Until Iran’s barrage of missiles and drones against Israel, the two countries had avoided open military intrusions into each other’s territory.
Tehran most often acted through proxies, and Jerusalem via bombing runs and unacknowledged assassinations in the region.
Iran’s unprecedented attack this weekend, which failed to kill a single Israeli, has perhaps now opened the clerical regime to a major reprisal.
And the best way for Washington to limit the expansion of this conflict is to signal clearly its intention to support an Israeli counterattack.
Iran’s internal situation, its memory about past U.S. military action and a conspiratorial worldview all support this strategy.
Persons:
Jerusalem, Ali Khamenei
Locations:
Tehran, Jerusalem, United States, Israel, Washington, Israeli, America