cobrakai11 196 points 1 day ago
Calling them Iranian proxies makes it seem like they are operating under direct orders from Iran. These organizations may help each others, but Iran doesn't "run" them. The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting for sixty years and their conflict exists without Iran.
The US supplies Israel with weapons, but they don't give Israel marching orders. Organizations like Hamas will fight Israel regardless of whether or not Iran exists.
[–]boldmove_cotton 74 points 1 day ago
Thats not an entirely accurate comparison. Hezbollah would not exist were it not for Iran, and would be unable to operate without Iranian arms and funding. That is a stark contrast to the relationship the US has with Israel, which benefits from American weapons but would get by without them.
Similarly, the Houthis do not have the capability to manufacture the advanced weapons they are using, and are wholly reliant on Iran for supplying them.
They enjoy a degree of independence from the IRGC, but the Iranians absolutely do have input at the planning and operational level, and were Iran not as costly to go to war with, Israel would have retaliated and attacked them directly by now.
[–]ExitPursuedByBear312 12 points 1 day ago*
Important point thanks for making in detail.
[–]LurkerFailsLurking 30 points 1 day ago
[–]TheNubianNoob 11 points 1 day ago
What Israeli military capability or operational ability would degrade to the point where it’s at parity with its neighbors?
[–]bako10 4 points 1 day ago
Israel has flourishing hi-tec, military and agricultural tec sectors.
Tel Aviv boasts the highest startups per-capita ratio in the world
It regularly trades with the US, and many other countries around the world.
Your narrative is simply wrong. Yes, US backing helps, but to paint the relationship as one sided is dishonest or ignorant. Can’t be bothered to look for a citation (can happily provide if asked, though) but the Israel actually sells more military tech than it buys from the US. And the US gets massive discounts too.
Israel’s economy is strong thanks to itself. I’m pretty sick of hearing the undeniably false narrative that it’s some kind of a leech economy based entirely off American “donations”.
Calling them Iranian proxies makes it seem like they are operating under direct orders from Iran. These organizations may help each others, but Iran doesn't "run" them. The Israelis and Palestinians have been fighting for sixty years and their conflict exists without Iran.
The US supplies Israel with weapons, but they don't give Israel marching orders. Organizations like Hamas will fight Israel regardless of whether or not Iran exists.
[–]boldmove_cotton 74 points 1 day ago
Thats not an entirely accurate comparison. Hezbollah would not exist were it not for Iran, and would be unable to operate without Iranian arms and funding. That is a stark contrast to the relationship the US has with Israel, which benefits from American weapons but would get by without them.
Similarly, the Houthis do not have the capability to manufacture the advanced weapons they are using, and are wholly reliant on Iran for supplying them.
They enjoy a degree of independence from the IRGC, but the Iranians absolutely do have input at the planning and operational level, and were Iran not as costly to go to war with, Israel would have retaliated and attacked them directly by now.
[–]ExitPursuedByBear312 12 points 1 day ago*
Important point thanks for making in detail.
[–]LurkerFailsLurking 30 points 1 day ago
Without US patronage, Israel would get by for a time but it would collapse into something much more like it's neighbors than the rich, high tech country it is. The comparison isn't one to one, but it's not inappropriate at all.
[–]TheNubianNoob 11 points 1 day ago
What Israeli military capability or operational ability would degrade to the point where it’s at parity with its neighbors?
[–]bako10 4 points 1 day ago
Israel has flourishing hi-tec, military and agricultural tec sectors.
Tel Aviv boasts the highest startups per-capita ratio in the world
It regularly trades with the US, and many other countries around the world.
Your narrative is simply wrong. Yes, US backing helps, but to paint the relationship as one sided is dishonest or ignorant. Can’t be bothered to look for a citation (can happily provide if asked, though) but the Israel actually sells more military tech than it buys from the US. And the US gets massive discounts too.
Israel’s economy is strong thanks to itself. I’m pretty sick of hearing the undeniably false narrative that it’s some kind of a leech economy based entirely off American “donations”.
