Israel’s stunning strikes on Iran—bigger, bolder, and more strategic than what has preceded them—are much more than a military response to a potential nuclear threat. They present the opportunity for a regional remake, having hit the Middle East’s greatest obstacle to sustainable peace, security, and prosperity. Though it will be difficult for Israel’s critics to concede this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delivered the Middle East an inflection point to reshape the regional order around normalization and integration, based on a shared commitment to economic modernization, political moderation, and religious tolerance. For decades, the Islamic Republic of Iran and its theocracy have cast a disruptive shadow across the Middle East. They’ve done that through nuclear brinkmanship, ideological extremism, and exporting revolution through Iran’s network of proxies: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shia militias in Iraq.
Israel’s Iran strike provides a historic chance for Middle East realignment – Atlantic Council
