At about 5 p.m. on Jan. 14, a loud blast rang out along the Jordanian
road that leads to the main bridge connecting the Hashemite kingdom
with its neighbor, Israel. The target of the remote-controlled
explosion was a two-car convoy carrying Israeli diplomats posted to
Jordan, traveling back to Israel for the weekend. The assassination
attempt failed, but it triggered a number of investigations as well as
rampant speculation on both sides of the Jordanian-Israeli border.
Differing theories point to various possible extremist perpetrators.
The most intriguing reports, however, quote insiders in Jordan’s
security services who claim that the Islamic Republic of Iran ordered
the assassination attempt on the Israeli diplomats.
The attack
is a stark reminder that, while the international community ponders
diplomatic formulas and economic sanctions as a way to stop Iran’s
nuclear program without going to war, Israel and Iran are already at
war. For now, it is mostly a cold war — with flashes of extreme heat.
Even
if the investigation into the attack in Jordan ultimately clears
Tehran, there is a reason why the names of Iran and Israel almost
always come up whenever violence surfaces in the region. All the
players in the Middle East know that Israel and the Islamic regime that
rules Iran are sworn enemies. And they know that violence in the Middle
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