In classical history, the term Pyrrhic victory refers to a win so costly that it almost amounts to defeat. Its origin dates to the Greek King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who fought the then-rising Romans around the 3rd century BCE, defeating their forces but at the same time incurring irretrievable losses, including those of experienced soldiers and officers. Similarly, Israel's current course of military manoeuvre in the Middle East and beyond may very well be dubbed a Pyrrhic victory, as it comes at the cost of mass casualties, refugee exoduses, blatant violations of international law, destruction of essential state institutions, as well as prolonged socio-political instability in the region.

It is important to note that ever since the military confrontation with Iran, Israel has time and again resorted to targeting the core political, religious and defence establishment of Iran in outright violation of international law, and that too with the support of combined US-Israel intelligence. In essence, the US’s recent strikes on Iran constitute a targeted campaign to eliminate the political and religious leadership of Iran, destroy institutions and target Iran’s military infrastructure to ignite prospects of regime change, the likes of which were witnessed during the 1979 Revolution; the death of Khamenei marks the second leadership transition since the 1979 Revolution.

Adding to the Pyrrhic victory narrative is the fact that the success of the Western-led coalition comes at the cost of the........

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