Iran Emerges from the Shadows to Broaden the Proxy War With Israel
- Tehran in military shows of force for first time in Gaza war
- US sees Iranian overreach with strikes that risk escalation
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The shape-shifting conflict in the Middle East saw Iran openly go on the offensive for the first time since the war in Gaza began, as Tehran’s latest round of existential brinkmanship with Israel spread further from the tiny Mediterranean enclave.
The show of force broke with the stealth that’s come to define Iran’s role in the conflict so far, after allies like the Houthis in Yemen and Lebanon’s Hezbollah led the military campaign in support of Gaza. It was a message from an emboldened Iran that relegated its proxies to the sidelines, signaling an appetite to replace an unstable status quo by taking the fight where it saw fit.