Israel asked Trump to wait on his Iran strike, but in doing so gave away the one thing it can’t afford to lose: the claim that it controls escalation. Right, so news has now emerged that Benjamin Netanyahu had asked Donald Trump to delay that expected strike on Iran. Not cancel it. Delay it. But he was so keen last June wasn’t he? What’s changed then? Well the reason being briefed is that Israel is now worried it can’t absorb what comes back if the US goes ahead. Not so cocky this time it seems! That single move removes a lot of assumed certainty. Because the country that has spent years presenting itself as escalation-proof, having learned the hard way last June that it isn’t, has gone even further in its reasoning. It is now warning about stretched defences, retaliation risk, and timing. Which means the confidence you were hearing about how thi ...