Israel Could Get Dragged Into ISIS’s War!!

( IDF Tank Crossing Over Jordan River Photo: flickr/IDF )

As the terrorist organization HAMAS–ISIS – which we discussed in today’s Daily Dispatch – continues to move across the Middle East, the question of the U.S. intervening and allying itself with Iran has arisen. So, too, has Israel’s involvement in battling ISIS. Writing at The Daily Beast, Eli Lake says that an ISIS attack on Jordan could pull the Jewish state into the mix:

If HAMAS–ISIS were to draw Israel into the regional conflict it would make the region’s strange politics even stranger. In Iraq and Syria, Israel’s arch nemesis, Iran, is fighting ISIS. Israel, on the other hand, has used its air force from time to time to bomb Hezbollah positions in Syria and Lebanon, the Lebanese militia aligned with Iran. If Israel were to fight against ISIS in Jordan, it would become a de facto ally of Iran, a regime dedicated to its destruction.

But Jordan is also an important ally for Israel. It is one of two countries ( along with Egypt ) to have a peace treaty with the Jewish State. Jordanian security forces help patrol the east bank of the Jordan River that borders Israel and both countries share intelligence about terrorist groups in the region.

For now the one thing Iran and Israel do agree on is that U.S. intervention in Iraq is risky. Khamenei has told Obama to just stay out. Netanyahu was more subtle, warning that Obama should not promise Iran anything in the nuclear negotiations that might entice its cooperation in Iraq. His advice was for Obama to weaken both sides.

But behind the scenes, Israeli diplomats have told their American counterparts that Israel would be prepared to take military action to save the Hashemite Kingdom.