Shahruk Ahmed Mazumdar*
Israel has persisted in hitting what it claims are militant targets throughout Gaza almost a year after the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught sparked the Palestinian war, despite the focus shifting to Iran and Lebanon. Israeli ground forces have invaded Lebanon to combat Hezbollah. In the last two weeks, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon.
Iran’s ballistic missile strike on Israel on 1 October 2024 represents a significant intensification of the multiparty confrontation in West Asia. The attack was expected since Iran was under pressure from its allies both domestically and internationally to react to Israel’s persistent provocations. The ongoing conflict serves to highlight a broader problem: Iran is unwilling to follow other Islamic nations in supporting the Palestinians; instead, it wants to play an active role, aided by its proxies, and use assistance to demonstrate its pro-Palestinian stance.
When Israel attacked the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, it was Israel that brought the war directly to Iran. This time, the attack occurred within days, as opposed to April, when Iran took 14 days to allow the United States and its allies to form a coalition to intercept Iranian rockets. Israel once again intensified the confrontation after it murdered Hezbollah senior leader Fuad Shukr, who was close to Hassan Nasrallah, the group’s secretary general, in an airstrike on a suburb of Beirut on July 30. A few hours later, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, who was in Tehran to witness Masoud Pezeshkian’s swearing-in ceremony, was assassinated in the Iranian capital.
Iran threatened to retaliate, but it allegedly agreed to halt its firing to allow for peace negotiations in Gaza. But with Israel still bombing the territory and killing hundreds of Palestinians every week, peace negotiations in Gaza came to nothing. Iran remained silent out of concern that it might start a larger conflict. Iran sought to alter the terms of its antagonistic relationship with Israel. Iran would retaliate directly if its officers were targeted or Iranian sovereignty was violated, Tehran was attempting to convey.
Additionally, the message was favourably received in April in Jerusalem. In response to the Iranian attack, Israel launched a weak, unproven airstrike. The problem has gotten worse because US President Joe Biden is walking away from his position of leadership. While directing his diplomatic efforts toward averting a regional conflict, he has allowed Israel complete autonomy in Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has repeatedly crossed red lines, but he has not changed his mind.
Israel vowed to retaliate after Iran declared on Wednesday that the attack, which was its largest against Israel, was over unless provoked further. There have been almost 41,600 deaths in the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. More than 96,600 Palestinians have also been injured in Gaza since the start of the conflict. “The Islamic Republic is committed to having a stronger response if Israel wants to react,” President Masoud Pezeshkian stated during a press conference in Doha.
Iran desired that Israel be opposed by the Axis. The Axis (Hezbollah) desired a small-scale conflict. However, Israel was prepared for an increase. Furthermore, Israel chose to use full force when it detected reluctance on the part of its adversaries. It began by detonating the pagers and walkie-talkies, which are commonly employed by terrorist organisations and militias, indiscriminately targeting Hezbollah’s ground personnel, its communication network, and Lebanese civilians after deciding to intensify the conflict. Then, Israel targeted senior Hezbollah commanders in waves of heavy airstrikes in Lebanon.
The death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, in an Israeli strike on September 27 has sparked worries of a wider war, and the level of violence in the Middle East is rising quickly every day. Hezbollah plays a significant role in this conflict by fighting Israel and defending the Palestinians’ right to exist. With the Islamic Republic’s political and financial support, the group was established in the early 1980s and was legitimate in its opposition to Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. The Shia militia was praised as a successful model for the Palestinian resistance when Israel concluded its 18-year occupation in May 2000. However, Hezbollah’s assertions of being a force of resistance persisted after Israel’s unilateral withdrawal, which the UN acknowledged and accepted.
Even the United States might become involved in a regional conflict that could erupt at any time, and the battle in Gaza is still underway. It would be disastrous and may get out of hand if there were several parties involved in a full-scale conflict. As China and Russia have significant influence in Tehran and the United States has significant influence over Israel, preventing such a result must be the top concern of the major international powers.
*The author is a columnist from Assam and can be reached at: shahruktechnical@gmail.com. X/Twitter id: @Shahrukhahmedsk
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