Actually, it specifically applies to pre-emptive war, or as it was called then “diminishing the heathens” before they attack.
But, yes, you are correct that innocent lives should be spared, if possible. And one must be sure that the attack is truly coming.
Iran has made the seriousness of their intent quiet clear.
The loss of innocent lives is the only reason to pause and see if there are less drastic means available.
Aside from that, there is the national characteristics of Iran. They are not the “wild ass of a man” that Arabs are know to be. They are very deliberate in their thinking and action. If they have the bomb, they will use it to extort what they want from the oil sheikhdoms and deter the west from interfering. They won’t go to war against Israel directly, or nuke Israel outright, but they will use their proxies to atrit Israel over time, and use their nukes to deter the west from interfering in that.
I say let’s (Israelis) find our own proxies. Palestinians fester in refugee camps with nowhere to go. Ahwazis are being robbed of their oil-rich lands which Iran is using to mong wars everywhere, including in Israel. Help the Ahwazis get their land back, and provide a homeland for the stateless Palestinian “refugees,” and at the same time deprive Iran of their oil revenue, which they use to finance terror and war all over the world.
Ayatollah theocracy implodes, as it was doing under Trump, and the cultured, civilized Iranians get to come out of exile and hiding, and rebuild their ruined country into something to be proud of.
Nobody makes glass. Everyone’s happy, other than the Ayatollahs, who get what they deserve from the people they’ve oppressed and degraded for so long.
The Way Out: Arabistan
https://www.newenglishreview.org/articles/the-way-out-arabistan/