Dumb question on my part, but why can they defend themselves now when they could not do it before?
They have nukes and the means to deliver them.
“Dumb question on my part, but why can they defend themselves now when they could not do it before?”
Because they were scattered across the globe with no land of their own from 70 A.D. to 1948.
Bibi most likely meant alone - they did okay in the wars since 1948 ....
He may be hinting about the nuclear bombs Israel has, but don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret!
Israel is a tiny country with a relatively small population.
Bibi was all but stating “Israel has nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them”, making clear that the Obama administration had better make an imperative of stopping Iran from building nukes, or Israel will perform a preemptive strike - which, given the well-publicized extreme protection of Iran’s nuclear weapon production facilities, WILL INVOLVE DETONATING NUCEAR WEAPONS - SOON.
This speech was about as close to a flat-out threat of imminent war as could be delivered in polite company without actually starting one.
Nuke Weapons. Probably even hydrogen bombs. The exact number they have is undetermined, but it is estimated they have enough to kick pretty much anyone's @ss in the region.
They also have delivery systems.
Uh, now they have a country and a military..........
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>> “Dumb question on my part, but why can they defend themselves now when they could not do it before?” <<
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Because they are the originators of all of the world’s weapons technology.
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Notice he said “DEFEND ourselves..” I think he’s referring to the range of Iron Dome’s coverage for all of Israel, perhaps.