The Israelis are really starting to piss me off. They are definitely playing some sort of political bluff game here, and your speculation is a valid one, but only one of many. If they were actually contemplating a military action, we wouldn't hear a peep about it until after it was all over.

The problem is all this bluster provokes unpredictable counter-reactions, unforseen consequences, and we will be involved in anything that happens, whether we like it or not.

The Israelis are dangerously close to provoking a chain of events that will drag (perhaps inadvertently) their closest ally into unforseeable situations. We have already paid a great price for our support of Israel, they have no right to manipulate us like this.

As Dash Hammett's Fat Man tells us,

"That's an attitude, sir, that calls for the most delicate judgement on both sides. Because, as you know, in the heat of action... ...men are likely to forget where their best interests lie... ...and let their emotions carry them away."