There's the enemy. And then there's the enemy.

Michael Totten

But if Lebanon falls, and if Iran gets nuclear weapons, and if maniacs wearing ski masks take over Iraq after the U.S. withdraws, most of them will eventually figure out who their real enemies are. What’s happening to Abbas, Seniora, and Maliki can happen to any and all of them, even Assad.

The fact that Arab governments threaten to build nuclear arsenals to counter Iran’s, but not Israel’s, all by itself tells you who and what they’re really afraid of. Blowback isn’t just for Americans anymore.
[My emphasis]

I'e never thought of it like that before. How long has Israel had nukes? 30, 40 years? Yet no Arab state has felt the need to have their own. Iran starts making nasty noises, and they all start talking about the need for a deterrent.

It must be that, despite the rhetoric, they know, and have always known, that Israel is not expansionist and will not use its weapons unless threatened existentially. The same cannot be said for Iran.

(via Instapundit)