Why is Iran Not Attacking Israel?

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Thursday that Iran's long-standing effort to encircle and isolate Israel has backfired catastrophically, leaving Tehran diplomatically isolated and in conflict with its own neighbors, as U.S.-Iran exchanges continued overnight across the region.

Speaking on Radio Galei Israel, Cohen sought to reassure the Israeli public that Iran has been deterred from striking Israel directly. "The State of Israel is not absorbing fire because the Iranians understand that any attack will be met with a harsher strike from our side," he said.

The minister argued that Iran's strategy of building a unified regional front against Israel, long a cornerstone of Tehran's foreign policy, had collapsed under the weight of its own aggression. "Iran, which wanted to isolate Israel and create a chokehold around it, ultimately found itself surrounded by countries that want to see the fall of the regime," Cohen said, pointing to Iranian strikes on Gulf states as the turning point that alienated potential regional partners.

Cohen was sharply skeptical about the value of any diplomatic agreement with Tehran, including ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations. "I do not pin hopes on an agreement, even if one is signed," he said flatly, adding a warning that would complicate any future deal: "Iran will want to return to its old ways at one point or another, which requires us to always remain alert."

The remarks reflect a broader skepticism within Israel's government toward the negotiating track that President Trump has pursued, even as Washington continues both military strikes and back-channel diplomacy with Tehran.