I have followed conflicts in the Middle East for nearly four decades as a supporter of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Over that time, Israel’s role as an American ally has changed in ways few would have predicted.
In the summer of 1990, Iraq’s President Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied its oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait, meeting little resistance and triggering a crisis that led to the first Gulf War. I visited Israel on a solidarity mission during that period. The invasion had nothing to do with Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, yet the sense of Israeli apprehension was unmistakable.
Soon after I returned home, in early 1991, a U.S.-led coalition moved to liberate Kuwait. Seeking to provoke a response that might fracture that coalition, Iraq began firing SCUD missiles at Israeli population centers. Individuals and families sealed themselves in reinforced rooms, gas masks ready, uncertain whether chemical warheads might fall.
Under direct attack, Jerusalem faced intense pressure from the United States not to respond. After careful deliberation, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir’s government agreed. Many saw that restraint as necessary for broader strategic reasons, even as it carried a significant emotional and psychological cost for Israelis and for Jews around the world.
Three-and-a-half decades later, Iran—not Iraq—drives the current threat environment. This time, Israel does not stand aside.
The United States and Israel now operate with a level of coordination built over years of deepening military, intelligence and technological integration. Israel brings capabilities that few countries can match. In areas such as missile defense, early-warning systems and intelligence integration, those capabilities have proven decisive in protecting lives and limiting damage across the region.
That contribution extends beyond the bilateral relationship. In recent years, Israel has taken on a growing role in regional defense. Its systems and expertise help blunt threats that affect multiple countries at once, including partners that until recently kept their distance. In moments of crisis, that contribution is not symbolic. It delivers results.
This evolution reflects a broader change in how the region functions. In 1991, policymakers treated Israel as a complicating factor in coalition politics. Today, countries across the Middle East confront a common threat and increasingly respond within a shared security framework that includes Israel as a capable and trusted partner.
The 2020 Abraham Accords accelerated this shift, opening channels for cooperation between Israel and several Arab states. Those agreements did not resolve every tension, but they created a foundation for practical coordination on security and stability.
The contrast with 1991 is stark.
During the first Gulf War, Israel absorbed attacks and stayed on the sidelines. Today, it operates as part of a wider regional effort to contain and deter a common adversary, while contributing capabilities that others in the region increasingly rely upon. A landmark example of how that relationship dramatically changed is the recent announcement that Israel deployed an Israeli-operated Iron Dome battery to the United Arab Emirates early in “Operation Epic Fury,” saving countless Emirati lives.
At the same time, this moment remains unsettled. A fragile ceasefire now holds with Iran, and efforts continue to test whether a more durable arrangement can emerge. The direction of this conflict and the stability of the region remain uncertain. Even after weeks of sustained strikes, Iran retains significant missile and drone capabilities, underscoring the risks that remain.
What has changed is harder to ignore. Sustained threats from Iran and its proxies have forced countries across the Mideast to reassess both risk and partnership. That reassessment has brought Israel into a more central role, not as a symbol, but as a proven contributor to regional security.
This does not resolve the region’s conflicts. It does not eliminate political sensitivities. It does not guarantee stability. It does, however, mark a shift that few would have anticipated a generation ago.
A story that once centered on Israeli restraint now includes Israeli capability. A region that once treated Israel as a liability now increasingly turns to it in moments of danger.
However this chapter ends, the change is real. It reflects not only shifts in military capacity but a deeper realignment of responses to shared threats. That is a development that will shape the region long after the current fighting subsides.
