TEHRAN – War and aggression appear to be an inseparable part of the Israeli regime's existence. From the 1948 Nakba in Palestine and the at least half-dozen wars with Arab states until 2006, to its recent aggressions against Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen, Qatar, and Iran, Israel appears locked in a perpetual cycle of inflicting death and destruction.

In the past two years alone, Israel has killed over 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza, thousands in Lebanon, and around 1,100 individuals in Iran. While it boasts that its unchecked violence has secured tactical victories, the strategic cost of its barbarism has been immense. The regime has now become one of the most despised entities among populations not only in West Asia but also in countries crucial to its survival, such as the United States and European nations. 

Some of its military campaigns have also triggered severe geopolitical, material, and military repercussions. For instance, its strikes on Qatar prompted Persian Gulf Arab states to reassess their relationships. Similarly, the conflict with Iran resulted in hundreds of missiles striking strategic sites across the occupied territories, spurred a mass exodus of Israelis to Cyprus, and caused an unprecedented collapse in confidence in the Zionist project of a "safe Jewish haven" marketed to Jews globally.

It is under these circumstances—as the regime again pleads for U.S. support to wage another war against Iran—that one realizes a fundamental equation: for Israel, war is integral, and Israel is synonymous with war.

For the past two weeks, Hebrew-language media and their stenographers in the West have been in full swing, producing stories to help justify a second round of strikes against Iran.

Some reports are fantastical, such as a Yedioth Ahronoth piece claiming Iran was trying to build a "fourth-generation" nuclear weapon—a technology beyond the reach of any established nuclear power—before its nuclear sites were attacked in June. Other, less imaginary stories suggest Iran is poised to rapidly advance its nuclear program if it is not attacked again. A third narrative argues that renewed aggression is necessary because Iran is swiftly "rebuilding" its ballistic missile program, despite remarks from Iranian officials and the progression of the 12-day war indicating it sustained little damage in the first place.

One recent NBC report claimed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to help attack Iran again. This one story serves a dual purpose: to prepare the American public for another potential war and to inject anxiety into Iranian society. This is a form of psychological warfare that targets Iran's economy, destabilizing its currency market and ultimately driving up inflation.

When you ask Iranians on busy buses and trains, in classrooms, businesses, or government offices whether they think another war will happen, they speak as if the answer has always been clear. "This time we need to make sure no Israeli town exists," said an operator of Tehran’s BRT system. "We cannot allow them to attack us every six months; the next war should be their last."

It is widely known that Iranians were preparing for a prolonged conflict during the fighting with Israel and the United States back in June. An IRGC commander appearing on TV in the initial days of the 12-day war stated that Iranians must prepare to ensure their security, just as they did during the eight-year war with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. He said the military had readied the necessary equipment and weapons for the next two years. When Iran accepted Israel’s ceasefire proposal, it allegedly did so to fill military gaps revealed during the war, while Intelligence forces simultaneously launched a massive crackdown on Mossad agents.

The current reports and op-eds will make no difference to how Iranians live their everyday lives. The military is ratcheting up its defenses, and the people live with the understanding that nothing is beyond the rogue Israeli regime. Yet, these propaganda pieces still have a message for the United States and the international community: There is a killing machine and a forever warmonger in the region, and the failure to rein it in will have consequences not only for the so-called "president of peace" in the White House but for the entire West Asia region and the broader West. If a war machine is allowed to continue, it will only stop once it has reached its goals—which, in Israel’s case, are the realization of a "Greater Israel" and the fragmentation of all other regional states—or when it has been decisively defeated.