Eisenkot asked Netanyahu to wait - but Tehran received a completely different message

Attorney Ilana Shoshan analyzes Gadi Eisenkot's public letter to Netanyahu, calling for a delay in military action in Iran until a government is formed. The author warns that the letter could signal weakness to Tehran and close the window of opportunity with the US in January.

The article, by attorney Ilana Shoshan, analyzes the implications of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's public letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he called for delaying military action in Iran until a new government is formed. The author argues that the letter is also read in Tehran and may signal to the Iranians that the likelihood of an additional Israeli move in the coming weeks has diminished, thereby weakening Israel's deterrence. At the same time, she notes that the window of opportunity for joint action with the United States in Washington may close as early as January, with the new Congress taking office. The author asks Eisenkot what message he intended to send to Tehran and the White House, and warns against postponing the decision on the Iranian threat, while referencing the mistaken assumption under which they lived on October 6.