In recent years, the integration of artificial intelligence into defense systems has evolved from a decision-support tool into a strategic infrastructure shaping the conduct of war. Within this trend, the Pentagon’s adoption of the AI-First doctrine marks a significant conceptual shift from the limited integration of artificial intelligence systems to a systemic approach in which AI becomes a foundational component in the chain of command, in intelligence collection and analysis, and in the planning of multi-theater operations. This...
The war with Iran has placed the Gulf states, against their will, at the heart of the confrontation. Iran identified the Gulf states as an “underbelly” and potential lever of pressure on the United States to shorten the duration of the campaign. Nevertheless, despite the Iranian attacks on their territory, they have thus far refrained from openly joining the campaign and have preferred a cautious policy: allowing other forces to operate from their territory while undertaking limited offensive actions with plausible deniability. This...
Operation Roaring Lion—the war with Iran—is being waged during a low point in Israel–Jordan relations and sharpens the importance of peace as a strategic asset for both countries. Despite the rupture between the leaders of the two countries and the tension in the Palestinian arena, military coordination between the IDF and the Jordanian Armed Forces has continued. The war has led Jordan to adopt a declared policy of “positive neutrality,” namely, intercepting Iranian missiles in its sovereign airspace on their way to Israel and...
The military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran at the end of February 2026 confronts Moscow with a new strategic reality. Iran constitutes an important partner for Russia, even if it cannot be considered an ally in the full sense of the term. This article examines how Moscow interprets the campaign, what lessons it derives from it, and what consequences Russia is likely to face as an aftermath of the war.
China’s response to the war with Iran appears to be one of non-intervention. Although one might have expected Beijing to stand more firmly by its partner Tehran, China’s response thus far has been relatively restrained. This article offers several explanations for this, including China’s domestic priorities, its desire to avoid further friction with the United States, Beijing’s balancing policy among all actors in the Middle East, and uncertainty about the future of the Iranian regime. At the same time, China is looking ahead to the...
President Trump’s statements in recent days reflect an effort to convey two parallel messages: presenting the campaign against Iran as an advancing success while, at the same time, avoiding a clear definition of its end conditions. This situation illustrates the growing tension within the administration between those pushing to continue the campaign to maximize its military achievements and economic, political, and strategic constraints pushing to shorten it. From Israel’s perspective, this is an especially sensitive stage: The...
Turkey is deeply frustrated by the outbreak of the war in Iran, which Ankara perceives as the realization of some of its worst strategic scenarios, and it is working to end the fighting as quickly as possible. The war poses challenges to Turkey, ranging from missiles being launched into its territory to fears of a significant refugee wave and a renewed flare-up of the Kurdish issue emanating from Iran. Regionally, Ankara has accused Israel of pushing the United States into going to war and is concerned about the strengthening of...
The campaign against Iran has expanded to the economic front, centering on Tehran’s attempts to harm the global energy market in order to force the United States to end the fighting. Yet an analysis of market conditions reveals a surprising picture. Although the global economy is showing resilience and can absorb rising prices in the short term, the real point of vulnerability may lie elsewhere. America’s allies in the Gulf could be forced to halt oil and gas production if storage facilities fill up. Should that be the case, the main...
Contrary to conventional expectations, the Houthis are demonstrating a notable reluctance to intervene in Tehran’s defense. While it remains plausible that the trajectory of the conflict involving Iran and subsequent geopolitical developments in the Gulf could elevate their strategic impetus to engage in hostilities, analysis suggests that – even in such an eventuality – their actions will be highly calculated. Guided by their core strategic interests, it is posited that they would exercise operational restraint to...
The US–Israeli military campaign against Iran presents President Trump with the challenge of achieving a rapid, easily marketable success without becoming mired in a prolonged war. The president has adopted an especially hawkish public stance and has called on the Iranian public to “seize the moment”; yet ambiguity remains regarding whether there is an organized plan for regime change and for the “day after” the war. Within the Trump administration, the tension is likely to sharpen between maintaining maximal military pressure—aimed...
The end of the war in Gaza in October 2025 posed a fundamental challenge to foreign influence campaigns that had operated against Israel during the fighting, including the ISNAD campaign, which is affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. These campaigns—relying on a sense of urgency, heightened public attention, and intense emotional mobilization—were now required to adapt to a new reality in which public discourse gradually returned to political, social, and economic issues. In this context, maintaining relevance and influence...
Evidence of a shift in Saudi Arabia’s approach toward Israel and the normalization process emerges from an analysis of public opinion in the kingdom, the positions of the Saudi leadership, the intellectual discourse within it, and the diplomatic steps it has taken. This reflects a Saudi effort to shape a new agenda in which distancing from Israel serves both the leadership’s domestic legitimacy and its aspiration to consolidate regional leadership. The implication is not only that Saudi–Israeli normalization is currently off the...
