The main target of the air force's attack on Thursday night was not Iran, but Syria:
by hitting runways at Damascus International Airport and shutting it down for long hours, Israel sought to pressure President Bashar Assad to take a more active and firm line against Iran's use of Syria and its infrastructure. In smuggling weapons to Hezbollah and various forces in Syria itself.
This attack can be seen as a certain change in Israeli policy.
Although Syrian infrastructure has also been damaged in the past during air force attacks, this has mostly happened as a result.
If Syrian anti-aircraft batteries endangered Israeli planes - they were hit, and if Iran or its emissaries operated from Syrian facilities - they were attacked.
In the present case the signal to Syria was direct and clear.
He expresses a degree of frustration on the Israeli side that despite all the efforts, attempts and assaults, Iran continues to mature.
Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said that in the past two weeks, the IDF has carried out a double-digit number of attacks in the area.
It can be assumed that a significant number of them were in the northern arena, against Iranian activism.
It certainly robbed quite a few capabilities and means from the Iranians, but it did not change their strategic decision to surround Israel with a ring of fire and advanced weapons.
Displace the pegs
In its seven years, the BMB (the battle between the wars) has had quite a few successes. .
Therefore, the effort now is to put additional pressure on them, not Israeli but Syrian.
Lead President Assad to conclude that the direct price he will pay for continuing Iranian activity in his country will be higher than the price he will pay for confronting them.
It is doubtful whether Assad really wants to restrict the Iranians.
He owed them his life, having put in his defense their means and money in the most difficult days of the Syrian civil war.
And even if Assad wants to (and there are those in Israel who think he does), it is doubtful if he can.
Syria is weak, broken and rotten on the inside, and Iran has stuck deep pegs in it.
Alone in the campaign
The Russians, who could have helped Assad with this, show no interest in the subject;
They are engaged in a war in Ukraine, and will not confront the Iranians on an issue that is currently marginal to them.
This, as usual, leaves Israel alone in the campaign, and obliges it to return to the drawing board and look for new ways to improve and refine the MMB.
In this respect, the fact that the nuclear deal has not been re-signed and the sanctions are not lifted over Iran, play in favor of Israel, which can act relatively freely in an effort to deter Iran and stop its dangerous activism.
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