Netanyahu Started a War with Iran—Now He Can’t End It

Right, so for over three decades, Benjamin Netanyahu has treated the prospect of war with Iran like a political punchline—not quite so much as why did the chicken cross the road? Because Iran is 70% of the way towards a nuclear weapon, but always looming, always just around the corner, always good for a soundbite. But now that he’s finally got what he long pined for, the punchline is on him. Iran isn’t rolling over. It’s rolling out missiles, strategies, and diplomacy in a combination that has left Israel flailing and Netanyahu less chicken crossing the road and more small dog humping his leg, scrambling for Trump’s attention like a child who lit a fire that he now can’t put out. It has always been Israel’s inherent weakness that without western colonial mindsets and support abroad, Israel is nothing and it is a point Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has thrown in his face in a recent speech. The war Netanyahu begged for has become a living nightmare that he can’t escape. He can’t end it, because his coalition will collapse and hell be heading for jail and he can’t carry on like this either, because he has neither the facility nor the real strength to keep it up without dragging others in to clean up his mess.
Right, so after over three decades of obsessive warnings, rhetorical fearmongering, and provocations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally got his war with Iran. But far from being the triumphant campaign he long championed, the conflict has rapidly turned into a catastrophe for Israel. Iran, far from collapsing under Israeli pressure, has launched a fierce and coordinated counteroffensive, showcasing both its military capability whilst also managing to demonstrate strategic restraint. Far from being a dream come true for Netanyahu, it is now a nightmare he can’t wake up from. It is real, and Israel is suffering the consequences of having started it, led as they are by a madman prepared to do anything to stay in power, believing allies will come to Israel’s aid because they always do and yet he’s still waiting, Donald Trump committing neither one way or the other, but in reality, if he goes for it, he’ll be wrecking his own support base at home and if there is one thing Trump hates, it’s being unpopular, his skin is akin to filo pastry in thickness, just a lot more orange and flaky.
This war, is built on a false foundation of fabricated nuclear threats and geopolitical arrogance and risks spiralling into a regional conflict with no clear exit. Despite unwavering Western rhetorical support, Israel stands increasingly isolated militarily, as even allies like the United States hesitate to be drawn into another disastrous Middle East war. Iran, meanwhile, has shown that it will not be intimidated—by Israel, by Trump, or by anyone else.
The latest chapter in this conflict, the latest strikes have also demonstrated Iran’s ability yto keep on surprising and frankly adding to the pit of nightmarish despair Benjamin Netanyahu is likely wallowing in, the shock to his system being Iran's deployment of its Sejjil missile, a two-stage, solid-fuelled ballistic missile capable of traveling over 2,000 kilometres. There are unconfirmed reports of another version of this that could travel double that distance, certainly nowhere near that range is required for Iran here though. Designed to evade interception, the Sejjil’s debut in this war has reinforced Iranian rhetoric that they are still warming up, still issuing warnings right now and that punitive measures haven’t begun to be meted out on Israel yet.
Iran’s military has since claimed total air dominance over Israeli skies, a swipe back at Trump’s claims to have conquered Iranian skies, and certainly Iran’s strikes on Israel have borne that out. Critical infrastructure across Israel has been hit in the last 24 hours—including Tel Aviv, Nazareth, the Jordan Valley, Ramat Gan, Holon, and Beersheba, where Iranian strikes hit Soroka Hospital, not by intent but due to Israel placing military installations within civilian zones, the damage allegedly being caused by the shockwave from the blast at the nearby headquarters for the Israeli army, because of course Israel would put that behind a hospital. It’s a tactic Netanyahu had previously and repeatedly condemned when making claims about Hamas in Gaza, hiding in Hospitals, tunnels under schools and all the rest of it, but the reality is Israel employs these civilian buildings as shields for military installations, making the people in those areas de facto human shields —these are tactics he’s accusing others of that Netanyahu and Israel employ themselves.
While Israeli media focuses on the damage from Iranian missiles, the scale of casualties reveals the disparity in conduct, certainly backing the argument that hospital was not deliberately struck. Reports are that 585 Iranians have been killed and over 1,300 injured due to Israeli bombardment since the conflict broke out 6 days ago. Most victims are civilians. By contrast, only 24 Israelis have been killed in Iran’s retaliatory strikes, a statistic that not only shows Iranian military precision but also the strategic restraint Iran is attempting to exercise in choosing its targets. Where Iran choose military infrastructure, intelligence bases like that of Unit 8200 or Mossad and strike oil refineries disrupting Israel’s war machine, Israel by contrast have deliberately targeted at least one hospital, but also apartment buildings, student dormitories and population centres, far from only targeting the nuclear sites that are supposedly the point of this exercise.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that any direct US military involvement will bring "irreparable consequences." Reports from American officials suggest Iran has already set aside missiles for US bases in the region but has chosen not to fire, waiting for a first strike from the US as a justification, a first strike Netanyahu is on his hands and knees begging Trump for. It signals both military preparedness and a legal and ethical commitment to maintaining the framework of self-defence and to act solely within international law under Article 51 of the UN Charter by Iran and yet they are called the hostile entity and the disruptor to the Middle East by Iranian allies, literally undermining international law as they are to back Israel.
