What is happening between Israel and Iran and what’s the origin of the conflict between the two countries?
The conflict in the Middle East threatens to get deeper after explosions near a military facility in Iran. US officials say that it was Israel retaliating.
Explosions reported in Iran near a military facility are setting off alarms that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will rapidly spin out of control. US officials told CNN that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran in response to an “unprecedented” attack last weekend in which Iran and its proxies fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel.
The Israeli military had been on high alert for a possible threat from Iran in response to an attack against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. 13 people were killed including key members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which Israel has accused of supporting its enemies such as Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is not the first Israeli attack against Iran on Syrian soil, which is routinely subjected to attacks from the air.
In the attack attributed to Israel, one of the main Iranian military commanders in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, and two other senior officials of the Iranian Army were killed. It is the worst blow to Iran’s elite military since the extrajudicial killing of Qasem Soleimani, a general who headed the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard until he was killed by the US in 2020.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, assured that Israel “will regret [the consulate bombing],” while Iran’s ambassador to Syria stressed that “Israel crossed red lines.”
The two regional powers are sworn enemies on different sides of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, a conflict that for more than sixth months has disrupted the relative calm in the region.
Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari has been forced to explain that the Instructions for the population “have not changed” and that there is no need to buy food or withdraw money from the bank. However, the Army has recalled a few reservists to the ranks and strengthened missile defenses, in addition to withdrawing the leave of its soldiers.
What happened between Israel and Iran?
Iran strongly supports the liberation of the Palestinian people and is now one of Israel’s main enemies, but until 1979 the countries enjoyed good relations.
That year, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Persia, the title received by the monarchs of Iran, was overthrown. Reza Pahleví maintained close ties with the United States, so friendship with Israel came as a companion. However, after the fall of the Shah, a Shiite Muslim revolutionary government was established against American imperialism and Israeli Zionism.