For Israel, war with Iran is not about neutralizing an existential threat; it is about reasserting its regional status. Israel’s leaders see their country’s standing in the region being seriously threatened by the emergence of a hostile Islamist regime in Egypt; the possibility that a similarly hostile regime will eventually emerge in Syria; the fragility of traditionally friendly Jordan; and the dangerous boost that the regional Islamist awakening has given to Israel’s sworn enemies, Hamas and Hezbollah.
对以色列来说，和伊朗开战并不是为了消灭一个已经存在的威胁，而是为了重建其地区地位。以色列领导人认为该国在中东地区的地位受到了严重威胁：埃及出现了敌对伊斯兰政权而；叙利亚也有可能出现类似的敌对政权；传统友邦约旦摇摇欲坠；以色列不共戴天的仇敌哈马斯和黎巴嫩真主党等地区伊斯兰组织也因此大为振奋。