Violence in Gaza, Yemen and Syria Tests Middle East – and the Trump Administration

EXPERT INTERVIEW – Just a few weeks ago, the Middle East seemed in a rare moment of relative calm: ceasefires were holding in Gaza and Lebanon; the rebel leaders now ruling Syria had brought order and relief to the population, after decades of rule by the Assad regime; and for the most part, from the Mediterranean to Iran, the guns were silent. 

That calm has been shattered in recent days on many fronts – most notably in a new wave of aerial and ground attacks by Israel in Gaza, an insurgency mounted by Assad loyalists, and a heavy U.S. campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.