Officer in operational units. Prior to retiring was Commander of the Central Psychiatric Clinic for Reserve Solders at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring has been involved in strategic consultancy to NGO's and communities in the Gaza Envelope on resiliency projects to assist first responders and communities. Ron has written numerous articles for outlets in Israel and abroad focusing on Israel and the Jewish world.
Iran’s attack from Iranian territory against the State of Israel, is not only a strategic blunder but also signifies the beginning of the end of the Islamic regime of Ayatollah’s as rulers of the State of Iran. The attack marks the first time Iran has launched a full-scale assault on Israel despite more than four decades of hostilities using proxy forces throughout the Middle East and beyond.
As I write this, at this hour, after midnight on April 14, and after two waves of missile attacks on the State of Israel with a third wave expected towards the early morning hours, little if any damage has been reported throughout the country. Israel has not only successfully repelled various classes of missiles, but according to reports by military sources, Israel, with the help of the US and others, has succeeded in shooting down 99% of the missiles fired against Israel from beyond Israel’s borders, employing advanced air defense systems.
This is an unprecedented defensive capability that has placed Israel’s at the technological forefront of anti-missile operational know-how. After over 200 drones and ballistic missiles fired on Israel by Iran, there are is only one report of physical damage.
The Iranian attack on the State of Israel has been a complete offensive operational failure and exposed Iran as a “paper tiger”, severely weakening her ambitions to be recognized as a regional superpower in the Middle East.
More importantly, military forces of the United States, Britain, and other members of the Western coalition participated in shooting down missiles fired toward Israel by their forces located throughout the Middle East. At this hour the President of the United States, President Biden, expressed his complete support and American backing of Israel against Iranian aggression. While Biden said to refrain, Israel has complete legitimization to attack Iran and will may this opportunity to destroy Iran’s strategic military capabilities including Iran’s nuclear capability.
The military response by Israel is a strategic imperative and will strengthen Israel’s deterrence against Iran, perhaps ushering in a period of stability in the Middle East.
Iran has in one misguided decision to attack Israel, wasted an almost impregnatable strategic situation. It is important to remember that Iran has no historical enemies, no irredentism, and no source of permanent tensions on its frontiers. Iran is well endowed with sources of energy, resources, and an educated population of close to 90 million Iranians. Iran has a distinct identity and culture, a unity denied many of her neighbors in the Middle East.
Iran has failed to capitalize on these rich human and material resources due to an excessive cultivation of extreme Islamic ideology and its promoting Islamic terror proxies throughout the Middle East and beyond.
What can explain Iran’s misguided decision to directly attack Israel?
In recent weeks, daily demonstrations against the Netanyahu government have re-erupted after an extended period in which public support for anti-government political forces seemed to have abided. The Iranians seemed to have misinterpreted the implications of these demonstrations similar to Hamas’s mistaken interpretation of the demonstrations against Israel’s judicial reform over the past year.
Both Hamas and the Iranian regime based their decisions to attack Israel on media reports that were biased and projected falsely that Israel going through a period of self-induced destruction from within. For the past year the broadcasted and printed media, social media, and political pundits have adopted an anti-Netanyahu agenda successfully conveying a sense that Israel is on the verge of civil war and incapable of responding to attacks by her enemies and defend herself. They even claim preposterously that Israel is losing the Swords of Iron war.
Instead, the very opposite has occurred; Hamas is on the verge of being totally destroyed as a military force and political movement as a result of misinterpreting Israel’s readiness and willingness to defend herself. Iran, instead of learning from Hamas’s strategic blunder on Oct 7th, has deluded herself and made the very same mistake against Israel.
The Iranians have failed to understand that the majority of the Israeli public is not represented by the small yet vocal demonstrators against the Netanyahu government. Despite the amplification and support given to these demonstrators by the media and progressive political parties in Israel, they represent only a miniscule proportion of the Israeli public.
What starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews. Those that embrace the Iranian regime who export terror and mass murder are a threat not only to Israel but no less a threat to Western civilization itself. The West has made the sanctity of human life a basic tenet of Western society. Understanding this existential necessity will enable Israel, if it so decides, to respond and attack Iran destroying her capabilities of becoming a future threat against Israel, the United States and those additional Western nations that stand alongside her.
This evening, Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the United States commitment to Israel is "unwavering." "This is the moment for the United States to show we stand together with our allies. Our shared enemies, including Iran and their proxies, need to know our commitment is unwavering," he said in a press release. "We must join with Israel to ensure that Iran’s aggression is met with resolute action and resounding strength."