Israel-Iran war: Exploring risk of escalation to global conflict

vengeance incarnate!

After threatening vengeance for a deadly attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus, Iran sent drones and missiles towards Israel.

Israel vs Iran

Although Israel has not officially acknowledged carrying out the consulate strike, it is generally accepted that it was.This is the first time Iran has launched a direct attack against Israel.

Covert war!

Israel and Iran have already been fighting a covert war for years, targeting each others property without taking credit for their actions. Since the Palestinian organization Hamas launched an offensive on neighboring Israeli villages in October of last year, there has been a significant increase in these attacks in the Gaza conflict.

Age old conflict

Prior to the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, which installed a government that has made opposing Israel a central tenet of its philosophy, the two nations were allies.

Controversial statements

Iran wants to destroy Israel and does not acknowledge its right to exist. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the countrys top leader, has previously referred to Israel as a cancerous tumour that shall surely be uprooted and annihilated.

Iran's rhetoric

The formation of proxy forces dedicated to Israels destruction, the financing and arming of Palestinian organizations like Hamas and the Shia militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and what Israel perceives as Irans covert pursuit of nuclear weapons—despite Irans denials—all indicate that Iran poses an existential threat to Israel.

Iranian embassy mishhap

Iran claims that the bombardment of Israel on Saturday night is retaliation for an airstrike on an Iranian embassy facility in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. The attack claimed the lives of senior Iranian officers. Iran views the airstrike as an infringement on its sovereignty and accuses Israel of carrying out it.

Reza Zahedi catches fire

Thirteen persons were slain, including Brig Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a top commander of Irans elite Republican Guards (IRGC) unit abroad, the Quds force. He had played a pivotal role in the Iranian plan to supply Hezbollah, the Shia military force in Lebanon.

Long war ahed!

The attack on the consulate is part of a pattern of airstrikes targeting Iranian targets that are commonly linked to Israel. In recent months, airstrikes in Syria have claimed the lives of several senior IRGC commanders.

IRGC & WW3

The IRGC supplies Hezbollah with weapons and equipment, including highly accurate missiles, via Syria. Israel is attempting to halt these supplies in addition to preventing Iran from escalating its military posture in Syria.