For the third time in ten months, the U.S. is preparing to potentially use military force to help protect Israel from its two strongest enemies, Iran and Hezbollah. That's the most important takeaway from the dramatic events of the last days, ever since Israel conducted two daring assassinations against Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in Tehran and Beirut, and Iran in return has promised to retaliate by directly attacking the Jewish state.
U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered a swift and meaningful concentration of military forces in and around the Middle East, signaling to Iran and its most powerful proxy, Hezbollah, that their retaliation against Israel could end up drawing them into an unintended war with the United States. In addition, his top generals are coordinating with their Israeli counterparts on how to block most of Iran's firepower, just like the U.S. and a coalition of aligned countries did the last time Iran attacked Israel, on the night of April 13, following the assassination of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards commanders in Syria.
Biden also came to Israel's defense at the most important and dangerous moment of the current war – the first 48 hours, during which Israel was caught unprepared for Hamas' cross-border attack from Gaza, and Hezbollah had a golden opportunity to join from the north. His intervention back then, with the famous "don't!" threat, arguably saved hundreds of lives.
But unfortunately, the fact that Israel, for the third time in less than a year, is partially relying on the United States to help it against Iran and Hezbollah hasn't stopped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right, ultra-religious allies from attacking the American president. Netanyahu has gone back to his usual habit of interfering in American elections, and is openly trying to help Donald Trump return to the White House, while briefing the media in Israel and the U.S. against Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
It's no wonder that U.S. officials are accusing the Israeli premier of ungratefulness toward the president. Israel shouldn't necessarily accept every U.S. demand and say yes to every policy suggestion from Washington, but at the very least, its inept leadership, which is responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Israelis in the biggest failure in the country's history, should be a little more humble.