Beyond neutralizing Hamas, the current operation is helpful in other ways in preparing for an Iran attack. If Israel were to attack Iran, the likelihood of a direct Iranian or a combined Iranian-Hezbollah response against Israeli cities is high. The heavy exchange of fire with Gaza is an excellent opportunity for the Israeli authorities to examine the preparedness of its home front, emergency infrastructure, defensive military capabilities, and Hezbollah's response. Immediately after the Thursday attack near Tel Aviv, many Israelis have begun preparing their shelters in case the fight escalates.
Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, who worked as a CIA intelligence officer for 23 years and led the Department of Energy's intelligence unit from 2005 to 2008, said:
"You can't have a five-minute discussion with someone with a brain and not realize that this is going to have a huge impact on security [...] Love us or hate us, we're always action-oriented [...] The climate community is filled with intellectuals who write about it, blog about it, but they don't do anything. Intelligence—you get them involved and they'll do something."