Iran’s approach contrasts starkly with Israel’s. The Israeli state launched an unprovoked attack, violating Article 2(4) of the UN Charter and the Rome Statute’s prohibitions on wars of aggression. Iran has responded within its rights, focusing its military actions solely on Israeli targets and refraining from retaliating against the US or other third-party actors that might be carried along in Trump’s wake, the UK, Germany or France for example.
The escalation has also illuminated Israel’s covert footprint within Iran. Iranian security forces have arrested multiple individuals accused of collaborating with Mossad in operations ranging from sabotage to drone strikes. The recent car bombing in Tehran, believed to be linked to Israel, has been widely condemned in Iranian media as proof that Israel is now using outright terrorism as a tactic.
These actions have only served to unite the Iranian population behind their government. Far from destabilising Iran, and leading the people there to rise up against the Ayatollah’s. the Israeli assault has consolidated public opinion and elevated the legitimacy of Iran’s military actions, the populous demanding their leaders act and teach Israel a lesson.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is drowning in the consequences of his own belligerence. After 30 years of claiming Iran is on the verge of building a nuclear bomb—claims thoroughly discredited by international nuclear watchdogs, including the IAEA—Netanyahu has plunged his nation into more war. And now, he is begging Donald Trump for military support, knowing full well that Israel cannot sustain this war alone.
Trump, however, is hesitating. He’s loving the attention he is getting over it right now, but he is hesitating. Despite making grandiose claims about American air superiority over Iran, he has not yet committed forces. With the American public largely opposed to another Middle Eastern conflict and his own MAGA base fractured over foreign intervention, Trump risks alienating voters if he drags the U.S. into this debacle. Yet Netanyahu continues to make increasingly desperate claims, even suggesting—without evidence—that Iran was behind alleged assassination attempts on Trump, showing how truly desperate Netanyahu has become.
While Netanyahu begs for US bunker buster bombs and Trump to join him, Iran is offering talks again. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that Iran is prepared to return to the negotiation table and plans to meet in Geneva shortly with European states—the E3 (France, Germany, and the UK)—and potentially with the US and directly this time. Notably, Iran refuses to include Israel in these discussions, framing the Israeli state not as a negotiating partner but as a regional aggressor outside the bounds of diplomacy.
This initiative, presents Iran as the rational actor in this conflict—militarily capable, diplomatically engaged, and legally justified. Israel, on the other hand, looks increasingly erratic and cornered.
Not only that, but for Trump you’ve got Netanyahu on one hand banging the drums of war and begging him for help to destroy Iran, while Iran are offering to talk, maybe make that deal Trump keeps banging on about and talks would be a far more popular move with his base and the American people. Can Netanyahu really top that, or will he have help from the AIPAC’s and the Miriam Adelson’s behind the scenes? On the face of it it’s a no-brainer, but then no-brainer should have a picture of Donald Trump next to it in the dictionary as many of us I’m sure would agree with.
One of the most damaging revelations for Israel has been the vulnerability of its air defence systems though. The Iron Dome and David’s Sling were marketed as virtually infallible. But Iran’s barrage has exposed glaring weaknesses. Reports have suggested that Iran has used decoy drones, synchronised salvos, and electronic countermeasures to bypass Israeli radar and interceptor batteries, tricking them. Then there are the reports of technological warfare, that has meant Iran could turn one air defence system on another.
Meanwhile, oil prices have surged due to Iran’s threats to restrict passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Markets are jittery. US stocks are falling. Global investors now face a conflict they cannot hedge against, largely triggered by Israeli militarism and a Western alliance unwilling to confront it.
Netanyahu’s war has revealed the hollowness of Israeli invincibility, the moral bankruptcy of its claims, and the unwillingness of its allies to do more than cheer from the sidelines. Iran, far from being the isolated, irrational villain portrayed for decades, has emerged as a resilient and strategic actor—fighting back with discipline, engaging diplomatically, and adhering to the principles of international law.
The more Netanyahu escalates, the clearer it becomes that he has no endgame. Israel is now dependent on US intervention, but Trump knows any misstep could cost him politically. Iran, by contrast, has achieved the one thing Netanyahu never thought possible: it has shown the world who the real aggressor is and despite Israeli allied world leaders attacking them based on nothing but Israel’s word, people are not being fooled.
Indeed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has made such a point clear himself, saying:
‘Now, the whole world must know that:
(1) Iran is merely defending itself. Even in the face of the most egregious aggression against our people, Iran has only taken reciprocal action against the Israeli regime and not against those who assist and encourage it.
Just as Netanyahu launched this war to destroy diplomacy, the world must be very vigilant regarding the increasing efforts of the weakened Israeli regime to compel others to save it and to spread the flames of this (war) to the region and beyond.
(2) Iran has practically proven what it has always publicly committed to: we have never sought nuclear weapons and will not do so. If it were otherwise, what better excuse than the current aggression of the only nuclear-armed regime in the region could we have for developing these inhumane weapons?
(3) Iran will proudly and courageously continue to exercise its right to self-defense, and we will make the aggressor regret its grave mistake and compel it to pay the price.
(4) With the exception of the illegitimate, genocidal, and occupying regime of Israel, we remain committed to diplomacy. As in the past...’
For more on how badly Benjamin Netanyahu is looking for a way out of this mess that he has brought down upon himself, do check out this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
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