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.
Read more on Jerusalem Post: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-782163