Recent commentary has questioned the actions of Israel and the United States against Iran and described the threat posed by the Iranian regime as speculative. Such claims overlook a fundamental reality of Israel’s security environment and the wider world, as well as the lessons my country has learned at a very high price.
For decades, the Iranian regime has openly declared its goal to eliminate Israel. These statements were not isolated or rhetorical remarks. They were accompanied by sustained policies: the financing, training, and arming of proxy forces such as Hezbollah and Hamas; the development of long-range ballistic missiles; and the continued advancement of nuclear capabilities. These actions created a strategic reality in which threats against Israel were not only spoken but steadily built.
When a fanatical regime repeatedly declares its intention to annihilate you and then invests resources, technology, and time to develop the means to do so, responsible leadership must take those declarations seriously. For Israel, this is not theoretical.
On October 7, Israel learned this lesson in the hardest possible way. The massacre carried out by Hamas demonstrated the consequences of dismissing explicit threats or assuming that declared intentions would never materialize into action. More than 2,000 Israeli people were murdered, wounded, or abducted in a single day. Since then, Israeli society has understood more clearly than ever that when our enemies state their intentions, we must believe them.
Waiting passively while hostile actors expand nuclear military capabilities aimed at our destruction is not prudent. It is a gamble with the lives of millions of civilians.
Iran’s strategy has relied on a network of armed proxies that have launched rockets, missiles, and attacks against Israeli civilians for years. These developments have raised serious international concerns and have been documented in reports by international monitoring bodies.
In recent months, Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure has been relocated deeper underground, a step that would make such capabilities immune. If completed, this would have further entrenched an existential threat to Israel. This is why Israel has chosen to act now.
Israel did not create this confrontation with Iran. In the past, Israel and Iran had friendly connections. The current hostilities are part of a long-running, ongoing armed conflict, which is inseparable from the current regime. Israel seeks the ability to ensure that its citizens can live without facing existential threats, and I appreciate the understanding and support of many Taiwanese friends to this basic human wish.
*The author is the representative of the Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
