SvennoJ on 16 June 2025
US unlikely to ‘join the battle’ against Iran
We’ve been speaking to Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator. He spoke to us from Tel Aviv about possible US involvement in the escalation and how some Israelis are feeling.
“Well, there’s certainly a desire for the US to get involved, prominently, among officials whose plans lack a clear end game or strategy… But since nobody is clear about the real goal, it’s just as obvious that the US will, certainly at this stage, refrain from getting involved,” Goldberg said.
Many Israelis believe the hostilities will continue for the foreseeable future because the government has not spoken of an “off-ramp” or an “end-game”, said Goldberg. However, “there’s a lot of support for this war with Iran” but that could erode over time, he added"
"I think most Israelis who still care enough to try and consider what happens mid- or long-term will understand that Israel is in a problem. As time goes by, it will become clear that not only will the United States not join the battle, but that other prominent world powers are also not prepared to make the leap and join Israel in Iran in the actual fighting.”
We’ve been speaking to Ori Goldberg, an Israeli political commentator. He spoke to us from Tel Aviv about possible US involvement in the escalation and how some Israelis are feeling.
“Well, there’s certainly a desire for the US to get involved, prominently, among officials whose plans lack a clear end game or strategy… But since nobody is clear about the real goal, it’s just as obvious that the US will, certainly at this stage, refrain from getting involved,” Goldberg said.
Many Israelis believe the hostilities will continue for the foreseeable future because the government has not spoken of an “off-ramp” or an “end-game”, said Goldberg. However, “there’s a lot of support for this war with Iran” but that could erode over time, he added"
"I think most Israelis who still care enough to try and consider what happens mid- or long-term will understand that Israel is in a problem. As time goes by, it will become clear that not only will the United States not join the battle, but that other prominent world powers are also not prepared to make the leap and join Israel in Iran in the actual fighting.”
Israel ‘thought this was going to be easy’ like ‘bombing refugees in tents’
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, says it’s clear Israel’s vaunted missile defence systems are showing cracks as the casualty toll from Iranian attacks continues to rise.
“What appears to have happened is the Iranians have degraded the Israeli air defence systems, and as a result, with a fewer number of missiles, they’re actually getting more missiles through,” Parsi told Al Jazeera.
He said video evidence shows “the inefficiency” of the David’s Sling, Arrow, Iron Dome, and even the US defence systems, THAAD.
“By and large, the Israelis clearly miscalculated. They thought this was going to be easy – the same as bombing refugees in tents [in Gaza] as they’ve done for a year-and-a-half now. Instead, they’re getting a real fight back. And the question is to what extent that’s changed the Israeli government’s calculations?”
Parsi noted the only move Israel has made so far is to ask the US to enter the war, “but we’ve not seen any other indications of them trying to make an exit”.
What is the likelihood of Israel-Iran conflict spilling over?
We’ve been speaking to Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. He explained why the Israel-Iran conflict could easily expand across the region.
“The Iranians decided after Israel struck South Pars, the gas facility in the Gulf region, that they’re going to return ‘the favour’ by hitting energy infrastructure in Israel. And that’s the sort of thing that might get us to a point where things go from nuclear and military sites and assassinations to any targets – essentially, energy and economic assets becoming a fair game. That’s when you have to be fearful that it could spill over,” Vatanka said from Washington, DC.
The analyst added that he believes Iran wants to see an end to the war.
"I don’t sense they have the confidence that they can stay in this game for long. Remember, Iran is alone. It’s got no friends, it’s on its own. Israel’s got the US, most of Europe and plenty of other friends … and that should obviously be of concern for Tehran.”
