Israeli lawmakers push for psychological warfare against Iran

‘It is time to use proxies against Iran just as they use against us’ – MKs discuss possible use of psychological warfare and proxies against Tehran.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli lawmakers and leaders of a number of non-governmental organizations called on the government Tuesday to utilize some of the tactics adopted by Iran against Israel, including the use of psychological warfare and proxy forces.

Israel’s Minister for National Projects Orit Strook, former Ambassador of the U.S. to Israel David Friedman, and Members of the Knesset from the Coalition and Opposition, along with dozens of senior military figures, past and present, family members of the fallen and kidnapped, and other prominent decision-makers and opinion shapers participated in the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus held in cooperation with the Middle East Forum Israel.

“It is time to use proxies against Iran just as they use against us,” Member of Knesset Ohad Tal, co-Chair of the Knesset Israel Victory Project, said. “It is time to invest resources in psychological warfare programs that will destabilize the regime. The time has come for us all to wake up, for Israel and for the entire Western world.”

“It’s time to move from defense to attack. The Iranian government brings only death and bloodshed to the world.”

Director of the Middle East Forum Gregg Roman talked about a strategy that supports the Iranian people in their quest for freedom and justice, while safeguarding Israel’s security.

“Iran’s leaders use proxies to maintain plausible deniability. These groups, like Hezbollah and Hamas, act as extensions of the regime. We must counter this influence not just with military might but with strategic non-kinetic means,” Roman said.

“Non-kinetic coercion targets the foundation of the Iranian regime’s power. It exploits internal weaknesses to create instability, reducing their ability to support and command proxies. This strategy empowers the Iranian people to demand change. It addresses the root causes of Iran’s aggression, not just the symptoms.”

“This strategy can lead to a decisive victory over enemies like Hamas and Hezbollah, but only if Iran is successfully countered. Weakening Iran’s internal structure strips away its support for proxies, making them less capable of threatening our security.”

Strook argued that the Hamas invasion of October 7th had caused a sea-change in perceptions regarding Israel’s long-running conflict with Iran and the need for a more proactive posture.

“On October 7th we were awakened from the tens of years where they tried to placate us with stories like, peace is made with enemies, the rockets of Nasrallah will decide, and land for peace, and we did everything we could not to prepare for this terrible multi-front war,” Minister Strook said.

“The amazing thing is the wonderful youths that we sent to the battlefield, including those who ran before we sent them, they have the spirit of heroism that was not wiped away during these tens of years. We owe them and all of Israel a victory. We will not return to Oslo or the Disengagement.”

Co-Chairman of the Knesset Israel Victory Caucus and Deputy Chair of the Knesset MK Evgeny Sova said: “The most just war, after the worst single massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, is being dragged out as a result of a failed, anti-Zionist decision-making process in which at the end of the day the world still sees us as the ones responsible for the situation in Gaza,” MK Sova said.

“We must work together to strengthen the consciousness of victory and for the establishment of a broad Jewish, democratic and Zionist coalition.”

Friedman spoke about his plan for how to end the conflict, while castigating world leaders, including President Joe Biden, who pushed Palestinian statehood after the October 7th massacres.

“President Biden, of whom I’ve not been shy to criticize, and his team, including the Secretary of State, all said that the answer to the Hamas attack on Israel is a two-state solution. I said, well, the world is now upside down. The easy argument is what the Knesset did and what I agree with is say ‘Look there can’t be a two-state solution.'”

IranKnessetPsychological warfare