Israeli jets prepare to strike in western Iran, June 17, 2025. Photo courtesy of IDF.

By YORAM ETTINGER

JNS

Israel’s critical contribution to the deterrence, minimization and elimination of Iran’s nuclear, ballistic, conventional and terroristic capabilities, which pose a clear and present threat to all pro-U.S. Arab regimes, as well as to the U.S. national and homeland security, was demonstrated by the October 2024 and June 2025 Israeli aerial offensives, which devastated Iran’s air force, air defenses and ballistic-missile capabilities.

Aid To The U.S.

Israel’s June 13 air force offensive against Iran paved the road to the successful June 21 U.S. bombing of three major Iranian nuclear installations, unimpeded by Iran’s air force and air defenses, which were devastated by the Israeli offensive. No other ally of the United States could have demonstrated such intelligence and operational capabilities, rendering an exceptional added value to the U.S. posture of deterrence, regionally and globally.

The critical Israeli smashing of Tehran’s strategic posture in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, as well as the resulting setback to Iran’s strategic posture in Iraq and Yemen, has led to Iran’s elimination from the regional deliberation of the fate of Iran’s proxy, Hamas, facilitating the unchallenged U.S. domination of the process.

Undermines Russia?

Israel’s clobbering of Hamas’ terroristic capabilities has snatched the pro-U.S. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—at least temporarily—from the jaws of Hamas and its “parent company,” the Muslim Brotherhood, which aims to topple every national Islamic regime and establish a universal Muslim society ruled by Islam as “the only Divinely ordained religion.”

Israel’s trouncing of Iran’s chief proxy, Hezbollah, led to the dismantling of Syria’s pro-Russian Assad regime, along with the evacuation of the Russian military presence from the naval base in Tartus (established in 1971) and the air force base in Khmeimim (established in 2015), which severely undermines Russia’s strategic posture and, therefore, bolsters the United States’ strategic posture in Syria, Lebanon, the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.

Previous Operations

Israel’s “Operation Mole Cricket 19” in June 1982 destroyed 20 Syrian-operated, Soviet surface-to-air missile batteries that Washington considered impregnable through innovative battle tactics and technology, including game-changing electronic countermeasures, disrupting radar tracking. More than 80 Soviet MiGs, piloted by Syrian pilots, were downed, with all Israeli aircraft intact, in the largest dogfight since the Korean War. The lessons of the 1982 operation are highlighted by the U.S. Air Force’s training program and battle tactics.

“Operation Entebbe” in July 1976, undertaken by the Israel Defense Forces, showcased the elite counterterrorism capabilities of Israel, significantly inspiring U.S. counterterrorism operations and accelerating America’s decision to form the highly trained counterterrorism-dedicated Delta Force.

Israel’s eventual victory in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, facilitated by advanced U.S. military systems, over Soviet-armed Egypt, led to the realignment of Egypt from a strategic ally of the USSR and radical Arab regimes (e.g., Syria and Iraq) to a strategic ally of the United States and moderate Arab regimes (e.g., Saudi Arabia).

Israel’s 1967 devastation of Egypt’s Soviet-supplied and trained military aborted the Egyptian drive to become the Soviet-supported Pan-Arab leader. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser strove to topple all pro-U.S. regimes (e.g., 70,000 Egyptian soldiers in Yemen aimed to topple the pro-U.S. Saudi regime) and to transfer control of the Arabian Peninsula oil to pro-Soviet regimes, at a time when the United States was highly dependent on the importation of Persian Gulf oil. Israel’s military victory spared the United States a severe economic and national security setback, while denying the Soviet Union a dramatic national security bonanza.

Valuable Ally

The aforementioned facts highlight Israel’s role as a unique added-value ally of the United States. In addition Israel serves as a leading innovation center for the U.S. high-tech sector, a battle-tested laboratory for the U.S. Armed Forces and the U.S. defense and aerospace industries (saving Washington mega-billions in research and development, increasing U.S. exports and expanding U.S. employment), a showroom demonstrating the edge of U.S. military systems over global competition, a ground-breaking source of intelligence and the largest U.S. military base with no need for U.S. soldiers.