Fault lines |
THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet. Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs prompted Iranian missile attacks and retaliatory Israeli strikes, raising fears that the region was sliding back towards a wider conflict. While the exchange has ended for now, the issues that produced it remain unresolved. The latest confrontation is significant not only in the military actions themselves but also in what they reveal about the limitations of the current arrangement. The April 8 truce succeeded in halting direct hostilities between Washington and Tehran after weeks of dangerous escalation. Yet it did not resolve the broader disputes that continue to drive instability across the region. Talks........