The majority of wars are coalition wars, but some of the partners in these wars are barely seen or invisible. So it is with the current Iran war. Most of the Western commentary is focused on the United States and, inevitably, Donald Trump and his decision to pursue war'and indeed, it was his decision to launch it. But in the conduct of actual operations, the Israelis have been much closer to peers than minor partners. According to an Israeli air-force spokesperson, in the opening wave, some 200 Israeli jets hit more than 500 targets in the first day, quite apart from any attacks by drones or special-operations forces. U.S. Central Command has yet to release its number of strikes from the first day, but they will likely be on the same order of magnitude, although conducted from a wider variety of platforms, including from the sea. This is a remarkable level of allied effort. During the Gulf War, for example, when Great Britain was still a major power, it deployed barely 60 strike...
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