‘Target Tehran’: GOP Hawks Demand Retaliation

Paresh Jadhav

11 months ago

Following the death of three American service members at a base in Jordan, Republican leaders are pressing President Biden to take aggressive steps against Iran – but how?

Target Tehran by veteran Jerusalem Post journalists Ilan Evyatar and Yonah Jeremy Bob reveals an engaging tale about Israel’s intelligence service’s decades-long campaign, sometimes in conjunction with America, to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons power.

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3 Soldiers Killed in Jordan

Attackers struck Tower 22 base in northeast Jordan and killed three US service members; eight more were wounded with some being evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries according to Central Command. No group has claimed responsibility for this strike – the first US troops fatality since Israel-Hamas war broke out.

But in his speech in South Carolina on Sunday, Biden made it clear that the U.S. will respond. He requested a moment of silence at a church for those affected by what has been described as an enemy attack.

Iranian-backed militias have attacked US troops across the Middle East. But a recent strike by Iran-backed militias in Jordan marked a new level of danger for America and its allies, raising the possibility that regional war may erupt. Hudson Senior Fellow Jonathan Schachter discusses in Target Tehran his new book which details Israel’s Mossad agency’s successful covert efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear program.

a Drone Attack

Target Tehran is an engaging thriller, yet not without flaws; at times it verges on being glorifying, such as when Mossad founder Meir Dagan is described as someone “for whom anything is possible.” Still, its authors’ access to Israeli intelligence and national security agencies was impressive.

Attackers backed by Iran claimed responsibility for an attack on Tower 22 near the border of Iraq, Syria, and Jordan last night – just the latest incident since October when Iranian-affiliated militias have targeted U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria as well as commercial ships in Red Sea and disrupted global shipping routes.

The Pentagon has responded with strikes targeting Iran-linked militias in the region. However, it’s clear that the United States does not wish to become engaged in an extended conflict with Iran itself; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. made that point during an interview aired Sunday morning that was widely reported on.

Iran’s Support for Militias

An American strike against Iran’s proxy forces would send an unmistakable signal that Tehran’s terrorist campaign is no longer acceptable, making up for their failed deterrence by sending Tehran a clear message that attacks by its proxy forces against American troops will no longer be tolerated.

Iranian-backed militias have for years attacked American forces across the Middle East with gunfire from Iranian-backed militias backed by Iran, killing three US service members in northeastern Jordan in their most recent strike.

Target Tehran provides an engaging and detailed account of how Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has worked to undermine Iran’s regime through various strategies ranging from sabotage, assassination, and clandestine diplomacy. Unfortunately, however, at times its authors drift into worshipful praise of Mossad agents as “intrepid and uncompromising”, while its long list of events lacks drama; nevertheless it can make for a worthwhile read but only for those with an interest in Israeli politics and intelligence.

Inaction

After three American soldiers were killed by a drone strike last week, Republican members of Congress have called for swift retaliation against Iran. “It is time to act with purpose and resolve,” declared Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Alabama). John Cornyn and Lindsey Graham soon followed suit by posting to social media platforms asking the U.S. military to target Tehran, Iran’s capital city.

An intriguing new book offers insight into Israel’s clandestine operations against Iran. Target Tehran by Jerusalem Post contributors Ilan Evyatar and Yonah Jeremy Bob reveals how Israel’s security agencies – specifically Mossad operatives – infiltrated Iran’s nuclear archive to steal thousands of files in 2018. Materials they seized proved that Tehran was in violation of numerous international treaties and agreements. The authors’ account occasionally verges on veneration for Mossad chiefs like Meir Dagan who they describe as experts at “separating an Arab from his head,” yet their book provides important background to understand the current war of words between Israeli government officials and Trump administration over Iran.