Iran Crosses a Red Line

The world holds its breath wondering where it will lead

Like all of us, I have been watching the news reports and considering the impact of Iran’s attack on Israel this weekend. Alongside the excellent analysis by my colleagues Jimmy Evans and Brian Schrauger, I wanted to offer some of my own thoughts on this present moment and its prophetic implications. ~ Dr. Mark Hitchcock

As the barrage of over three hundred and fifty drones and cruise missiles, carrying sixty tons of warheads, rained down from the Iranian sky toward Israel, the entire world watched and held its collective breath, wondering where it all would lead. In the moments as it happened, a host of unanswered questions lingered: 

• How many of the missiles and drones would hit Israeli soil?

• How many casualties would Israel suffer?

• What role, if any, would the U.S. play?

• Will Israel retaliate, and if so, how, and when? 

Fortunately, Israel’s layered missile defense system, with help from other nations, intercepted and neutralized the overwhelming majority of the drones and missiles. As I intently watched and read accounts from various news outlets, I heard and read a similar refrain that underscored the magnitude of what was happening. Analysts made comments such as:

“This is unprecedented.”

“This is a game changer.”

“The genie is out of the bottle.”

“The Middle East has changed forever.”

But the most telling response to me came from those who referred to Iran’s direct attack against Israel as “crossing a red line.” As Iran has waged its shadow war against Israel for over forty years, the Islamic state has employed a collective of proxies—known as the Axis of Resistance—to attack Israel. These primary surrogates are Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, Iranian militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen.

On April 13, that changed dramatically. The equation was altered forever when Iran initiated a direct strike on Israel, with missiles and drones originating from Iranian soil. From this point on, there’s no turning back.

Iran didn’t just cross a red line. They erased it altogether.

Headlines Sound the Alarm   

Here are some recent, major headlines and quotes that capture the enormity of Iran’s actions: