How a regional defence pact could deal the final blow to Israel's violent expansionism Submitted by David Hearst on Tue, 06/09/2026 - 17:40 Resistance by Iran and its allies has been the only thing stopping Israel's endless quest to seize territory and expel native populations Security forces stand guard during a rally by supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement, in solidarity with Lebanon, in Sanaa, Yemen, on 18 May 2026 (Mohammed Huwais/AFP) Off The brief exchange of fire between Iran and Israel was a truer statement of the balance of power that now exists between these two countries than the many spurious claims by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about having “smashed”, “destroyed” or “obliterated” the armed forces of the Islamic Republic. In firing up to 30 missiles towards Israel in retaliation against its renewed bombing of Dahiyeh, a southern suburb of Beirut, Iran broke the model that Israel had imposed on the two other ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza: namely that you cease, and we keep on firing. Furthermore, it showed that it would target northern Israel to protect a third country, Lebanon, which is also something of a first.