>>507893052 (OP)The US helping Israel against incoming missiles isn't really the issue. Iran is a large mountainous country. The key facilities are likely underground.
I don't think it is possible for Israel alone to decapitate Iranian nuclear research and weapon facilities. They don't have strong enough bunker busters and certainly not enough air cover to get in Iranian airspace to do the dirty work effectively (assuming the targets are even accessible).
So as a bare minimum the US has to do that for Israel. This means taking B-2s or other bombers into Iranian airspace to hit the hardened targets. That's going from a defensive role to attacking within a sovereign nation's borders. That is an act of war and aggression.
If that happens Iran has all the right to strike US bases in the region. They already do honestly, we all know Israel isn't shit without daddy US but this kind of active involvement would solidify that.
You think Russia and China aren't watching (or starting to assist)? The US and Israel both bringing advanced aircraft to the region is basically begging Russia to trot out S-500 systems and see if they can lock on the F-35 or B-2 (there's a reason we don't bring it out often, despite its age).
Trump is basically assuming a short shock & awe campaign is going to bring the Iranians to the table and bring about a deal quickly. Because if this goes on for more than a couple more weeks, it's going to go on for a lot longer.
If this was just some small tit for tat bullshit, they could probably talk it out. But with the decapitation of key people in the Iranian government and military, this genie isn't going back in the bottle. Iran has to see this until the end otherwise they will be absolutely destroyed.
Remember how Ukraine was supposed to fall within a few months? Yeah... how's that going...
