Current sectionMiddle East NewsAnalysis While Gulf states continue to pursue a policy of containment regarding Iranian attacks, the responses they trigger could escalate into a region-wide warShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeZvi Bar'el06:03 AM • June 04 2026 IDTIsrael and the Gulf states are trapped inside a tit-for-tat strategy that Iran is using against U.S. President Donald Trump, one that resembles the one Hezbollah employed against Israel for years. That was in evidence on Wednesday when Iran attacked Kuwait's airport and launched missiles at Bahrain after U.S. forces attacked targets on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Gulf. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Iran - U.S.IranMiddle EastHezbollahDonald TrumpCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Israel-Iran Live UpdatesLebanonTrump-NetanyahuMamdani-Israel ParadeGazaIsrael ElectionsRome PrideHaQuizHaaretz PodcastTrump Still Has No Answer to Iran's Tit-for-tat StrategyNYU Student Draws Hate Crime Rap for Flying Flag With Swastikas, Star of DavidIsrael and Lebanon Agree to Renew Cease-fire, Will Create 'Pilot' Security ZonesSara Netanyahu Joined in Interview of Candidate for PM's Military SecretaryHaaretz CartoonRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIFar-right Israeli Ministers Join Thousands at Israel Day Parade in New YorkWho Built the Biblical-era Fortresses in the Deserts of Israel and Jordan?UN Report Accuses Israeli Forces of Rape, Sexual Abuse of Palestinian DetaineesNot Lapid or Bennett: Could This Former IDF Chief Be Israel's Next Leader?Israel's Solution to the Gaza Problem Is Well Underway'Fucking Crazy': Trump Lashes Out at Netanyahu Over Lebanon, Report Says