At US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likely assumed that he was at the front of his host’s mind, or at least the issues he had come to discuss were: Gaza, Iran, Lebanon and a pardon.

By all accounts, the two leaders enjoyed a friendly and productive meeting, and also spent New Year’s Eve together at the resort’s black tie ball.

The attention of the White House, though, was far from the Middle East. Instead, it was busy planning for an impending daring special forces raid to snatch Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro from one of his homes and take him into custody to face narcotics and terrorism charges in the US.

The stunning operation early Saturday marks the latest use of military force by the US president that shattered ostensible red lines and forced observers to scramble to find a new description of his foreign policy doctrine.

As evidenced by his January 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, and the US strikes on nuclear sites at the tail end of Israel’s 12-war against Iran in June, Trump is no isolationist. He is ready to use American military might in an aggressive but targeted fashion against adversaries, especially after repeated warnings.

While it took place far from the part of the world Netanyahu was most concerned with, Trump’s strike on Caracas has reverberated far beyond Latin America.

The Israeli premier had gone to Florida with matters largely unsettled in Gaza and Lebanon, where the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups have refused to disarm and have shown signs of attempting to rebuild, and worried that Iran could be gearing up for a fresh conflict as well.

On all three fronts, the outcome largely hinges on Trump and what guarantees he can provide Israel, as well as what threats he can issue against his and Netanyahu’s adversaries. Thus Jerusalem has a clear interest in the effectiveness of the Venezuela raid and what effect it has on the potency of both.

As a rule, a US president that is willing to back up threats with the judicious use of military force is a good thing for US allies in the region, including Israel. When Washington is seen as disinterested in the Middle East, or is run by a president who chooses endless diplomacy to avoid using force, America’s enemies are emboldened.

Netanyahu made his sentiments clear, congratulating Trump for his “bold and historic leadership on behalf of freedom and justice.”

Iran, which expanded its influence over the Middle East as the US tried to disengage from the region in the wake of the long Iraq and Afghanistan occupations, has reason to be nervous after the raid.

Standing next to Netanyahu last week in Florida, Trump said unequivocally that he would back an Israeli strike on Iran if it resumes its missile and nuclear programs.

“If [Iran] will continue with the missiles — yes. [And if they continue with] the [production of] nuclear [capabilities] — fast. One will be yes, absolutely. The other, we’ll do it immediately,” Trump said, indicating that the US could again join Israel in an attack on Iran.

Days later, as widening economic protests swept........

© The Times of Israel