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Washington
Analysis | Iran’s escalation with Israel shifts focus away from Gaza
For Tehran, the attack was a response to an Israeli operation that killed seven senior Iranian officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps at an Iranian compound in Damascus, Syria. For Israel, the Iranian response demands its own reprisal. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, said Monday that “the launch of so many missiles and drones to Israeli territory will be answered with a retaliation.”
What that would look like was unclear at the time of writing, though a new Israeli attack seemed in the cards. Iran and Israel have been locked for years in a tacit shadow war, punctuated by airstrikes, assassinations and acts of sabotage. But the current round of escalation has sharpened the prospect of open war between the two Middle East powers — a volatile explosion that would likely lead to spillover violence across the region.
Iran has signaled that it does not want to engage in a full-blown war, either on its accord or through key proxies like Lebanese Shiite faction Hezbollah. The regime in Tehran seemed to telegraph its retaliatory strike, which was rebuffed by the combined efforts of Israel, the United States, Britain and Arab states like Jordan, and was left claiming, at best, a symbolic victory. Hard-right members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government called for a forceful response, while other Israeli allies, including President Biden, urged restraint.
The back-and-forth drama has offered Netanyahu something of a diversion from the more immediate crisis at hand. The right-wing prime minister and his war cabinet have faced mounting international criticism for their management of the war in Gaza, which has led to the deaths of more than 33,000 Palestinians and a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged territory. But the international response to the Iranian attack offered a reminder to Israelis of both the long-standing support they have in the West, as well as among their Arab neighbors in the region — such as the monarchies of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia that are similarly distrustful of Tehran’s ambitions and agenda.
For Palestinians, the escalation is a reminder of a status quo that existed before the Oct. 7 terrorist strike carried out by militant group Hamas, which triggered the current conflict. That deeper reality saw the political aspirations of millions of Palestinians undermined by an Israeli occupation regime that has no interest in giving them statehood, suppressed by their own dysfunctional leadership, and largely ignored by international diplomats, including U.S. and Arab officials more focused on the possibilities that could come with better integrating Israel into the region.
There were reports of fresh Israeli attacks on Palestinian civilians in both Gaza and the West Bank over the weekend. “The world overwhelmingly supports Israel, turning a blind eye to Gaza’s plight,” said 59-year-old Moreedd al-Assar, a resident of Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, to my colleagues. “We hold no significance, and the world won’t allow harm to its favored child, Israel.”
Iran, in its statements surrounding its strike on Israel, made no demands for a cease-fire in Gaza and linked their decision to the Israeli attack on their IRGC officers — rather than the suffering of Palestinians whose cause Tehran claims to champion. “After the Iranian attack, it looks like the war [in Gaza] has returned to the starting point, Israel versus Hamas,” wrote Jack Khoury in Israeli newspaper Haaretz. “As such, more than six months after the battle started, there are still 133 Israeli and non-Israeli hostages praying to be set free, while Gaza remains destroyed and bleeding, without any horizon or vision for the day after.”
The focus Monday was on the need for Israel to show restraint. Iran appeared to have carefully calibrated its attack on Israel in such a way that Western governments all rushed to counsel Israel against significant retribution.
“The attack was a failure,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said repeatedly in a BBC television interview Monday morning, describing it as a “double defeat” for Tehran in both military and geopolitical terms. “The right thing to do is not to escalate,” he said, when asked how Israel should respond. “We are urging them as friends to think with head as well as heart, to be smart as well as tough.”
“It’s about convincing against a response that escalates,” French President Emmanuel Macron urged. “Isolate Iran, succeed in persuading the countries of the region that Iran is a threat, build up sanctions, strengthen pressures against nuclear activity,” he said. “Then we can find a path to peace for the region.”
The shift in aperture away from Gaza may or may not last. “There are two scenarios: one is that American decision-makers realize that Netanyahu and his war cabinet are pulling NATO into a regional war with Iran, which is not in the interests of the U.S. or EU, and double down with massive pressure on Netanyahu to force a ceasefire in Gaza,” said Fadi Quran, a member of the Al-Shabaka Palestinian policy network, to Politico.
“The second scenario is that Netanyahu’s gamble with a regional war succeeds and Western leaders are cornered into allowing Israel to continue using starvation as a tactic in Gaza, attack [the southern Gazan city of] Rafah and pull the region closer to the abyss,” he added.
Incidents like the one in 2023 along the Baltimore Beltway — a crash that killed six highway workers — are the reason why officials gathered to stress the need for better work zone safety during National Work Zone Awareness Week.
This week, officials, workers and residents are calling for safer roads as they say there is still more work to be done when it comes to safety.
“It’s about understanding that each of us has a role to play in the safety and protection of one another,” William Pines from the Maryland State Highway Administration said.
With an active construction site as the backdrop — at the interchange between Pennsylvania Avenue and Suitland Parkway — roadway workers spoke up.
“We are not just workers, we are people — real people. We are parents, siblings, friends and neighbors. So when you see us out there, please pay attention to that.” Dawn Hopkins with Flagger Force Traffic Control Services said.
