The shift in strategy has punctured the sense of security long cultivated by Gulf states, while inflicting psychological pressure on civilian populations across the region and rattling global markets and shipping lanes. It is also triggering a rethink of conventional air-defense math. Combined missile and drone attacks have become a defining feature of modern warfare. Cheap drones and relatively inexpensive missiles can compel defenders to expend far more costly interceptors, tilting the offense-defense balance toward attackers able to produce unmanned weapons at scale.