AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In recent days, news regarding the possibility of a new confrontation between the Zionist regime and Iran has been circulated in media circles. Israeli media have reported on this regime's state of alert in response to the possibility of Iran's reaction to U.S. military movements. Haaretz reported that Israeli officials are preparing for the possibility of missile fire from Iran in the final days of the week.
The reflection of this news in Israeli society, beyond fear and panic, has raised the question that if Israel, based on current officials' statements, was victorious in the past war with Iran, what could be the reason for a new confrontation with Iran other than compensating for past defeat?
In this regard, Al-Mayadeen's Israel Affairs section published a report titled "Between 'Victory' Rhetoric and the Specter of a New War: How Do Israelis Read the Indicators of an Impending Confrontation with Iran?"
It wrote, "The possibility of a renewed war with Iran reopens the debate in Israel about the credibility of 'victory' slogans, amidst mockery of Netanyahu and accusations against the government of failure and the continuation of a war of attrition."
At a time when political and military indicators increasingly point to a renewed confrontation between Israel and Iran, internal Israeli debates do not appear to revolve solely around army preparedness or the nature of military scenarios, but are increasingly moving toward questioning the political discourse that had previously declared a "historic victory" over Iran.
Today, with talk of a new war being raised again, this question is repeatedly posed on Israeli social media: if victory has already been achieved, why is "Israel" returning to the brink of war once more?
By monitoring the reactions of the Israeli people on platform X and other platforms, it can be observed that talk of the possibility of a return to war with Iran has become one of the most frequently discussed topics in Israel.
Not only from the perspective of enthusiasm or calls for escalation, but from the perspective of questioning the official narrative that had previously spoken of eliminating Iran's threats and achieving a victory that would last for generations.
Mockery of the Contradiction Between "Victory" and "War" Rhetoric
Published comments reveal three notable phenomena:
First, a widespread wave of mockery has emerged regarding the contradiction between victory slogans and war slogans. Many commentators recalled Benjamin Netanyahu's statements in which he had declared the elimination of the "nuclear threat" and the "ballistic missile threat," and then compared them with reports of Iran's ongoing preparations and the possibility of a new confrontation, to highlight the contradiction between what was previously declared and what is happening today.
Failure in Managing the Conflict with Iran
Second, the debate shifted toward assigning political responsibility. Many experts argued that any entry into a new war would not only indicate a security development but also a failure in managing the conflict with Iran. Others accused the political leadership of trying to escalate tensions to serve internal or personal interests, while calling for opposition to any Israeli involvement in a new confrontation.
Erosion of Trust in "Absolute Victory" Rhetoric
The third phenomenon is the erosion of trust in "absolute victory" slogans. Social media platforms have seen sarcastic comments about past promises, with some even making mock interviews with Netanyahu or using phrases like "defeat for generations" instead of "victory for generations," indicating that a portion of the public now views official discourse more as a propaganda tool than a reflection of reality.
Fear of a New Attrition
This issue is not limited to mockery; it extends to a deeper level of social anxiety. Many comments link talk of a new war to the current state of attrition that Israel is experiencing at the security, economic, or social levels. In this context, discussions frequently revolve around the expansion of cemeteries, the continuation of the state of emergency, and the fear of northern residents and the tourism sector suffering further losses, while the government is accused of failing to learn from past wars.
The Gap Between Official Discourse and Public Opinion
Therefore, it can be said that the general mood reflected in these examples of behavior is not limited to opposition or support for the war, but reveals a growing crisis between official discourse and public awareness.
Whenever talk of a new confrontation increases, people return to recalling past promises and comparing them with the current reality, which in itself turns the concept of "victory" into a subject of debate in Israeli society.
It can be said that today's Israeli debate is no longer focused solely on the traditional military question: will war start? But now a less important political question is posed: if previous wars, as was said, ended with "decisive victory," why is "Israel" once again facing the same scenario?
This shift in the nature of the debate may in itself be one of the signs of the existence of a gap between official political discourse and Israeli public opinion at a time characterized by unprecedented security and political sensitivity.
**************
End/ 345E
