Going to war with Iran was not a popular decision in the US. But in Israel the conflict commands overwhelming support — with over 80 per cent of the public backing the decision to attack. Nobody has done more to make the case that Iran poses an existential threat to Israel than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The day after the initial air strikes on Tehran, he exulted that the current “combination of forces” — for which read, US participation — “allows us to do what I have been hoping to do for 40 years”.
在美国,与伊朗开战并不是一个深得人心的决定。但在以色列,这场冲突获得了压倒性的支持——超过80%的公众支持发动军事打击的决定。在强调伊朗对以色列构成生死存亡的威胁方面,没有人比以色列总理本雅明•内塔尼亚胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)做得更多。在对德黑兰发动首波空袭后的第二天,他兴奋地表示,当前的“联合部队”——也就是美国的参与——“让我们能够做我盼望了40年的事情”。