Iran’s massive strike on Israel may have ended with little casualties, but it nevertheless signifies a dramatic shift in the two adversaries’ war.
A war that has long been waged outside of Israel, frequently in third countries, through proxies, killings, and strikes has now come to light.
Although top Israeli officials have presented this weekend’s Iranian attack as “revealing the true face” of Tehran, the trIran
uth is that Israel’s hit on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria, which resulted in the deaths of two senior Iranian generals among others, was mostly the result of Israel’s poor judgment.
Why did the attack take place?
Longtime foes Israel and Iran have been fighting a covert war for many years.
Tensions have increased due to Israel’s assault on Hamas, which has been ongoing since the terrorist organization attacked Israel on October 7.
US military positions in Iraq and Syria have been targeted by Iranian-backed troops, and Iran’s leadership has issued a warning that these strikes would not stop until Israel’s conflict in Gaza is concluded.
However, in early April, when Iran claimed that Israel had bombed its diplomatic facility in Syria, fears of a regional war spiraling out of control became even more.
According to Iran’s foreign ministry at the time, the airstrike damaged the consulate building in the country’s capital of Damascus, killing at least seven people, including senior commander Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi and Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a top commander in the country’s elite Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
Since then, there has been constant tension in the region as the US and Israel have issued warnings of impending Iranian attacks based on intelligence.