Though a peace deal has been struck between Israel and Iran, the ceasefire still hangs precariously in the balance.

Worse for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally, the war his government decided to start with Iran has proven to be a grave miscalculation that will linger in the memories of Israelis and Americans for years to come. First, the attack gave Iran the opportunity to show its retaliatory strength to the world. Second, it revealed Israel’s vulnerability and utter dependence on the United States.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington in January 2020.Credit: AP

Initially, the US and Israel appeared to be in lockstep, with the president and the prime minister showering respective praise on each other following the US airstrikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

If the US had joined Israel’s campaign against Iran in full, it would have been a major victory for Netanyahu. But within days, Donald Trump was telling global media that the US had entered the war to “save Israel”, and was savaging the Israeli Defence Forces for breaking the ceasefire, telling reporters that neither Iran nor Israel “know what........

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