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What the US can do to deter a wider war in the Middle East

Amid growing concern about a wider war in the Middle East following a series of Israeli attacks, Iran launched a missile strike on Israel on Tuesday evening local time. In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens sounded as residents took refuge in bomb shelters, and Israeli military bases and the Mossad intelligence agency were also reportedly targeted.

Israel has decapitated the leadership of key Iranian ally Hezbollah in recent weeks, killing at least seven top commanders, including its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a Friday airstrike. On Monday, it launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in a bid to further dismantle the militia.

Why We Wrote This

An Iranian missile barrage, following weeks of Israeli attacks, heightens the risk of regional war. The United States faces a choice between emphasizing deescalation and stepping up support for Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

On Tuesday morning, the United States had said Iran was planning an imminent missile strike and warned Tehran not to up the ante.

To prevent an escalation, the Department of Defense announced Monday that it was sending a “few thousand” more troops to bolster the roughly 40,000 U.S. service members currently in the region.

The question now, some analysts say, is if the U.S. should still be seeking deescalation or letting the Israeli military continue its rapid dismantling of Hezbollah, the most powerful proxy in Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and American influence in the region.

Amid growing concern about a wider war in the Middle East following a series of Israeli attacks, Iran launched a missile strike on Israel Tuesday that Pentagon officials estimate was “twice as large” as an attack last April. 

No U.S. forces were hurt and initial indications are that there was “minimal damage” on the ground, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said Tuesday, adding that Israel was able, with U.S. help, to “successfully defend itself.” 

U.S. Navy destroyers with Aegis defense systems fired a dozen interceptors at incoming Iranian missiles, Pentagon officials said.

Why We Wrote This

An Iranian missile barrage, following weeks of Israeli attacks, heightens the risk of regional war. The United States faces a choice between emphasizing deescalation and stepping up support for Israel’s efforts to dismantle Iranian proxy Hezbollah.

In Tel Aviv, air raid sirens sounded across the city as residents took refuge in bomb shelters, and Israeli military bases as well as the Mossad intelligence agency were also reportedly targeted.

Israel – thanks to its precise intelligence – has decapitated the leadership of key Iranian ally Hezbollah in recent weeks, killing at least seven top commanders, including its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a Friday airstrike. On Monday, it launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in a bid to further dismantle the militia.

The question now, some analysts say, is whether the U.S. should still be seeking deescalation or letting the Israeli military continue its rapid dismantling of Hezbollah, the most powerful proxy in Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” against Israel and American influence in the region.

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