Israel is ratcheting up its shadow war with Iran

Israeli officials did not publicly claim responsibility for the attack. In private, however, they left little doubt about their role. Such attacks aim to exact a price from the Iranian regime for supporting Israel’s enemies. But their point is also to confront the Iranians directly, instead of allowing them to hide behind their proxies. The Israelis admit that this could provoke a vengeful response, but believe that the Iranians are risk-averse, at least when it comes to putting their own people in danger, and will back off. And as Israel looks stuck in both its war with Hamas in Gaza and its standoff with Hizbullah, it seems increasingly willing to take such risks.