Analyst: Trump never intended to attack Iran — the problem is Israel's dependence on the US

Military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai of Ynet believes that Trump's refusal to strike Iran was not a surprise, but the real problem is that Israel has lost its influence over the US. He counts six instances where Trump promised to 'send Iran back to the Stone Age' but failed to follow through. Israel learned of the decision at the same time as the rest of the world, via Truth Social. Ben-Yishai calls Israel a 'satellite state of the US of the worst kind.'

In an article dated August 2, Ynet's military analyst Ron Ben-Yishai analyzes yet another refusal by US President Donald Trump to launch a large-scale strike on Iran. In his view, this was not a surprise, but a far more serious problem is that Israel has almost lost the ability to influence the decisions of its main ally and is increasingly forced to merely adapt to Washington's policies. Ben-Yishai recalls that Trump has earned the nickname TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) — 'Trump always chickens out at the last moment.' He personally counts at least six instances when Trump promised to 'send Iran back to the Stone Age' but either did nothing or limited himself to symbolic actions. The author believes that this brinkmanship tactic has stopped working, as the Iranians have realized that the threats are part of a negotiating game. Ben-Yishai asserts that Trump never intended to strike Iran's energy infrastructure due to fears of a global economic crisis, the impact on midterm elections, and pressure from Arab Gulf states. Trump himself acknowledged the influence of a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Israel, unlike Iran, was forced to take the threats seriously and prepare for any development, including enhancing intelligence and putting air defenses on full alert. Israel learned of the decision to forgo the strike at the same time as the rest of the world, from Trump's post on Truth Social. Ben-Yishai draws a harsh conclusion: 'Recently, Israel has turned into a satellite state of the US of the worst kind.' He notes that relations between the militaries remain good, but Israeli military officials do not always understand what is happening due to deteriorating coordination between the political leadership and the General Staff, as well as the new military secretary to the prime minister, who is not trusted.