Managed

Any moment now, we should be witnessing the Great Middle East Missile Show, a furious exchange of missile fire between Iran and Israel.

This great show in the sky is preceded by hysterical rhetoric. The Hezbollah claims it has missiles big enough to demolish Tel Aviv. The Iranians brag about their new hypersonic missile force.

Over the past few days, the Hezbollah sent a steady stream of missiles over the border from Southern Lebanon. The object, according to military analysts, is to exhaust Israel’s Iron Dome capacity.

The Iron Dome air defense system is a technological marvel. Recall Iran attacked Israel last April with about 300 missiles and drones. Nearly the entire attacking force was intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system supported by fighter aircraft deployed by the US, the UK, France and Jordan. The attack caused no significant damage.

The failure of that massive aerial attack stung Tehran. The Iranian leadership now seems determined to use better weapons to inflict some real damage. A steady stream of Russian cargo aircraft has been shuttling between Moscow and Tehran, presumably delivering more advanced weapons technology to support the expected missile swarm against Israel.

The US, over the past few days, deployed a carrier force and some of its most advanced warplanes in an effort to deter the expected Iranian offensive. If deterrence fails, the sophisticated fighting force will help reinforce the defense of Israel.

Israel will likely rely on active support from the air forces of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These are frontline countries interested in preventing Tehran from achieving regional dominance.

One outspoken Iranian general indiscreetly claimed last week that his country possessed nuclear armaments that could be used to destroy Israel. That may be true or not. But such capability must have been factored in by Tel Aviv’s strategists.

Nothing could hold Iran back at this point. They need to perform some sort of retaliatory ritual against Israel to claw back some credibility. Last week, assassins that Tehran insists were Israeli killed one of the most senior Hamas officials right at the heart of the Iranian capital. It was an