AS Sun Tzu, the master Chinese strategist of antiquity put it, “all warfare is based on deception”. Propaganda has been an essential part of war for centuries, with the victors overplaying their successes and the victims downplaying their losses. But in the current era of information warfare, deception has reached new heights, not only in the actual battlefield, but also in the battle of narratives.

The current Israeli-American aggression against Iran is no exception. In this conflict, as the truth has become blurred in the fog of war, questions have been raised about some of the attacks, particularly counter-attacks believed to have been carried out by Iran.

For example, both Iranians and Arab observers have pointed out that many of the strikes blamed on Tehran targeting Arab civilian and energy infrastructure may have been carried out by someone else. The Saudi editor of Independent Arabia has said he believes not all the attacks were coming from Iran, and that according to some, the war is a US-Israeli “trap” to draw Iran and the Gulf states into direct conflict. Qatar’s former prime minister Hamad bin Jassim has similarly said there are “forces” that want the GCC states to directly fight Iran.

Meanwhile, the UK has said that a drone shot down at a British base in Cyprus was not launched from Iran. Pro-Iran fighters in Lebanon or Iraq could be involved, but this has not yet been proven. While there is little doubt that Iran is involved in many of the retaliatory attacks, the facts raise suspicions that another player may be at work, taking advantage of the situation, through deception, to bring Iran and the Arabs into direct conflict. And it is not difficult to guess the identity of this player.

Israel has a long, dark history of deception and hasbara. It is entirely possible that Tel Aviv is involved in targeting civilian and non-military facilities, while falsely implicating Iran. If hostilities increase between Tehran and the Arabs, Israel would have won through minimal effort. Hence, the Iranians and Arabs need to be wary of Israel’s sinister efforts.

Iran’s president did the right thing by pledging to cease attacks on his Gulf neighbours. The Arabs, on their part, should not allow themselves to be trapped into opening a front against Tehran. Arguably, the US and Israel care little for either the Arabs or the Iranians. The former is interested in multibillion-dollar arms deals with wealthy Arab sheikhdoms to prop up its military-industrial complex, while the latter wants the region to shatter so that its dream — a nightmare for most — of ‘Greater Israel’ can be achieved. The region must be wary of these attempts to send it up in flames.

Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2026