[addicted]

Even to the extent this is true (which it isn’t entirely), it’s basically only been true overnight.

Israel has only recently become as strong as it is. Until very recently it could very well lose, and has lost, wars with its neighbors.

[vunderba]

Define "recently". They absolutely wrecked their next-door neighbors in the Six-Day War and that was over half a century ago.

[adwn]

They came very close to a defeat in the first Yom Kippur war.

[throw310822]

False. You can see this from the number of losses they suffered in their military campaigns: a tiny number of casualties compared to those inflicted to their enemies. Besides, it has been clear for many decades that the US would do absolutely anything to protect Israel, which means that the forces Israel can count on to defend itself in case of a real existential threat are basically those of the entire USA.