Over the weekend it seems the already dire situation in the middle east has become even worse as in retaliation to Israel’s attack on its embassy in Syria, Iran, through its proxies in Lebanon and Syria, In addition, Iran launched its arsenal of drones towards Israel, and there are rumors that Iran’s feared hypersonic missiles have already been launched. More attacks from Iran are expected to follow.
The situation developed following Israel’s attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria the Saturday before last Saturday. In the drone attack, Israel reportedly killed two of Iran’s top ranking generals who were in the country to assist Iranian proxies that exist in Syria, such as the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, which generally controls most of the country and is friendly towards Iran and the states Iran is aligned to: Russia and China. The attack on Iranian soil (embassies are generally considered to belong to the country that is housed within them) enraged the government of Iran, and led many to believe a response was incoming.
The world has long been aware of Iran’s massive missile and drone stockpile. Iran has used them in proxy conflicts across the Middle East, and in the aftermath of the assassination of an Iranian general in 2020, threatened to use them against the United States. However, whilst it was known that Iran’s stockpile is indeed massive, the exact extent of their power was and still is, unknown, even after the attack. The measured scale of what they were prepared to bring against Israel was unknown.
The attack occurred over the weekend, as hundreds of rockets and drones roared towards Israel from Syria, Lebanon, and Iran itself, marking the first open war the Islamic State of Iran has engaged in since the Iran-Iraq war back in the cold war. Damage is unknown, but Israel claimed it had intercepted 99% of all rockets and drones that Iran had sent, citing the Iron Dome, the notorious Israeli Anti-Air defense system that is world renowned for its effectiveness.
The intentions of Iran remain rather unclear, as their famed hypersonic missiles, which could evade the Iron Dome, have not yet been reported. Some claim Iran is only striking as a symbolic response, to declare to Israel they are not afraid to strike back, whilst more skeptical observers believe that this is merely the first phase of a greater Iranian counter-attack. Intelligence analysts and reports remain divided, meaning no unified conclusion can be gathered.
The attack can be considered yet another phase of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, started by the September attacks made by Hamas, and escalated by the Israeli government under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran has supported Hamas in the past, and supported organizations that support Hamas, such as the Houthis (a Yemeni Islamic militant organization), and Hezbollah (A Lebanese Islamic militant organization). Iran’s counter-attack thus could escalate the war further, or simply be non-representative of much.
Israel has already vowed retaliation against Iran, and is mobilizing the IDF and its forces, alongside United States forces in the region. Whilst the allies of Israel have encouraged Israel not to respond in a full manner, the erratic government of the nation and Netanyahu’s direction may ignore these warnings, and pursue a full war with Iran. It seems the coming weeks will decide the fate of the region in this regard.
Once again, the Middle East burns with the fires of war, the land of black gold having its sand dyed red. Only time will tell whether the fires will be extinguished or consume the region in whole.
