------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It seems to me the JTyso just asked a number of irrelevant side questions already answered by history. (1) During Gulf war one GHB spent 2 months softening up Iraq from the air. Destroying mainly all civilian infrastructure in the process. But the time GHB put tanks and troops on the ground, Saddam sued for peace in a matter of days. (2) During the Iraq war 2 under GWB, GWB didn't even bother to soften up Iraq from the air, GWB just landed tanks and drove to Baghdad virtually without opposition. (3) In the early 1980's Israel destroyed an Iraqi reactor and did so with a single sortie of six planes, and repeated the feat in Syria with a single strike.
But neither Iraq or Syria are like Iran, because Iran has some 40 deeply buried nuclear facilities that will not yield to a single sortie of Israeli planes. And if Israel tries to put tanks on the ground, Iran is perfectly positioned with vast stores of anti-tank weapons with terrain very similar to Southern Lebanon. We can all remember what happened in the Israeli rape of Lebanon, and what happened when small militia of Hezbollah irregulars kept Israeli with its state of the arts tanks from advancing 10 miles in 2 weeks.
Meanwhile what happens to oil prices if Israel attacks Iran? What Happens if Turkey uses it air power to defend Iran. Meanwhile mid-east terrorists would add to the variables. And just a huge spike in crude oil prices would send major oil consuming nations into instant depression with a Few weeks. If Israel is the author of such world wide misery, they are going to also catch the blame.
But I an asking the even longer terms question, what happens as various surrounding Arab nations build up their military and economic capacity faster than Israel can keep pace, then the Israeli strategy of being the most hated nation in the mid-east turns from a asset and into a major Israeli liability.