THE latest exchange between Israel and Iran — a shadow war that came into the open after the Oct 7 events last year — came early on Saturday, when Tel Aviv’s forces hit Iranian military facilities in Tehran, as well as the provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan, which border Iraq.

Iran has downplayed Israel’s aggression, saying it caused “limited damage”, with reportedly four Iranian troops killed. It appears that the warmongers in Tel Aviv have listened to American calls to avoid hitting Iranian oil and nuclear facilities; an attack on such installations would have had horrific consequences for the entire region.

Yet this does not take away from the fact that Israel indulged in a highly condemnable act of violating another country’s sovereignty — sadly, it has been displaying such behaviour for decades. The attack, unlike previous ones, has been acknowledged by Israel, and was meant as retribution for Iran’s missile barrage targeting the Zionist state on Oct 2. That Iranian action had been triggered by the killings of Ismail Haniyeh and Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

The Israeli aggression has been followed by global calls for de-escalation. The US and UK have sanctimoniously lectured Iran not to target Israel further. Iran’s Arab neighbours have condemned the attacks, as has Pakistan, with the Foreign Office saying “Israel bears full responsibility for the current cycle of escalation”. The Pentagon has also reaffirmed America’s “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security.

Yet Iran feels that it cannot leave its allies in the ‘Axis of Resistance’ alone at a time when they are confronting Israel. Moreover, it should be remembered that Israel has been killing Iranian generals and scientists long before the Hamas operations last year. And the Iranian missile strikes targeting Israel in mid-April — the first time Tehran directly hit Israel — were prompted by the devastating bombing of an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, widely believed to be the handiwork of Israel.

The next phase of this geopolitical tussle will depend on the Iranian reaction to the Israeli provocation. Tehran’s foreign ministry has issued an ambiguous statement, observing that while the Islamic Republic wanted “regional peace”, the country was “entitled … to defend itself”. Israel’s Western friends, primarily the US and UK, have justified their ally’s atrocities by saying that Israel has a right to self-defence. By that logic, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen also have a right to defend themselves from Israeli aggression. Most importantly, the Palestinian people have a right not to be slaughtered by Israel.

If the global community is serious about de-escalation in the region, it must call for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, and an end to Israel’s aggression in Lebanon. Without this, the regional war underway will only intensify.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2024