On fire. Photographer: Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images
Don’t let the paltry damage caused by Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel last weekend fool you. The Iranians intended to cause widespread death and destruction. The attack failed, because of Israel’s anti-missile capabilities and the multilateral defense quarterbacked by Washington. But it nonetheless succeeded in providing a grim reminder of the rhythms of the new Middle East.
Not long ago, the region seemed to be entering a brighter era. Israel and its onetime Arab enemies, particularly Saudi Arabia, were reconciling. Tensions between the US and Iran were being managed, if hardly overcome. A fragile truce had paused a brutal war in Yemen. Persian Gulf leaders and global pundits were touting a future in which dynamism and innovation would trump violence and strife.