Hopkins says she’s had to sound an alarm to get her crew out of dangerous situations.
“Please slow down, stay alert…and watch out for us in the workzones,” Hopkins added.
While the number of crashes in Maryland work zones in 2025 remains concerning, it is lower than in 2024. In 2025, there were:
- 1,148 work zone crashes
- 9 work zone deaths
- 449 injuries
In 2024, there were:
- 1,302 work zone crashes,
- 12 work zone deaths, and
- 492 injuries
“While citations are down, we still had 19 citations that were issues where the automated system recorded drivers traveling in excess of 130 miles an hour in work zones,” Pines said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has proclaimed April 22 as “Go Orange Day” in Maryland, urging everyone to wear orange in support of highway worker safety.
A moment of silence for road workers who have been killed will be observed at noon this Friday.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].
Question: How has the local real estate market performed so far this year?
Answer: After a year where market conditions softened in favor of buyers, the Northern VA real estate market became more favorable for sellers in the first quarter of 2026, while the Washington DC condo market continued to reel.
What is in this article:
- Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Absorption Trends (demand)
- Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Inventory Trends (supply)
- Washington DC List Price Trends (market values)
Northern VA & Arlington Inventory is Being Absorbed Faster
After four straight quarters of double-digit decreases in year-over-year absorption, the Northern VA and Arlington markets saw a ~8% increase in absorption rate.
What this means: Demand increased in Q1
Northern VA & Arlington New Listing Volume is Declining
After a promising trend of six straight quarters of year-over-year increases in the number of homes listed for sale in Northern VA, new listing activity fell by ~1% each of the previous two quarters.
What this means: Sellers have less competition, buyers have fewer choices
Washington DC Condo Absorption is Plummeting
The absorption rate for DC condos has declined year-over-year for 16 quarters straight and 23 out of the past 26 quarters.
What this means: It is difficult to find buyers for DC condos
Washington DC Condo Inventory Declined Slightly
Total inventory declined by 3.4% year-over-year, the first quarterly drop since Q4 2023. Still, there were great than 2x more condos for sale in DC in Q1 2026 than Q1 2020
What this means: Motivated sellers must compete aggressively with each other for buyers
Washington DC Condos Keep Getting Cheaper
The average price of a DC condo listed for sale is 9.4% less than it was in Q1 2025 and ~9% less than it was ten years ago.
What this means: Even lowering the price won’t guarantee a buyer
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
We have access to the most pre and off-market listings across the DMV of any brokerage and are happy to share what’s available with anybody who asks.
Below are some of our team’s pre/off-market listings, details and additional listings available by request:
- Westover – 4BR/2BA/2,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2000) – 23rd St N Arlington VA 22205
- Green Valley – 5BR/4.5BA/3,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2020) – 24th St S Arlington VA 22206
- Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA/2,400sqft – Townhouse (2008) – N George Mason Dr Arlington VA 22203
- Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA+office/4,000 sqft – Four Townhouses (2026/2027) – 11th St N Arlington VA 22201
- Rosslyn – 2BR/2BA/1,800sqft – Condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
- Rosslyn – 3BR/2.5BA/2,400sqft – Condo (1986) – 1530 Key Blvd Arlington VA 22209
- Williamsburg – 6BR/5.5BA/5,500 sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – 27th St N Arlington VA 22207
- Yorktown – 6BR/6.5BA/6,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – N Greencastle St Arlington VA 22207
Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “on behalf of the Department of Education (ED),” on Monday released a Notice Inviting Grant Applications for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. Applications are due by May 29.
Last November, ED announced that it had entered into an interagency agreement with HHS to administer the CCAMPIS program. This is the first CCAMPIS competition conducted under this arrangement.
Approximately $73.5 million will go to institutions of higher education that awarded at least $250,000 in Pell grants to enrolled students in FY 2025. HHS will award about 148 grants, ranging from $150,000 to $1 million.
The terms of the grant competition are not significantly different than prior competitions. As before, there are two absolute grant priorities that every application must address – leveraging non-federal resources and utilizing a sliding-fee scale for low-income parents.
This year’s competition includes only one invitational priority that reflects the Trump administration’s general educational policy. The new priority, entitled “Expanding Education Choice in Early Learning Settings,” encourages applications that “expand access to education choice … including by empowering parents in choosing the early learning setting that best meets their family’s needs.” Flexible childcare programs that include drop-in care and care during nontraditional hours are also encouraged.
One other notable difference from prior competitions is an expanded “Terms and Conditions” section that not only requires compliance with applicable civil rights laws, but also refers to Trump administration Executive Orders and guidance on racial discrimination that clarify “the application of federal antidiscrimination laws to programs or initiatives that may involve discriminatory practices, including those labeled as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) programs.” This includes any “discriminatory equity ideology [as defined in Executive Order 14190] in violation of a federal antidiscrimination law.”
The exact scope of these terms is unclear because courts have not found many of the practices described in these Executive Orders and guidance documents to be violations of federal law.
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