No American government official came to the airport to receive him, and no red carpet was laid out for him. The visit bombed. Israel is adrift – with its "Greater Israel" strategy now bleeding, for lack both of troops and of coherence.

Former IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzak Brik predicts (Ma'ariv, 26 July), that the crisis engulfing the Israeli intercept inventory "is only the prelude to the catastrophe that is looming over us" –

In the coming wars with Iran, the threat will increase tenfold to the point of a complete loss of the ability to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles. These missiles are expected to hit us: in population centers, strategic targets, production and economic infrastructure, science and technology institutes, educational institutions, hospitals and vital industries, and completely crush us.

Trump – finally, it seems – understands that the war which he started in order to crush Iran has flipped – to destroying him. There is effectively no military solution available beyond stopping digging the hole that he is in still deeper.

Meanwhile, Iran is not allowing him to continue his tactical cycle of initiating kinetic war (ostensibly to pressure Iran), and then (on succeeding Mondays) to switch to talk of "imminent deals" in order to manipulate oil markets and stock prices. Last Monday, a "short dump" into the market knocked the price of Brent down a full 7.7 percent.

Iran, furthermore, intends to shape the tempo of the conflict, which (anyway) is set to escalate because of US efforts to extend encircling pressures such that the US ostensibly can coerce Iran into accepting a dictated "peace."

But instead of adding pressure on Iran, Trump's strategy is setting the region aflame, whilst inviting risk of uncontrolled escalation.

The latest developments – including Yemen's declaration of "siege for siege" on Saudi air and sea ports, and the strikes on two major Aramco refineries knocking out the Saudi oil pipeline to the Red Sea – have drawn Saudi Arabia into conflict both with Yemen, but also into conflict (jointly with CENTCOM) with Popular Mobilisation Unit (PMU) militias in Iraq whom Saudi avers were responsible for the refinery destruction (although Hash'd al-Shaabi strongly denies it). These two episodes nonetheless underline the extent to which the "Trump war" is de-stabilising an already fragile region.

Yesterday Saudi Arabia, together with the US, carried out major airstrikes on at least six Iraqi cities, killing at least 20 and wounding dozens of PMU members.

Why would Saudi Arabia attack the Hash'd and not Yemen? Well, likely because AnsarAllah would retaliate with missiles, destroying what remains of the Saudi oil infrastructure.

On learning of the American attacks on Hash'd positions, and in the spirit of an US attack on "one member of the Axis being an attack on all," Iran followed on by launching ballistic missiles on American bases in Jordan.