PM firing blanks as Iran raises the stakes in conflict

There is an illogical and ridiculous contradiction in the position taken by the Albanese government in relation to Israel’s efforts to defend itself against the terrorist actions sponsored and now perpetrated directly by Iran. On the one hand, Anthony Albanese and his senior ministers say Israel has a right to defend itself in response to the violence unleashed by the October 7 terror attack perpetrated by Hamas. On the other, the federal government’s position, made clear to the UN by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, is for an immediate ceasefire and no support for Israel’s efforts to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure ranged against it in southern Lebanon.

A barrage of 200 missiles fired on Israel on Tuesday by Tehran complicates the Prime Minister’s pacifist hallucinations. But in comments on Wednesday following the attack, Mr Albanese again failed to endorse Israel’s push to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure on its northern border. This puts him at odds with our biggest ally, the US, and even French President Emmanuel Macron, who has mobilised France’s military resources in the Middle East to counter Tehran, demanded Hezbollah cease its terrorist actions and asked Israel to end its military activities as soon as possible.

A few days from the anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre, Iran’s 181 ballistic missile attack on the Jewish state is another turning point in the long-running Middle East conflict. After 12 months of undeclared warfare waged by Tehran’s terrorist proxies, Iran’s onslaught has opened the door to retaliation by Israel and its allies directly against the region’s most destabilising aggressors, the Iranian ayatollahs and their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The attack was the second major direct assault on Israel by Iran. It is an unwelcome escalation in the conflict but provides a golden opportunity for the US, which helped repel the missiles from nearby warships, to reassert a strong measure of determination and deterrence with a show of force that leaves no doubt the US is prepared to stand up and fight for democracy. Military strategists in Washington and Tel Aviv must seriously consider whether now is the time to neutralise Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Unlike Mr Albanese, President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have been unequivocal in backing Israel. Mr Biden declared the US was “fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel” after Iran’s strikes. The US also backed Israel’s targeted ground invasion into Lebanon to dismantle terrorist sites that posed an “immediate threat” to communities in northern Israel. Ms Harris has declared unwavering commitment to the security of Israel and said she would “always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias”. Those reassurances are being backed up with firepower. US naval assets in the region have played a key role in defeating both of Iran’s missile attacks.

From a domestic viewpoint, it is alarming that the Albanese government – probably for political reasons because of high Muslim populations in western Sydney Labor seats – has broken ranks with our key global defence ally and, as Peter Dutton has said, “walked away from a bipartisan position” of supporting Israel. Mr Albanese’s positions appeared incoherent in media interviews on Wednesday. He said Israel had a right to defend itself and that it was a good thing the US had helped to repel the Iranian attack.

But that means nothing if he continues to hide behind a UN resolution calling for de-escalation that well and truly has been overtaken by events. Interviewed on ABC radio, Mr Albanese condemned Iran’s action in firing missiles into Israel but immediately switched to talking about the declaration, signed a week ago with the US, Britain, Canada, the EU and others, calling for an immediate ceasefire so Israelis could return to their homes in northern Israel and Lebanese could return home to southern Lebanon. When Mr Albanese was asked at a press conference whether Australia supported Israel disabling Hezbollah’s infrastructure to defend itself and secure the safety of its northern region, his response was weak: “ We have been working with like-minded countries and issuing appropriate statements.”

Former prime minister Tony Abbott was closer to reality with his comments on Wednesday that the last thing Israel needed right now was calls for de-escalation and ceasefires from its friends. “The only language fanatics understand is strength,” Mr Abbott said.

Until now, Iran’s war against Israel has been undeclared, carried out by Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis – terrorist proxies of the Iranian ayatollahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. That ruthless force for evil, which is the nerve centre of Islamist terror operations, should be classified as a terrorist organisation, as Israeli ambassador to Australia Amir Maimon has argued. And now that its war is out in the open, Iran, as much as possible, should be starved of cash and resources through the most effective international sanctions.

Israel reported few casualties from the Iranian missile attacks, although at least six people died in a concurrent knife and shooting terror attack in Tel Aviv. But no country can tolerate missile attacks from Iran or Hezbollah – which has fired 9000 rockets and missiles across Israel’s northern border since October 8 last year – becoming standard. Hezbollah’s unprovoked aggression has forced 60,000 Israelis to flee their homes. The work of Israel’s Iron Dome and the US on Tuesday to shoot down most of the Iranian missiles was spectacular but it should not be required.

By inviting retaliation, Iran has left itself open to a strong response which, as The Wall Street Journal’s editorial argues, is an opportunity to target Iran’s developing nuclear facilities. Given Iran’s record, it would be naive to rule out Tehran using nuclear weapons if acquired. Iran, the Journal argues, certainly would use a nuclear weapon as deterrent cover for conventional and terrorist attacks on Israel, Sunni Arab states and perhaps the US: “Iran is closer than ever to a nuclear weapon and won’t stop itself. The question for American and Israeli leaders is: If not now, when?”

Given the high stakes involved, the views of Mr Albanese are unlikely to be of much concern to those who are being forced to make the most difficult decisions for the protection of the only democratic state in a troubled region.