Standoff strikes and the limits of regime change

In this interpretation, US strikes launched from the Indian Ocean show how distance can limit exposure to retaliation. In that account, the forces could reach Iranian targets while remaining beyond reliable Iranian counterattack. The wider argument distinguishes destroying military capability from changing a government. Bombardment alone is rejected as a reliable means of producing regime change. Kosovo is invoked as a case where air attack accompanied the threat of a land force entering. Small boats capable of laying mines remain a further complication because they can operate from many places. The discussion therefore separates tactical reach, residual threats, and political outcomes.