You can strike a commander, but you cannot strike a grievance. Leadership targets may satisfy the appetite for a clean ending, yet they often release the worst forces, pride, revenge, and frantic succession. Operation Epic Fury began on 28 Feb 2026, and already the story is being told as salvation by force. That story is a monster you cannot easily put back in its box. The mechanism is self-feeding: fear justifies escalation, escalation justifies more fear, and citizens become spectators of their own anxiety. If the Strait of Hormuz is threatened and the region lights up, the costs will land far from Tehran and Tel Aviv, in every household that buys fuel and food. The bravest act now would be to stop climbing and start negotiating, before the cliff chooses for you.