US will blame Israel if large-scale attacks against Iran fail, former defense official warns

Former senior defense official Avner Vilan warns that if Prime Minister Netanyahu persuades US President Trump to renew large-scale attacks on Iran and the operation fails, the US will blame Israel for dragging it into a war that damaged its international standing and drove up fuel prices.

Former senior defense official and Iranian nuclear expert Avner Vilan warned on Monday that if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu persuades US President Donald Trump to renew large-scale attacks on Iran during his upcoming visit to Washington, and the operation fails, the US will blame Israel for dragging it into a war that damaged its international standing and drove up fuel prices. Speaking on 103FM, Vilan described the current situation as a fragile status quo between a new agreement and full-scale war, with neither side satisfied but neither in a hurry to change it. He assessed that Iran is not prepared to make the concessions required for an agreement and would prefer war to going backward, though it does not want to initiate high-intensity conflict. Vilan noted that the US has reached the limit of its concessions and now expects significant Iranian concessions, which are unlikely. He also addressed a New York Times report about a US shortage of interceptor missiles, saying it likely has some basis but that the central question is strategic outcome, not just military capability.