Why Did Israel Attack Iran? The Media’s Dangerous Sin Of Omission

THAT most basic question is rarely asked. Or answered.

The Begin Doctrine continues: When Israel is threatened with destruction, Menachem Begin said 44 years ago, its mission is to launch pre-emptive strikes to ensure the Jewish state’s survival.

Like many of you, I stayed up late last night reading and watching the latest news about Israel’s dramatic air attack on Iran. As usual, mainstream American media failed to raise the foundational question of why the Jewish state was taking such a dangerous risk, leaving the public misinformed on such a crucial issue.

This is nothing new. Such a profound failure – assuming Americans know the root cause of the Israel-Iran conflict – has been the case for many years. For example, more than four and a half years ago, prompted by a New York Times news story, "Israel Attacks Spur Upgrade Of Iran Sites" (Nov. 22, 2021), which described Israel's use of sabotage, cyberattacks and alleged assassinations of key scientists to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, I responded to the fact that the article never mentioned the reasons for Israel’s actions. I wrote here that the report “should have noted, if not highlighted, that Iran's religious, political and military leaders have long called for the destruction of the Jewish state, describing Israel as a ‘cancer’ requiring a ‘final solution.’”

“No other country regularly calls for the destruction of any other,” I pointed out, and “as long as the ayatollahs and their media continue to demonize Israel and accelerate Tehran's efforts to create a nuclear bomb, Israel will do what it believes it must to prevent that dark day from happening.”

That is where we are today. And what should be emphasized, but is a rarity in media reports, is the fact that Iran views America as “The Great Satan” and Israel “The Little Satan.” In truth, Israel is fighting not only for itself but for America and all countries that value democracy and oppose Islamic fundamentalism, which calls for eradicating Western influence.

The closest The New York Times came in its reporting last night to address the cause of Israel’s attack on Iran nuclear sites was this brief passage from a lengthy analysis piece by veteran reporter David Sanger: “Israeli officials said the strike was ‘pre-emptive,’ though there was no immediate indication that Iran was planning to attack. In a statement, the Israeli military said it acted ‘in response to the Iranian regime’s ongoing aggression against Israel’ and suggested there would be more to come.”

So The Times piece cited Israeli officials’ rationale for going to war while noting “there was no immediate indication that Iran was planning to attack,” appearing to suggest that Iran’s frantic efforts to hasten its completion of nuclear arms designed to destroy Israel was not at issue here.

To be clear, I’ve noted that it isn’t just the Times that avoids what many editors may believe is obvious regarding Iran’s deadly animus toward Israel. The Washington Post, for instance, in covering the conflict, sometimes refers to Iran as “Israel’s No. 1 enemy.” But the articles don’t tell us why that is. The same goes for other mainstream American news sources guilty of what I consider this sin of omission.

It may seem evident to you and me that Iran, a revolutionary state that leads the world in support of terrorism in the name of Islam, is an avowed enemy of the Jewish state and seeks its destruction. The late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, and former President Ahmadinejad, asserted that “Israel must disappear from the map,” and Iranian media employ similar rhetoric. But I suspect that many Americans, less than actively engaged in following foreign affairs, are unaware of this long-term Iranian policy of Jew-hatred.

In response to constant Iranian threats, Israel’s leaders refer to The Begin Doctrine, which vows never to allow an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction that can be turned against the Jewish state. It should be noted that when Prime Minister Menachem Begin carried out the destruction of Iraq’s nuclear reactor in Osirak in June 1981, the United Nations Security Council unanimously condemned the attack and an angry President Reagan halted the shipment of four F-16 jets to Israel. (Years later, American officials, including former Vice President Dick Cheney, acknowledged their gratitude for Israel’s actions.) Every Israeli prime minister for the last four decades has made it clear that Israel will use any means at its disposal to prevent another Holocaust. That is what is playing out now, as Israeli defense leaders explained last night that Iran’s race to build a bomb had reached “the point of no return.”

It seems clear to me that the long history of ongoing battles between Jerusalem and Tehran -- sometimes rhetorical, sometimes deadly -- must be understood in the context of an aggressor, Iran, and a defender, Israel.

Am I right in concluding that this background information is critical to the reader’s understanding of the conflict?

For the piece I wrote back in 2021, I asked several colleagues who have reported for The Times from the Mideast for their perspectives and they explained why it isn’t so simple.

Ethan Bronner, who was The Times Jerusalem bureau chief from 2008 to 2012 and is now Jerusalem bureau chief for Bloomberg News, said the question I raised “is a legitimate but not straightforward one.”

He sent me a link to a 2019 analysis piece in Ha’aretz, the left-leaning Israeli daily, that questioned the widely held Israeli assumption that Iran is committed to destroying the Jewish state. The writer, Tzvi Bar’el, noted that some Iranian officials say their country does not intend to literally put an end to Israel, but rather that Israel’s policies and conduct will lead to its own destruction.

Bronner said that while he fully understands Israel’s need to take seriously the risk that Iran would use nuclear weapons against it, “it might be hard in a neutral news story to say that Iran is committed to destroying Israel. That may be one reason The Times doesn’t do it routinely.”

Another problem, he said, is “how much and how often to include historical context in any story.”

In the past, Bronner has said, only half-joking, that if an Israeli soldier shot a Palestinian throwing rocks, many readers would want the story to read: “A soldier in Israel -- the only country in the entire region that gives a damn about human rights and decency -- shot a Palestinian teenager who was throwing rocks -- and they can be lethal if they hit you.”

Another former Times foreign correspondent, who asked not to be named, agreed that the issue of fair coverage here is “complicated.”

“Israel’s efforts to sabotage Iran’s nuclear capabilities deserve applause,” he said, “but with recognition that those efforts violate Iranian sovereignty and, presumably, international law as well.”

What about Israel’s own news organizations? Do they explain regularly the threat Iran poses to the state or assume their readers know all too well?

David Horovitz, founding editor of the popular website Times of Israel, explained at the time: “Israeli media frequently highlights Iranian leaders' oft-stated desire to see Israel's elimination. Particularly blatant Iranian calls to that end, and public demonstrations in Iran calling for Israel's downfall, make headlines here.”

He added that “Israelis don't need reminding of the threat; it's widely regarded as the greatest current threat to Israel's well-being. But every twist and turn in the free world's face-off against the Iranian regime resonates here, and is prominently reported, within that nationally understood context of the potential impact on this country.”

Like the Israelis that Horovitz described in 2021, I believe that the great majority of American Jews care deeply about the survival of Israel and view Iran as a potential existential threat. That’s why we want news organizations to make sure their readers and viewers know the vital motive for Jerusalem’s efforts – now a full-scale attack on Iran’s nuclear sites – to prevent the destruction of the world’s only Jewish state.

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