The dangers posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran have been apparent since fanatics seized power 47 years ago. Domestically, this theocracy oppressed its citizens from the start, denying them basic human rights while internationally, it has waged war on the civilized world for almost half a century. After taking U.S. diplomats hostage in 1979, and then directing Hezbollah's suicide attacks on hundreds of American, French, and Israeli citizens in Lebanon in the 1980s, the Iranian regime became the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.

 The regime’s machine of death and destruction operates both in the Middle East and across the globe. Among other transgressions, it has provided funding, weapons, training, and strategic direction to its terrorist proxies – Hezbollah, as well as Hamas, militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen - and maintains a world-wide network of terror groups, including in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

 The theocrats who rule Iran adhere to an ideology so fanatical that it is hard to comprehend. The regime's conduct towards its own people is an expression of this extremism, whether it is imprisoning women for how they dress or slaughtering demonstrators in the streets by the thousands.  Total dedication to the regime's hateful global agenda - which includes “Death to America” and "Death to Israel" among the top goals - can be seen in the sacrifices these tyrants are willing to make. Iranians struggle to afford basic necessities. Even the capital, Tehran, has only limited daily supplies of water and electricity. Yet the leadership chose to spend billions upon billions on terror proxies, squander resources, and engage in behavior that elicits strong international sanctions in response. More significantly, instead of stabilizing the country by supporting its economy, the Iranian regime continued to advance the development of nuclear weapons and accelerate its production of long-range ballistic missiles.

 It is these two dangers that explain why Operation Roaring Lion was launched at this time.

 Israel and the U.S. had tried to find a different way to mitigate these dangers last June, but their combined efforts failed to persuade the Ayatollahs to make the right choices.

 Instead, the Iranian regime recently began installing its military nuclear facilities and ballistic missile production deep underground with the goal of preventing their neutralization. Therefore, it became essential to remove these imminent and existential threats before the regime's plan could be completed. Although the Ayatollahs' regime is committed to the annihilation of Israel, it poses an escalating peril to the rest of the Middle East - as demonstrated by the ongoing and unprovoked missile attacks on its Arab neighbors - and far beyond. Iran has shown it is willing and able to use its long-range missiles on European targets and it continues developing capabilities to reach the United States.  No sane person wants to see an Islamic Republic that had rendered its military nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities immune from neutralization, effectively leaving the world's most dangerous weapons in the hands of the world's most dangerous regime.

 An uncontrollable theocracy would continue to undermine stability in the Middle East and elsewhere, by promoting terror proxies, igniting conflicts, and exporting its Islamic Revolution.

 This regime would be able to blackmail any state within the ever-expanding range of its ballistic missiles.  Finally, the fanatical rulers of Iran would permanently control the world’s most important waterways for transporting oil and gas, which would be disastrous for the long-term global economy.

 If this potential future in which the Iranian regime was able to realize its nuclear and ballistic missile dreams were to come true, the rest of the world will be living in a nightmare.

 Israel and the U.S. are determined to prevent that nightmare from becoming a reality. That is why the leaders of these two allied nations took the tough decision to act and to act now.

 Mattanya Cohen
Niet-residerende ambassadeur van Israël voor Suriname