Spokane-born retired American diplomat Ryan Crocker anticipates the conflict between Israel and Iran only to escalate in the coming days.

BEIRUT — Iran and Israel traded air raids and ballistic missile barrages overnight and into the evening Sunday, with neither side showing any inclination to back down from an escalating grudge match between the two longtime enemies.

The conflict, the most intense fighting between the two countries in decades, has been met in the United States with feelings of “frustration and helplessness,” as well as heartbreak.

Israel and Iran exchange missile attacks for a third day; nuclear sites hit, death tolls rise, airspace shut, U.S. warns Tehran against retaliation.

It’s too soon to tell how exactly the current wave of Israeli strikes could transform the region, but one thing is clear: Israel’s actions have fundamentally reshaped the security landscape of the Middle East.