The United States and Israel carried out one of the most consequential operations in recent Middle Eastern history: the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader along with several senior figures of the regime’s military and security establishment.

In strategic terms, it was a decapitation strike, the removal of the head of the system.

Yet within hours, Iranian missiles were launched toward Israel and across the region, targeting not only Israel but also Gulf states hosting American forces.

This raises a question that is both simple and uncomfortable: If the head of the snake has been removed, why is it still striking?

The answer lies in a misunderstanding that often shapes public expectations. We tend to think of authoritarian regimes as personal structures, remove the leader, and the system collapses. History shows that this assumption is often wrong.

The real question is not whether a leader has been eliminated. The real question is whether the system depended on that leader to function. Recent examples illustrate the difference.

When Nicolás Maduro was captured earlier this year, Venezuela did not descend into widespread violence. The regime did not mount large-scale retaliation. Transitional authorities quickly........

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