Some of what you are saying is the whole reason I don't think we should be involved in the Mid East at all.
All the alliances and political landscape is so convoluted that we will not make sense of it. Also, the normal technique as a targeted action against a state, doesn't work there.
The Mid_East has been as war with its self, in some capacity, for thousands of years. The US is less than 300 years old, we are not going to roll in an change that.
Also, we have separation of church and state. Their states are entwined with religion (deeply). Our modality will not work for them and vice versa.
It is really best to not be involved with them.