Devendra Kumar
The recent wave of violence between Israel and Iran has pushed the two long-standing enemies to the precipice of a full-scale regional war. The latest eruption of violence began after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Iranian-backed Palestinian groups, launched attacks on Israel in October, prompting a devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza. In response, Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed proxy in Lebanon, unleashed its own missile strikes, opening up a second front in the conflict. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have also joined the fray, triggering a shadow war that has been waged for years but has now intensified significantly.
The escalation in violence has been met with a sense of unease and uncertainty, as neither side appears willing to back down. Iranian state television reported that air defense batteries had fired in several provinces, amid reports of drones in the air. While authorities attributed the explosion in the sky of Isfahan to the shooting of air defense systems at a suspicious object, Israeli authorities declined to comment. The apparent attack occurred on the birthday of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, casting further doubt on the true motives behind the incident.
Despite the apparent lack of progress towards a resolution, analysts warn that the situation remains precarious and that further fighting is likely. As Amos Harel, a military-affairs commentator for the Israeli daily Haaretz, noted, “it appears we’re closer than ever to a broad regional war, despite the fact that the international community will most likely make a great effort to de-escalate tensions.” The UN secretary-general has also called for an end to the strikes, urging leaders to halt the “dangerous cycle of retaliation in the Middle East.”
The deep-seated grievances between Israel and Iran, including Iran’s nuclear program and its support for hostile proxies across the Middle East, have fueled the tensions. Israel has long regarded Iran as its greatest enemy, and the latest escalation has only served to further increase the animosity between the two nations. As the situation remains volatile and prone to further escalation, it threatens to plunge the Middle East into a broader conflict. The international community is likely to continue urging restraint, but the two nations appear to be locked in a cycle of violence that seems difficult to break.