What is happening between Israel and Iran and what’s the origin of the conflict between the two countries?
Iran has launched a series of missiles against Israel in response to the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders as well as Palestinians and the Lebanese.
Iran launched a salvo of missiles against Israel, with Israel able to intercept many of them as others landed and triggered explosions.
Israel authorities have said there have been no reports of serious injuries so far. People have been allowed to leave their bomb shelters and return home, while the country’s airspace has reopened.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says the latest attack was carried out in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas leader in July and a Hezbollah leader last week, as well the deaths of Lebanese and Palestinian people.
The Israel Defense Force authorities warn the attack will have consequences, while Iran for its part says there will be more attacks if Israel strikes back.
READ ALSO: Israel’s multi-layered air-defense system
What’s the origin of the conflict between Iran and Israel?
The barrage of missiles from Iran is the latest development in the escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran.
The two regional powers are sworn enemies on different sides of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, a conflict that has disrupted the relative calm in the region for almost a year.
Iran strongly supports the liberation of the Palestinian people and is now one of Israel’s main enemies, but until 1979 the countries were allies.
READ ALSO: One of these men could be Hezbollah’s next leader in Lebanon
Before that year, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Persia, maintained close ties with the United States. This relationship between Iran and the U.S. brought along with it an amicable relationship with Israel.
However, Pahlavi was overthrown in the Islamic revolution of 1979. This change of regime ushered in a Shiite Muslim revolutionary government that fights against American imperialism and Israeli Zionism. This means Iran does not recognize Israel as a state and wishes to eradicate it. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini has described Israel as a “cancerous tumor.”
Israel for its part sees Iran as a threat because of its backing of anti-Israel groups such as Hezbollah, and because it believes that Iran is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons.