Rising tensions in the Middle East boiled over again on Saturday, April 13, when Iran launched a direct attack against Israel with over 300 combined armed drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. The attack follows decades of simmering conflict between the two nations, amplified most recently by Israel’s invasion of Gaza and a strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Israel intercepted most of the drones and missiles on Saturday, and nations around the world have urged Israel not to escalate the fighting any further due to shared concerns of a wider regional war.

Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan calls the Iranian strike an act of political theater, one which was never intended to provoke a regional war. Zeihan explains that the Iranian regime felt compelled to respond to the Damascus strike, but that it does not plan to carry out any additional attacks or retaliation, and that this gives Israel a relatively good opportunity to discontinue the hostile escalation.

Below is an excerpt from Peter’s April 15 “Zeihan on Geopolitics” newsletter:

In the early hours of April 14, Iran — both directly and through its many proxies — launched the largest missile and drone assault on the Israeli state since at least the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was quite a show.

The keyword here is “show.” I have never seen a military assault more telegraphed, choreographed, or bristling with advanced specific notice to ensure that the script does not result in escalation.