Iran is often portrayed as one of the world’s most dangerous actors. But with attacks on its defenses, nuclear sites and proxy militias, Israel has exposed a compromised and weakened adversary.

"Our support for Gaza and our defense of our country against the Zionist aggression against it has continued," a Houthi source told Newsweek.

For much of the 20th century, the US and Iran maintained friendly relations. During the Cold War, Washington depended on the Shah of Iran to counter Soviet influence in the oil-rich Middle East.

During his visit to the Middle East in May, U.S. President Donald Trump did several things that few would have predicted months or even weeks earlier. One was his surprise meeting with Syria’s new leader,

While Iran may hate Israel, it has not (under this telling of its events) seen a full-blown war as in its interests. For that reason, it has been reserving its most devastating weapons — and those of its remaining allies, like the Houthis in Yemen or Iraqi militias — in order to avoid escalation.

The United States is the main international backer of Israel, Iran's biggest regional foe. It is also a close ally of Sunni Gulf monarchies which for years pursued their own rivalry with the Islamic Republic, seeing it as their main regional threat.

Iran must understand that there will be grave consequences for any actions they take in response to this justified attack.

It’s too soon to tell how exactly the current wave of Israeli strikes could transform the region, but one thing is clear: Israel’s actions have fundamentally reshaped the security landscape of the Middle East.