THE Middle East may be hurtling towards a catastrophic war not seen in decades, sparked by Israel’s unprovoked attack against Iran last week. While the Israelis struck with great ferocity initially, Iran has fought back, causing major damage to Israeli cities.

Yet despite the intense exchange of fire across hundreds of kilometres, neither side is ready to back down, and no off-ramps are visible for de-escalation. In fact, the threat of regional war has grown with signs that the US may get involved in attacking more Iranian nuclear facilities at Tel Aviv’s behest.

More American military hardware has been

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