The Iran war shows why the US relies on Israel
For many decades, political commentators have tended to describe the relationship between Israel and the United States in terms of a “values-based alliance”: democracies, equality before the law, and similar moral conceptions. All of these are true, yet they do not explain the depth and resilience of the relationship, as reflected in the current campaign against Iran.
The special relationship between Jerusalem and Washington rests first and foremost on a deep and enduring alignment of vital strategic interests — a trend that began to take shape after 1967, when Israel proved its strategic value in Washington’s eyes. However, the current campaign has brought this to a new peak since the founding of the state.
Israel today holds an unprecedented position in the international system as a result of being a strategic partner of the United States. What we are witnessing between Israel and the United States today is not merely friendship between states, nor just an “ally” in the way NATO allies are described. This is already a full strategic partnership between two states and two leaders who see eye to eye regarding the threat to world peace, and who act together to neutralize that threat.
There are many countries with good intentions but lacking capabilities, and many countries – particularly in Europe – that possess capabilities but lack willingness. Thus, while European states hesitate, deliberate, and at critical junctures refrain from committing resources and power to defend the interests upon which their own security and that of their partners depend, Israel, significantly smaller in size than “strategic” and natural US partners worldwide, continuously initiates and delivers proven operational results on the battlefield. In doing so, Israel has become a unique ally for the United States, one that provides both capabilities and the willingness to take risks to eliminate threats.
The gap between the positive American approach toward Israel and the growing frustration with Europe is not merely rhetorical on the part of President Trump; it reflects a structural shift in American security doctrine, which in turn affects how regional states perceive Israel.
The American demand from key global states, Japan, China, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and France, alongside Gulf states, to join the international effort to safeguard freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz stems from a simple understanding: the world’s energy stability depends on this region. Yet while many of these countries depend on the flow of energy, they refrain from taking risks, whereas Israel actively fulfills an operational, intelligence, and technological role in addressing the problem at its root, the destruction of Iran’s military capabilities.
In this context, Israel emerges as a reliable ally in a manner that anchors its strategic value for decades to come for all its partners. In this campaign, even the United States, as a global superpower, requires regional partners capable of acting independently, gathering high-quality intelligence, and applying precise force. Israel fulfills all of these parameters, and at times even leads.
When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt describes the depth of the partnership by stating: “American intelligence, combined with Israeli intelligence, our wonderful partners, are the best in the world,” this is not a diplomatic compliment. It is recognition that, for the first time, Israel is emerging as a force multiplier for American security. In this sense, Israel is not merely an ally; it is a strategic asset that produces results on the ground for US interests.
From an American perspective, this is a rare asset. In a world where many allies demand protection but contribute little, Israel offers a different model: an active, initiating, and executing partnership. This is why the gap with Europe is magnified, exposing to global leadership a new fault line in foreign policy between partnerships of responsibility and burden-sharing, and partnerships of convenience; between those who deliver value and those who settle for declarations.
This credibility has tangible implications for Israel’s relations with regional states observing this alliance and recognizing that Israel is a reliable partner, a rare commodity globally and particularly in the Middle East (it is enough to recall that only recently Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to renew diplomatic relations and activate a security agreement, alongside a defense pact with Pakistan). This represents a deep transformation with broad strategic implications: the very concept of alliances in the Middle East is changing.
The implications of this shift can be found in the words of Dr. Anwar Gargash, senior diplomatic advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates, who stated: “Israel’s role in the Persian Gulf is expected to grow. Regional states seeking to strengthen their defense and technological capabilities understand that Israel is a natural partner, not out of ideological affinity, but out of existential necessity.” His remarks reflect a profound conceptual shift in how Israel is perceived in the region as a result of its close cooperation with the United States: Israel is a reliable ally that can be trusted to deliver on shared interests at the moment of truth.
From this, one can infer the future trajectory: the deepening of the alliance with the United States even when a president less favorable to Israel than Trump is in office. As the international system becomes more unstable in the face of China, Russia, and Iran, the importance of reliable partnerships increases. Israel, in practice, repeatedly proves itself to be such a partner in a world where interstate credibility has become a rare resource.
The strategic lesson for Israel is clear: to preserve and deepen the value of interest. Not to rely solely on the rhetoric of “shared values,” but to continue being a player that delivers results for the United States and the international system.
This is not an alliance of words, it is an alliance of interests. And in an era of global uncertainty, this is the strongest alliance there is.
Finally, it is important to emphasize the broader story of our people: not only are Israel’s air force and intelligence exceptional far beyond its size, but the greater story is that the Jewish people, who just three generations ago were nearly annihilated and pleaded with the Allies to drop even a single bomb on Auschwitz, have risen from the ashes to the skies (quite literally). They have built an air force that is not only strong enough to defend, but has become a force multiplier for the most powerful superpower in the world. There is no parallel to this in recorded history.
