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 have opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict. Israel launched a major attack with strikes early Friday that set off explosions in the Iranian capital of Tehran.

But the attack has far-reaching implications for the two middle-east nations and the region as a whole. Above all else, the conflict has the potential to disrupt peace and progress in the two nations and create a state of instability for as long as the war lasts.

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.

The Iranian and Israeli strikes mark the most sustained, direct attacks ever between the two rivals. Three people were killed in Israel and at least 78 in Iran, officials said.