Is Israel Stumbling Into Another Endless and Unwinnable War?

Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran have undoubtedly showcased its military precision, but they’ve also reopened a familiar strategic dilemma: what happens when tactical victories outpace political planning? Despite early successes, there is no clear exit strategy, only an increasingly complex and high-risk confrontation with a regional superpower. Without U.S. military backing, can Israel realistically achieve its sweeping objective of permanently crippling Iran’s nuclear capabilities?

Washington’s refusal to participate in offensive action has forced Israel into a dangerous solo campaign. The assumption that Iran could be coerced through airpower alone is a high-stakes gamble especially when some of the most critical nuclear facilities, like Fordow, lie deep underground and likely beyond Israel’s reach. Is Israel overestimating its capacity to deliver a decisive blow, or worse, underestimating the long-term blowback of unilateral escalation?

The Israeli government’s calls for Iranian citizens to overthrow their regime are equally fraught. History suggests external bombardment tends to galvanize national unity, even under oppressive rule. Could Netanyahu’s rhetoric, combined with continued bombing, paradoxically strengthen Iran’s hardliners while isolating moderates who might otherwise support reform?

More controversially, the current approach risks pushing Iran closer to the very outcome Israel fears most: the development of a nuclear deterrent. If the Iranian regime survives this assault, what incentive remains for restraint? Has Israel’s strategy merely ensured that Iran sees a nuclear arsenal as its only insurance policy against future attacks?

Ultimately, Israel now finds itself fighting on two fronts Gaza and Iran with no clear path to resolution in either. In the absence of a diplomatic plan or international coalition, is Israel not only risking strategic overreach, but cementing its role as a regional power locked in perpetual war? And if so, who truly benefits from this trajectory and who bears the cost?