Since October 7, Israel has been on its back foot in relation to Iran. Irrespective of how good a job the IDF has done in eroding Hamas’ capabilities, Israel has not demonstrated that it can effectively deter Iran from attacking Israel directly or deter Iranian proxies from carrying out Tehran’s marching orders. Politicians have declared all week that IDF soldiers should not be investigated for any reason, and should be treated as unqualified heroes no matter what they do. On one front, Israel demonstrated its strength and its ability to respond to serious external challenges. Israel is at a tipping point on both fronts, and it needs to emerge on the right side of both.