What Israel Accomplished
Dennis Ross writes that the Israeli raid on Syria restored its deterrent ability against its foes. It sent a clear message that they can strike at will against any effort to build a weapon of mass destruction or accumulation of force. This is a key psychological factor for the tiny state against larger Arab states. Here is a comment:
Beyond this, the raid sends the message that Israel can hit what it wants--no matter how valuable and sensitive to the regime--when it wants, and Syria is powerless to stop it. Here the silence from the Arab world, even if a function of Israel's silence, can provide small comfort to President Assad. No one in the Arab world much cares if Syria suffers blows to its prestige and losses to its military capabilities.
So, the raid is as much about preemption of a potential nuclear threat as it is about reestablishing Israel's deterrent in the eyes of the Syrian regime. Indeed, Major General Amos Yadlin, the head of Israel's military intelligence, was quoted as telling the Israeli cabinet that Israel had "restored its deterrence."
All this has worked for Israel in its short history. It is when some Arab leader comes along that miscalculates Israel's will that war follows. Someday, when someone achieves a deliverable nuclear device the calculus will change. Diplomats do not see the spiritual dimension of geopolitics. Daniel 10 shows the unseen spiritual battles that trigger the conflicts between empires and nations. Understnd this element and you will understand what the future holds.
