Iran attack shows Israeli deterrence policy ‘shattered’, Netanyahu critics say

HA Hellyer, a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, also said he saw a complicated picture. “When Iran did attack, it was massively choreographed,” he said, referring to the fact the strike had not only been flagged up in advance but that the US and neighbours had been warned. “If it had not been so well choreographed, if it had been a complete surprise, I think fewer missiles would have been taken out and others would have got through. And I think while it is definitely a cliche to say Israel is completely indebted and dependent on the US, it is also true that if the US and other allies had not stood alongside Israel we would have seen a different outcome. The fact that Israel had to rely on a coalition contains a message: that you can’t imagine it’s always going to be like that. I don’t think people have grasped that properly before. That without American support there is really no way for Israel to maintain its security paradigm in way that it has.”