Apparently, Israel’s vigorous war against Hizbollah has weakened Iran’s ability to act in the region. At least that’s what some in Tehran think, according to The New York Times:

In the past, Iran believed that Israel might pause before attacking it because they would assume Hezbollah would assault the northern border. If Hezbollah emerges weaker, or restrained militarily because of domestic politics, Iran feels it may be more vulnerable.

“This was God’s gift to Israel,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University and an expert in Iranian foreign policy. “Hezbollah gave them the golden opportunity to attack.”

He said that Iran does not have the military ability at home to fight an aggressive offensive war against Israel from so far away. He said its only offensive tool would be a missile, which he said would be of limited effect and accuracy.

My first reaction is: good.

My second reaction is, an Iranian missile today might only be “of limited effect and accuracy.” But an Iranian missile in a few years, tipped with nuclear material, would be a different story. With a nuke, the missiles don’t have to be terribly accurate to have the intended effect, and that effect would most certainly not be “limited.”