Goldhagen in LA Times: Should Israel attack Iran and Syria?

Daniel Goldhagen, author of "Hitler's Willing Executioners," suggests that Israel's best option may be to retaliate against Syria and Iran:

If every Hezbollah missile into Israel produced Israeli retaliation against Syria, and possibly Iran (including its nuclear production sites), Syria and Iran would be forced to make Hezbollah stop. Obviously, this is a last-ditch option. It would escalate the conflict and increase international pressure on Israel to desist.

All of Israel's strategic choices are bad or ineffective or undesirable. And yet this last option would be the most likely to reestablish the deterrence critical to Israel's long-term survival — and to peace in the region — by demonstrating Israel's enduring power to compel an end of attacks. And it might prevent still more massive devastation of Lebanon.

Full retaliation against both Syria and Iran seems a bit ambitious. What would a more modest possibility look like? A very damaging and brief attack against Syira aimed at targets relevant to resupplying Hizbullah?

Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Hizbullah, Syira, Iran