With other wars such as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts, the Iran-Israel war may just seem as another building block of global conflict adding pressure on our fragile connecting bridges. However, its ties to the Israel-Palestine war makes it far more vital to understand than previously noted.
The conflict was parried back and forth for many years with numerous smaller disputes such as Hezbollah, an Iranian backed political party, and Israel fighting in 2023. Nonetheless, the conflict’s official beginning was marked on April 1st as the Iranian consulate, Damascus, was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. Thirteen people were killed during this attack including Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, an important figure in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Twelve days later, Iran sent an enormous response in the form of 300 missiles for the first time ever.
At least a million of those in Lebanon were displaced, most before October, forcing citizens to use street sides, benches, and cars as temporary homes simply to survive. October 2nd showed the arrival of 180 missiles fired by Iran to Israel, including a rumor of the first use of a hypersonic missile, a weapon with both agility and speed five times the speed of sound. Iran has said that it “considers itself entitled and obligated to defend against foreign acts of aggression.”
The increase in violence in the Middle East has caused many to watch in fear and closely examine rumors of a third World War. While the conflicts have not yet reached such a violent, chaotic level, many discuss the possibilities of what it has the potential to become. Furthermore, efforts from other countries to alleviate tensions may soon prove to be fruitful, or at least we all may hope.