Hitler called it the “Nero Decree.” In March 1945, when the Allies were already on German soil advancing toward Berlin, he signed an order to burn all bridges, destroy all local industry and leave behind nothing but scorched earth.
A fierce debate is taking place in the upper floors of the IDF HQ and the lower levels of the bunker beneath. It concerns the possible existence of a parallel Iranian directive, three words long: “The Doomsday Order.” If such an order exists, it would not deal with destroying Iranian infrastructure but rather with issuing a “go” command to the entire Axis of Resistance—Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas and the militias—to fire everything they have.
If such an order exists, its meaning is no longer existential from Israel’s perspective: Hamas has been dismantled as an army, Hezbollah has been cut down by 90 percent, and Syria no longer takes instructions from Tehran. But it would still be a major headache for the military, a serious challenge for Israel’s defense systems and a prelude to a broad military operation in Lebanon.
Supporters of this view argue this is the way of fundamentalists—they do not know how to compromise and, from their perspective, will allow the entire region to go up in flames. Opponents believe there is no evidence for this and, in any case, question what exactly a button pressed in Tehran would even activate.
But Israel’s actions over the past week seem to be driven—perhaps as a result of the lessons of October 7—by the assumption that it will happen. That is the reason for the escalating attacks on Hezbollah strongholds, with emphasis on its rocket array. It is also the reason for the growing concern and attention devoted to the Houthi threat.
How quickly we have forgotten the nightly rush of millions to shelters because of a single missile. The concern about the fanatics from Yemen goes far beyond that nuisance, whose main damage so far has been the prolonged destruction of the tourism industry. The Houthi army includes nearly 1 million fighters, and its plans reportedly include raids into Israeli territory. It is not an immediate threat, of course, and the distance is great, but we have already learned that seemingly far-fetched plans—in this case, an invasion via Jordan—cannot simply be dismissed.
This is an excerpt from my weekly column in Israel Hayom.
