The renewed war between the United States and Iran has again placed American and Israeli military interests on apparently common ground. Yet beneath the battlefield alignment lies a widening strategic divergence. Israel remains Washington’s closest regional ally, but alliance no longer guarantees agreement over what constitutes victory, when fighting should stop or what risks America should bear on Israel’s behalf.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades persuading Washington that Iran’s nuclear ambitions represented not merely an Israeli danger but an international one. His greatest success came when American power was committed directly against Tehran. But that achievement contained a paradox. Once the United States became a combatant rather than Israel’s indispensable backer, Washington acquired interests and liabilities of its own. American troops, Gulf bases, shipping lanes and the global economy became part of the calculation. The failed ceasefire exposed this difference.

Washington sought an arrangement that could halt hostilities and restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. Israel remained concerned about Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, missile arsenal and capacity to........

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