Iran and Israel: At the Edge of the War

Iran-Israel War: Tension is on the Rise and Regional Implications

The possibility of the war of Iran and Israeli has been at the forefront of geo politics in Middle East over the decades. Although the war has not yet erupted into an all-out, all-stream confrontation, both the countries are engaged in a stealth premature confrontation, characterized by state-sponsored clandestine activities, cyberspace war, direct executions, and proxy-battles in the region. The long-running conflict, based on ideology, strategy, and security reasons, has colossal overtures that not only concern the two related countries, but also the stability of the region and the world in large.

Historical Context

The tension in Iran-Israel is traced back to the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979 when this isle changed its alignment to a Western monarchy into a theocratic regime on a publicly declared war footing against Israel. Since this time Iran has always funded militant groups that are anti-Israel, e.g. Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Hamas in the Gaza strip. In its turn, Israel has been perceiving the increasing regional power and nuclear intentions of Iran as the threats to its existence.

Nuclear Concerns

The source of Israeli fear is at the center of nuclear program of Iran. Although Iran has consistently insisted that it wants to use its program on peaceful energy production, Israel and most states in the west feel that it would like to have the capacity of producing nuclear weapons. Israel has committed to keeping Iran devoid of such weapons and has enacted measures aimed at this such as state of sabotage, cyberattacks such as Stuxnet and the supposed murder of Iranian nuclear scientists.

One of the most threatening and convoluted rivalries in the Middle East is the one between Iran and Israel that has existed since the institutions of the countries. Although it has not officially declared the war yet, both states have been experiencing an extended and multipronged confrontation which manifests itself in cyberattacks, proxy wars, black ops, and campaigns of regional influence. The possibility of turnout to the direct conflict war is always in the minds of global powers which monitor this situation closely.

Strategic and Ideological origins

The Iran Israel conflict may be traced to 1979 when the Iran revolution toppled the Shah who was a close ally of Israel and the Islamic Republic who was led by Ayatollah Khomeini ascended to power. Since that, Iran has never declared to acknowledge Israel and it describes them frequently, as a so called Zionist regime. In the meantime, Israel does not just view Iran as a regional threat but a potential mortal threat, given the nuclear ambitions of the latter and the fact that it supports a number of organizations of anti-Israeli terrorists.

The Worshipful Nuclear Flashpoint

The nuclear program of Iran has been an issue of Israeli worry over a long period of time. Israel worries that the possession of nuclear weapons by Iran would seriously change the region balance of power and put fresh strength to Tehran policy of aggression. Although Iran insists that its nuclear policy is a peaceful one, a lot of western countries doubt just like Israel. Israel has already acted preemptively before and in 1981 it bombed the Iraqi Osirak reactor and Israel has made numerous statements that it would attack Iranian nuclear facilities in the event of a failure in diplomacy.The Proxy Warfare within the Region

The two countries have been using proxy forces to work towards their interests instead of confronting each other directly. Iran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon, militia in Syrain, Houthis in Yemen and militia in Iraq which is a threat to Israeli or western interests. Israel has responded to this, launching hundreds of airstrikes against Syrian targets affiliated to Iran, and Hezbollah in a bid aimed at denying Iranian acquisition of permanent military presence along Israeli borders.

The Cyber Battle Field

The fight has gone into cyber space as well. The two countries have well-developed cyber strength and it has been applied to attack infrastructure, government systems, and critical installations. These cases involve the perceived Israeli-American joint efforts as the 2010 Stuxnet virus, intended to destroy the Iranian nuclear centrifuges, and more recent Iranian cyberattacks on Israeli water systems and transportation systems.

Global Implications

The Iran-Israel-clash impacts the global arena. The direct war would invite the United States, Gulf Arab states, and even Russia that risks destabilizing the whole region. It would damage oil markets deeply and both sides of the conflict would lose so many civilians. Such attempts of the world powers to impose diplomatic negotiations as in the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) are essential in handling such tensions.

Conclusion

The Iran-Israel conflict might still not be an open war but it is evolving in a dangerous manner. With the world at risk of getting lost in their proxy wars and red lines, the whole planet must watch eventualities keenly. It is necessary that sustained diplomacy, strategic restraint and cooperation among the countries alleviates the further outburst of the same as it might result into a conflict that may swallow the whole middle east.