From the very first hours of this latest regional firestorm, one truth has become unmistakable: no corner of the Middle East lies beyond the reach of Iran’s retaliation. Missiles have struck Syria, Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf states, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Tehran has chosen escalation as strategy—hitting any …

The Trump administration is exploring options to arm Kurdish forces operating near the Iran–Iraq border with the aim of increasing pressure on the Iranian regime. The heavy concentration of Israeli strikes along Iran’s western border with Iraq suggests a deliberate strategy aimed at degrading Tehran’s defensive infrastructure in that region. …

Hezbollah’s entry into the war has generated significant anger within the Lebanese government, which has long tolerated, accommodated, or at times been constrained by the group. If Israeli defenses are already engaged in intercepting longer-range missiles from Iran, shorter-range missiles from Hezbollah could be synced so that the probability of …