Strategic pause of the United States. US de-escalation track in the Middle East as a necessity to prepare for a new stage of conflict with autocracies

On the night of April 13-14, 2024, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel, which Tehran called Operation True Promise. This attack is Iran’s first open and direct attack on Israel, which is significantly different from its traditional strategy of fighting through proxy forces.

The media community’s attention was not drawn to the real trigger of Iran’s attack, namely Israel’s attack on Iran’s diplomatic mission in Damascus on April 1, 2024, which shifted the boundaries of what is acceptable in escalation scenarios in the Middle East.

While Israel’s military operations were previously limited to strikes on Iranian proxies and military targets outside Iran’s borders, the recent escalation occurred after Israel’s unprecedented attack on an Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria.