Israel’s success, Iran’s failure and the chances of igniting the Mideast powder keg

No matter how you look at it, the first direct attack by Iran against Israel was a victory for the Jewish state.

And the United States. And Britain and France. And an utter humiliation for Tehran.

Yet many are still understandably nervous that it could lead to a wider war.

In launching more than 300 drones and missiles over the weekend, the Iranians showed the world that Israel’s military technology is far superior to theirs. Iran no longer seems quite so threatening, and Israel seems more than capable of defending itself.

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Even as the media spotlight shifted yesterday to Donald Trump’s first criminal trial – with round-the-clock reports on arguments over admissible evidence and a gag order, and jury selection – the Middle East loomed large as a potential powder keg.

For decades, Iran has fought a shadow war against Israel through its proxies. Without its support of the Hamas terrorists, there would have been no barbaric slaughter of Israelis on Oct. 7, or the unthinkable seizure of civilian hostages. Without its backing of Hezbollah, rockets would not have rained down from southern Lebanon, including during Iran’s latest assault. The same goes for Yemen.

The reason for the direct attack, as Iran sees it, was retaliation. Israel had killed three top Iranian commanders in a strike against its consulate in Syria. Iran’s leaders vowed to strike back.

Now they had no idea how effective Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defense systems would be at stopping their assault. Many Israelis could have been killed, which would have inflamed the region further.

My own view is that Iran’s goal was to save face and inflict only limited damage. The minor incursion