Israel vs Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is accusing Iran of attacking an Israeli-owned ship in the Gulf of Oman last week, something Iran has flatly denied. The accusation, like most of Netanyahu's claims during the course of his political career, was made without any evidence. Netanyahu has spent the better part of 20 years trying to force a war with Iran, knowing that the US would have to intervene on Israel's behalf. To their credit, the leadership in Tehran has largely avoided taking the bait. Similarly, even if this attack were considered revenge for several recent attacks on Iranian targets that Israel has covertly and overtly claimed, its pointlessness makes us wonder what Iran gained.
The target was apparently a privately-owned ship with no military or political prominence beyond its ownership. The attack did not lead to any casualties, and the damage was relatively insignificant. It did, however, provide Netanyahu with a talking, nay, ranting point at a time when he has lost his greatest-ever ally in the White House. While every American president in history has been 'pro-Israel' to varying degrees, Donald Trump often behaved more like a Manchurian candidate when it came to Israel and Middle East policy. He regularly gave Israel Netanyahu ever asked for. He even freed Israeli spies against the wishes of his own military and intelligence advisers.
Then there is Israel's long history of terror financing, most notably with the anti-Iran group Jundallah. It would not be beneath Israel to blow up a boat without a single casualty, as it is enough to 'justify' an attack on Iran without spilling innocent blood. Israel has already conducted airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria, claiming they were a response to the bombing of the ship. At the bare minimum, the ship 'attack' could be an attempt to derail new US President Joe Biden's efforts to get the Iran nuclear deal — which Netanyahu has opposed tooth and nail — back on track.
Lastly, there is also Netanyahu's own political career. With elections around the corner, the prime minister needs to motivate his base to show up at the polls while ignoring the mounting evidence against him in his ongoing corruption trial.