IRAN’S MISSILE AND DRONE ATTACK ON ISRAEL had by the end of last week already become one of the most interpreted events in recent modern history. And then, in the early hours of last Friday, came Israel’s riposte. As in 1914, when Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in a moment that led to the first world war, these were shots that were heard around the world, even if few can agree conclusively on what they portend.
By one account, Tehran was merely sending a warning shot with its attack on 13 April. The maxi-malist version is that this was a state-on-state assault designed to change the rules of the Middle East. By this assessment, Iran was prepared to risk turning Israel into a
