The Israeli government's Begin Doctrine is a preventive strike and counter-proliferation policy aimed at stopping potential enemies from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, especially nuclear arms. Rooted in actions like Operation Damocles and secret efforts against the Iraqi nuclear program, it was formally announced by Prime Minister Menachem Begin after Israel’s 1981 strike on Iraq’s Osirak reactor in Operation Opera. Begin described the action as “anticipatory self-defense,” emphasizing Israel’s resolve never to allow a repeat of past tragedies. Despite international criticism and UN condemnation, the doctrine remains a cornerstone of Israeli security policy.
Jun 8 1981Operation Outside the Box
The Begin doctrine was followed in 2007 under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with Operation Outside the Box against a Syrian nuclear facility. What was particularly notable about the attack on Syria was what occurred in its aftermath, the near total lack of international comment or criticism of Israel's action. This lack of reaction contrasted starkly to the international outcry that followed Israel's preventive strike in 1981 against Iraq's reactor. Foreign governments may have reserved comment because of the lack of information after the attack, but the Israeli government imposed a virtually total news blackout immediately after the raid that lasted for seven months. The U.S. government ordered officials with knowledge of the attack to keep it confidential. Syria was initially silent on the matter and then subsequently denied that the bombed target was a nuclear facility. The international silence continued even after the CIA made information public in April 2008.5
Iranian nuclear program
The doctrine also has been used since 2009, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with regard to Iran and its nuclear capability. During this time the Iranian nuclear issue openly turned into Israel's number one security issue. Netanyahu, along with his key cabinet ministers, such as Minister of Defense Ehud Barak and Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon, has repeatedly referred to a nuclear Iran, or even a nuclear-capable Iran, as an unacceptable and existential threat to Israel. With virtually all Israelis agreeing that Iran should be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons, there is an ongoing bitter debate among policymakers on how best to achieve this goal. Whilst the U.S. and Europe implement economic sanctions and pursue diplomatic solutions, the Israeli government carries out covert operations, such as computer viruses, assassinations of key Iranian scientists and airstrikes designed to stall Iran's nuclear program.67
See also
References
Country Profiles -Israel Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), updated May, 2014 http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/israel/nuclear/ ↩
Israeli and Iraqi Statements on Raid on Nuclear Plant, The New York Times, June 9, 1981 https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/09/world/israeli-and-iraqi-statements-on-raid-on-nuclear-plant.html ↩
Leonard S. Spector and Avner Cohen, Israel's Airstrike on Syria's Reactor: Implications for the Nonproliferation Regime, Arms Control Today, Vol. 38, No. 6 (July/August 2008), pp. 15–21, Arms Control Association /wiki/Avner_Cohen ↩
Leonard S. Spector and Avner Cohen, Israel's Airstrike on Syria's Reactor: Implications for the Nonproliferation Regime, Arms Control Today, Vol. 38, No. 6 (July/August 2008), pp. 15–21, Arms Control Association /wiki/Avner_Cohen ↩
Leonard S. Spector and Avner Cohen, Israel's Airstrike on Syria's Reactor: Implications for the Nonproliferation Regime, Arms Control Today, Vol. 38, No. 6 (July/August 2008), pp. 15–21, Arms Control Association /wiki/Avner_Cohen ↩
Country Profiles -Israel Archived 2014-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), updated May, 2014 http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/israel/nuclear/ ↩
"To prevent a nuclear Iran, it is time to bring back the Begin Doctrine - editorial". The Jerusalem Post. 18 April 2025. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-850524 ↩