Zeidon Alkinani, Middle East analyst and Georgetown University faculty member in Qatar, said diplomacy was never truly part of the plan in the Israel-Iran conflict. He pointed to the strikes and targeted assassinations from the first day, which “definitely eliminated diplomacy from the picture”, leaving Gulf states to go through one of the most challenging periods in their contemporary history. The analyst told Al Jazeera that the US and Israel are pursuing very different objectives. The US strategy under Trump is narrow and politically driven, while Israel is focused on dismantling Iran’s state structures and expanding Israeli regional influence. On Israel’s multiple fronts, including attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, Alkinani observed that the country is using the conflict to justify its actions and further its expansionist agenda. The Lebanese group, he added, faces weakened domestic and regional support, and, if Israel continues its aggression, it “may indicate some form of social empathy towards them [Hezbollah, as they’re] fighting Israel across the border as a response to the humanitarian crisis”. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #Iran #IRGC #AliLarijani #Basij #GholamrezaSoleimani #Israel #US #USIsraelWarOnIran #USIranTensions #USIranWar #IsraelIranWar #IsraelAttacksIran #IranWar #IranConflict #AyatollahAliKhamenei #RegimeChange #MiddleEast #OperationEpicFury #AlJazeeraEnglish