MIDDLE EAST
How many people live in Israel and Iran? What countries do they border with?
Iran and Israel do not border each other, but the geographical structure of the region plays a key role on how relationships have been formed.
Iran launched an attack with dozens of drones towards Israeli territory, followed by a wave of ballistic missiles, as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency.
According to a CNN report, Israeli air defences have intercepted some of the Iranian attacks, while the United States continues “shooting down drones,” reported a U.S. official.
“In accordance with our steadfast commitment to Israel’s security, U.S. forces in the region continue to shoot down drones launched by Iran targeting Israel,” said the official, according to the outlet. “Our forces remain positioned to provide additional defensive support and protect U.S. forces operating in the region,” he added.
Why did Iran attack Israel?
Iran’s mission to the United Nations confirmed that the military action occurred in response to Israel’s aggression against its diplomatic facilities in Damascus. Earlier this month, Iran had pledged a response after its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, was destroyed in an alleged Israeli missile strike, killing seven people, including a senior commander and his deputy.
Following the attack, Iran confirmed that “the matter may be considered concluded.,” but added, “however, if the Israeli regime makes another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the United States MUST STAY AWAY!”
The geographical context of Iran and Israel
Both countries are located in the Middle East region. Iran borders Iraq and Turkey to the west, Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea and Turkmenistan to the north, Afghanistan and Pakistan to the east, and the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf to the south.
On the other hand, Israel shares its borders to the north with Lebanon, to the northeast with Syria, to the east with Jordan, the West Bank (Palestine), and the Dead Sea, to the west with the Gaza Strip, to the southwest with the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), and to the south with the Gulf of Aqaba, in the Red Sea.
Iran covers an area of 636,400 square miles (1,6 million km²) while Israel has a territory of 8,630 square miles (22,145 km²). Iran’s population currently reside at over 89 million inhabitants, with Israel at around 10 million.