Facing assault from Tehran and its proxies from Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, Lebanon, and Syria, Jerusalem must also bear in mind that the ayatollahs are drawing ever closer to producing nuclear weapons. Jacob Nagel and Andrea Stricker write:

Thankfully, although Tehran’s incentive and capacity to sprint to nuclear weapons increases daily, it still lacks enough enriched uranium to create a formidable nuclear arsenal. But according to the latest data reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is very close to producing the nuclear fuel needed for up to twelve nuclear weapons. The regime will likely require an additional 18 to 24 months to weaponize the material for operational nuclear devices and mount them on delivery vehicles. However, once Tehran moves enough weapons-grade enriched uranium to a secret underground site, Israel (and perhaps the United States) would find it very difficult to act militarily and stop the effort.

This could be part of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s plan. Iran could be wielding its proxies—Hamas, Hizballah, the Houthis, and Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria—to sow chaos in order to enable the regime to conduct a breakout. By the time the world notices and responds, Tehran might already have concealed enough enriched uranium and could be on the verge of an atomic bomb.

The moment Israel responds to this is the moment that Hizballah is likely to launch an all-out war. . . . Because Hizballah is the regime’s most powerful proxy, it is now seen as Tehran’s insurance policy during a breakout. After a breakout, the regime’s nuclear weapons would serve as an insurance policy for Hizballah.

For some time, opponents of U.S support for Israel have been urging the White House to end the war in Gaza, or simply calling for a ceasefire. Douglas Feith and Lewis Libby consider what such a result would actually entail:

Ending the war immediately would allow Hamas to survive and retain military and governing power. Leaving it in the area containing the Sinai-Gaza smuggling routes would ensure that Hamas can rearm. This is why Hamas leaders now plead for a ceasefire. A ceasefire will provide some relief for Gazans today, but a prolonged ceasefire will preserve Hamas’s bloody oppression of Gaza and make future wars with Israel inevitable.

For most Gazans, even when there is no hot war, Hamas’s dictatorship is a nightmarish tyranny. Hamas rule features the torture and murder of regime opponents, official corruption, extremist indoctrination of children, and misery for the population in general. Hamas diverts foreign aid and other resources from proper uses; instead of improving life for the mass of the people, it uses the funds to fight against Palestinians and Israelis.

Moreover, a Hamas-affiliated website warned Gazans last month against cooperating with Israel in securing and delivering the truckloads of aid flowing into the Strip. It promised to deal with those who do with “an iron fist.” In other words, if Hamas remains in power, it will begin torturing, imprisoning, or murdering those it deems collaborators the moment the war ends. Thereafter, Hamas will begin planning its next attack on Israel:

Hamas’s goals are to overshadow the Palestinian Authority, win control of the West Bank, and establish Hamas leadership over the Palestinian revolution. Hamas’s ultimate aim is to spark a regional war to obliterate Israel and, as Hamas leaders steadfastly maintain, fulfill a Quranic vision of killing all Jews.

Hamas planned for corpses of Palestinian babies and mothers to serve as the mainspring of its October 7 war plan. Hamas calculated it could survive a war against a superior Israeli force and energize enemies of Israel around the world. The key to both aims was arranging for grievous Palestinian civilian losses. . . . That element of Hamas’s war plan is working impressively.