The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who headed Iran's military nuclear program, may have been President Donald Trump's parting gift to US allies in the Middle East. The removal of the man who navigated Iran's way towards becoming a nuclear power, alongside the elimination of Quds Force Commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani at the beginning of this year, have set back Iran's plans of regional domination and its hope to hold Israel in a vise of terrorism and missiles.
These two bold moves have set Iran's plans back years, and they have exposed one of its most well-kept secrets: the Islamic republic cannot keep its secrets or its top officials safe. Moreover, they have exposed Iran as a country that cowers when its aggression is met with absolute resolve.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Fakhrizadeh's assassination drew the expected condemnations, and the EU even went as far as labeling in a "criminal act contrary to human rights." Is seems that striving to obtain a nuclear weapon and constant threats to eliminate the Jewish state are not among the principles to which the EU is committed to which it seeks to defend.
On the other hand, the silence from the Arab world has been resounding. While officials across the region kept mum on the issue, Arab mainstream and social media made it clear that the moderate forces in the Arab world welcomed the blow dealt to Iran.
Some even mocked the crocodile tears shed by Iran and Hezbollah, its main regional proxy; seeing as Iran is the world's chief state-sponsor of terrorism and Hezbollah is its primary henchman and has perpetrated many of the Iranian-backed terrorist attacks in the Middle East over the past decade. Now, lo and behold, they have learned that killers can be killed, as well.
It turns out that the Arab world isn't fooled by pundits in the United States or in Israel who have cautioned that the assassination was a dangerous move that could push the region into war.
These pundits repeat the mistakes of the past and insist, for the umpteenth time, on analyzing the Middle East through Western eyes, as if they were dealing with the Cold War between the US and the USSR. In their eyes, there is nothing wrong with Iran becoming a nuclear power, and thus they ignore the essence of the ayatollahs' regime, its intentions and its actions.
One of the foundations of the alliance formed in recent years between Israel and the Arab states, and especially the Gulf states, is the Arab recognition of Israel's military power, and the strong impression of Israel's willingness to confront Iran - successfully, on Syrian soil – has left on Arab rulers.
The Arabs appreciate Israel's tenacity and they have found the Jewish state to be a supportive ally, especially in light of the United States' clear intention to minimize its presence in the region and avoid future involvement in any conflict, ever for its friends.
Arab states' readiness to publicly side with Israel to counter Iran's aggression reflects the rise of a new Middle East – one that boasts a solid Israeli-Arab alliance rooted in realistic interests, chief among them the need to counter the Iranian threat.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
