total-- : --time0:0004:12 PM • May 28 2026 IDTBoth of Israel's wars in Iran have been "strategic failures" and critically damaged the country's deterrence, Danny Citrinowicz, a former top Iran expert in Israeli military intelligence, told the Haaretz Podcast.He cited a long list of missteps and misguided assumptions that led to the failure of the solo military operation in 2025 and the joint U.S. attack in February."We overestimated air power and underestimated Iranian resilience," Citrinowicz said, resulting in the "worst possible strategic reality, with a more extreme, decentralized regime in Tehran," and heightened tensions with the U.S. – all while highlighting Israel's dependence on the U.S. as a weakness.While Iran once feared an attack by Israel, he noted, its leaders have now learned that they can be attacked by the two strongest air forces in the world and emerge with its regime intact, as well as "the capacity to launch missiles and drones, and theoretically has the potential to move to a nuclear bomb."Moreover, in a boomerang effect, he noted, wars launched to deter Iran's nuclear program have likely intensified Tehran's motivation to acquire nuclear capacity in order to prevent future attacks.In his conversation with podcast host Allison Kaplan Sommer, Citrinowicz – a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies – also discussed the intensifying conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and U.S. President Donald Trump's continued belief that Saudi Arabia will soon join the Abraham Accords, which he called a hope "detached from reality."In the NewsIsrael's AG Slams State Panel's Decision to Clear Netanyahu's Mossad Chief Pick'You Culturally Appropriate a Lot. You Also Took Genocide – We Did It First!'PM Aide Charged With 'Intent to Harm State Security' by Sharing Secret DocumentsNew York Makes It a Crime to Block Entry to a House of WorshipIran and U.S. Trade Air Strikes After Trump Dismisses Report of Hormuz DealRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMI'Israelis Are More Genocidal Than You Think': The 'Counter Hasbara' of Andrey XFreed Gaza Flotilla Activists Report Sexual Abuse, Rape in Israeli CustodyFormer Israeli Soldier Dies by Suicide in Miami at Age 23Netanyahu's Promises of Victory in Iran End in a Glorious U.S. CapitulationWill Trump Forgive Netanyahu Over Iran? The Emerging Deal Suggests Not'What We Did in Gaza Is Certainly an Act of Revenge for October 7'