Iran's direct attack on Israel a 'game changer,' analyst says
Iran's direct, massive attack on Israel is a game changer in the long-running conflict between the two countries, according to Middle East expert Maha Yahya, the director of the US think tank Carnegie Middle East Center.
"We're frankly standing at the edge of a dangerous precipice," she told US broadcaster CNN on Sunday. "We are no longer in a shadow or proxy war between those two."
Yahya called Tehran's attack a "huge escalation," a day after Iran fired some 300 drones and missiles towards Israel in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy compound at the start of the month.
However, she said, "I think the Iranians knew that most of this would be stopped, that the US, UK, France, Jordan and others would help in bringing down drones and those missiles."
Most of the weapons were intercepted outside Israeli airspace, she said. "It was a major escalatory move, but it was very much of a light show."
Of the Israeli government, Yahya said: "They are driving for a military escalation at the time when only a diplomatic solution can walk us back from the precipice of all-out war across the region.
"And it's so hard that they cannot win," she added. Washington must demonstrate its influence in the region, even if this has now become even more difficult, she said, adding what is needed is a "regional ceasefire."
