Israel pressures US to escalate military action against Iran

Israeli leadership is pressuring the United States to sharply escalate military actions against Iran, aiming to destroy a significant portion of the Islamic Republic’s military and energy infrastructure, in a high-intensity campaign including ground forces, Al-Monitor reports, citing Israeli sources.

The US is considering two main courses of action regarding Iran, according to the portal. The first is the complete destruction of Iran’s military and energy infrastructure, followed by a halt to hostilities.

The second is reaching an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile production in exchange for sanctions relief and economic aid. The Israeli government is pushing the US toward the first option.

“An agreement now with the Iranians would be a clear Iranian victory,” one source told Al-Monitor, adding that it would open a real path for the Iranian regime to survive.

Israeli leaders have grown disillusioned with the prospect of a rapid regime change in Iran and now believe that inflicting damage from which the country cannot recover would serve Israel’s interests. The government also expects that such destruction could eventually provoke protests within Iran. 

Israeli intelligence estimates that the damage already inflicted on Iran amounts to 3–4% of the country’s GDP.

By Jeyhun Aghazada