Iran on Wednesday sharply expanded its tactic of striking civilian infrastructure and transport hubs across the Persian Gulf—commercial vessels and Dubai International Airport were among the targets. The attacks coincided with a new wave of airstrikes carried out by American and Israeli warplanes.
Senior Iranian officials warned the confrontation could evolve into a prolonged “war of attrition” and trigger a global economic crisis if Tehran begins choking off the region’s energy supplies. Against that backdrop, oil prices on Thursday again climbed above $100 a barrel before easing to $98. Fighting continued across the Middle East—Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut and southern Lebanon after Hezbollah attacked northern Israel with drones and rockets on Wednesday evening.
As the conflict approaches the two-week mark, several sources within Israel’s security establishment say the country had no realistic plan for regime change in Iran when the attack was launched. According to them, expectations that airstrikes could trigger a popular uprising were driven by “wishful thinking”, rather than solid intelligence.