Analyst Hananel Aviv writes Sunday that President Trump's pattern of announcing and then canceling military strikes undermines US credibility in the Middle East, signaling weakness that invites terror and extortion by Iran and Gulf states. Aviv argues that a superpower allowing itself to be blackmailed by a weakened Islamist regime will continue to face extortion until the extortionist is eliminated.
Analyst Hananel Aviv published a sharp critique of President Trump's handling of the Middle East on Sunday, arguing that the U.S. leader's repeated pattern of announcing and then canceling military strikes projects weakness that invites Iranian aggression and blackmail. Aviv, writing on his channel, described Trump as making himself a 'ridiculous clown' who cancels his attacks anew each time, and warned that weakness in the Middle East invites terror and attack attempts.
Aviv's assessment echoes earlier arguments he has made. As The Zioneer reported on July 29, Aviv previously argued that Trump is misreading the Middle East and that Iran is not afraid of war, only of signals of strength. In June, he assessed that the U.S. and Trump are being blackmailed by Iran amid nuclear talks, and that Iran perceives White House weakness as license to strike American bases.
The analyst's latest post underscores a persistent theme in Israeli security commentary: frustration with what some analysts see as a lack of consistency in U.S. deterrence posture. Aviv specifically criticized Trump for being susceptible to pressure from Gulf states, which he said enables Iranian extortion through the 'terror organization that has a state' — a reference to the Islamic Republic. The post did not address any specific new military event.
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