The US-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei mark a significant shift in how Washington deploys military force: targeting the leadership of a hostile state without launching a full-scale ground invasion. Yet unlike the recent operation in Venezuela, the strategic objective in Iran remains unclear. Is the goal to weaken the regime, to hasten its collapse, or simply to destabilize the country? Whatever the answer, the risks of escalation and long-term instability appear to have been underestimated.

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