War on Iran: How Israel is demolishing the myth that once shielded it

War on Iran: How Israel is demolishing the myth that once shielded it Submitted by Gabriel Polley on Tue, 03/17/2026 - 20:05 Before this conflict, Tel Aviv had largely bent the region to its will, amid false claims of its own vulnerability in a 'tough neighbourhood' Iranian workers clear debris from a damaged building after a strike on the capital Tehran on 15 March 2026 (Atta Kenare/AFP) Off Ever since the state’s founding, Israeli leaders have trotted out phrases like “a villa in the jungle”, “tough neighbourhood