Iran’s proxies in the Middle East remain a powerful force

As Israeli aircraftpij pounded the beleaguered Gaza Strip for five days, starting on May 9th, officials in Jerusalem were at pains to point out that they were targeting only the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militia (). This is a small radical group funded by Iran, which had been firing rockets at Israeli towns. Israel’s strategy was clear. It wanted Hamas, the larger Islamist movement that controls Gaza, to stay out of the fight. This is because it has a much larger arsenal of rockets, many provided by Iran, which can paralyse life in Israel much more effectively.The strategy worked. Hamas stayed on the sidelines until a ceasefire was brokered by Egypt. Israel hopes that it has driven a wedge between two Iranian allies on its borders. The deal has set back Iran’s efforts to use its proxies to advance its regional ambitions and to attack—albeit indirectly—its chief enemies: Israel and America.