On Thursday, September 27, 2012, during Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's UN General Assembly address, he showed what was colloquially called the "Bibi Bomb," a diagram that looked more like something from Boris and Natasha. However, its impact as a visual remains with me today. He was trying to illustrate for the world, by drawing a red line, how close Iran was, at that point in 2012, to developing a nuclear weapon. I have thought a lot about that speech over the years, especially since Israel's surprise and preemptive attack on Iran's Nuclear Program a few days ago.

 

I share this to remind all of us further that Israel has been sounding the alarm about Iran's nuclear program for many years. So, the recent attack should not come as a total surprise to anyone. And yet, even with all of the alerts and expressed concerns Israel has made over the years, continually sounding the alarm and trying to get people to understand the severity of the situation, the warnings have gone unheeded.

 

Yesterday, I received the following piece written by Dr. Daniel Fainstein, Dean of Jewish Studies, Universidad Hebraica (in Mexico). I think what Dr. Fainstein has written truly captures the current situation in such an enlightened way that I wanted to share it here:

 

Israel's recent attack on strategic facilities within Iranian territory—linked to its nuclear program and military infrastructure—marks a turning point. What we know so far reveals a carefully planned operation, with precise intelligence and surgical execution. This is not improvisation or military bravado; it is the result of years of preparation, surveillance, and mastery of the art of preventive deterrence.

 

We lack meaningful information about the decision-making process behind this action, and we likely won't know much for a long time.

 

Israel does not act out of whim or arrogance. For decades, it has watched with growing concern the advancement of Iran's nuclear program, which has reached critical levels of enriched uranium—close to 80%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. That means Iran is dangerously close to having the capacity to build a nuclear bomb. And when a regime that denies the Shoah and promotes the destruction of Israel approaches that threshold, silence is not an option.

 

What we are witnessing is not a war that began today. It is a shadow war that has been unfolding for years: targeted assassinations of scientists, sabotage, cyberattacks, covert operations in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. But today, that war has become visible. And it is likely that waves of attack will continue. Israel, fully aware of the risks, has chosen to act before the cost becomes irreversible.

 

I (Dr. Fainsetin) understand that such actions generate discomfort, fears, and criticism. I myself believe that the use of force must always be the last resort. But I also know that a policy of appeasement in the face of a fanatical regime does not deter—it encourages. Iran is not just a strategic adversary; it is a regime that represses its people, silences women, imprisons dissidents, and exports violence through Shiite militias and terrorist groups. Many Iranians—especially young people, women, and ethnic minorities—do not identify with this political project, and perhaps they hold the hope for change.

 

In this sense, the Israeli attack is not only aimed at dismantling an existential threat; it also seeks to alter an increasingly fragile regional balance. Israel's firmness may strengthen alliances with Arab countries that also fear Iranian expansion. It may even open new possibilities for reshaping the region's balance of power.

 

However, the path ahead is dangerous. No one can predict with certainty the magnitude of Iran's response. There will be reprisals—perhaps against Israeli interests abroad, against Jewish communities in the diaspora, or through Hezbollah on the northern front. There will be condemnations and diplomatic pressure. But there is also something we must not forget: when a people feels its very existence is at stake, deterrence is not an act of aggression, it is an act of survival.

 

This is not the time for easy slogans or cynicism disguised as moral neutrality. It is a time to think clearly, responsibly, and above all, with historical memory. Because we Jews know what it means not to be taken seriously when we warn of a threat. And this time, we cannot afford that.

 

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I hope this piece provides you with greater insight and perspective into what we are currently witnessing and why Israel took the action it did… and when it did.