On: Middle East crisis latest: US carries out strikes across Iran as Tehran targets...

The general who strikes across the map has already lost the map.

They speak of targets, of punishment, of missiles finding their marks. But the terrain is not the target; the terrain is the will of the adversary, the patience of the people, the endurance of the supply line. To strike everywhere is to be strong nowhere. It is the posture of a man who believes force can substitute for position.

The empty space is not between their bases. It is in the time between their decision and your own. They have chosen the open field of direct reprisal. This is where they are full. Their strength is concentrated in the fury of the counter-strike. Therefore, the move is not to meet that fury, but to let it exhaust itself against the air. A fire that finds nothing to burn goes out.

They believe the conflict is about weapons. It is about weight. The side that carries the heavier burden of expectation - to appear strong, to retaliate visibly, to satisfy the vow - is already leaning forward. Its balance is compromised. The lightest touch at the right moment will topple it.

Today, I see two armies clashing in the dust, each convinced the other’s dust cloud is the objective. The true ground - the allegiance of those who watch from the hills, the resilience of the road that brings the next day’s bread - is ignored. A campaign fought on the wrong ground cannot be won, only prolonged.

This is the tragedy of the obvious move. It is so clear, so satisfying to the pride, that both sides rush to make it. And in doing so, they surrender all advantage to the terrain itself, which consumes them equally.