In reply to anyone who says or thinks, "I disagree that an Iranian retaliation is more than Israel can withstand, though. Retaliate with what, exactly?"
I can only say that I play chess and I think the range of Iranian options would be very wide. Even if I or anyone else cannot predict in advance what the Iranian response would be.
But anyone who is even half way decent at chess always thinks in terms of what is the meanest and nastiest thing my opponent can do to me if I make some given move. And I particularly like to play stupid players who invest everything into attack and nothing into defense. I usually beat off such an attack, then just swivel the pieces I have dedicated to defense and go on the offensive. And find my foolish opponent has left himself naked in terms of mounting any defense.
We are not talking chess here...this is real world not your make believe world.
I note some have noted Hezbollah and Hamas are somewhat Iranian proxies, but Hezbollah is the only group that has acquired any the fruits of Iran's quite substantial home grown weapons programs. And that may have been an accident as Hezbollah
acquired weapons meant for Syria. But back in 2005, what Hezbollah got was enough to totally blunt an Israeli ground based offensive into Lebanon.
you are dillussional totally!! And Israel was losing state of the arts tanks and spent 2 weeks trying to go 20 miles. Yet in 2008, Hamas, without any defensive Iranian weapons got totally raped.
I therefore suggest just one Iranian option would be to flood the zone with first class Iranian weapons, which would have disastrous consequences to Israel and quite possibly the US occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.
You are so sadly mistaken that i question whether you are off your meds....
And that is just one option among many many many options Iran would have. Another Iranian option would be to shut down the Persian gulf to all surface based shipping. That alone would cause a huge increase in oil prices and cause an almost instant depression for any oil based economy in the world. And I have not even started to really think about all the other Iranian options that 80 million Iranians would feel as perfectly justified given a sneaky attack on the scale of Peal Harbor or 911.
as a people the Iranians are not unified and they are uncapable of any offensive options that would work!
Nor am I per say thinking in terms of how weak such an Israeli attack would be.
again you are dillusional and sadly mistaken. Iran, unlike Iraq or Syria, is at the extreme range of Israeli air force. They would have to sacrifice all self defense capacity of their aircraft just to have the range. And overfly hostile countries that would not be amused. And then not be able to use conventional bombs to any effect in terms of damaging numerous deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities. And in a worst case scenario, Israel could send in its planes and have everyone of them shot down well short of any targets.
sorry to wake you from yopur dillusional dreams, but it is well known in military circles that israel has thge capability and have done extensive modification of aircraft that can easily attack iran and evade being detected in Iranian airspace. Let balone carry out there mission succesfully with precision and accuracy and return back to Israel!
Here is an article that might interest you.....be reminded though no country gives away what exactly tyhey are capable of....also be reminded that israel is canstantly do recon and making sure they can and will return to base with minimum loss of life!!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jul/17/20060717-105737-9603r/
In saying all that, for me chess is a game, and a game I like to play with my friends. Its a piss poor way to live your life on a what is the meanest and nastiest thing I can do
basis. But when you go to war, it becomes the calculus. Iran may be able to start a war, but the long odds are Iran will finish it as Israel plays they bet their lives in an over reach.