Now that Israel and Iran have attacked each other’s territory directly for the first time, the world braces for the possibility of a war between the two heavily armed nation states.
If full-scale war eventuates, it would have deep consequences well beyond the Middle East, rippling all the way to the Indo-Pacific.
The night skies above Tel Aviv are lit up as Israel’s defence systems intercept drones and missiles from Iran. Credit: Getty
To now, the Jewish state and the Islamic Republic, while sworn enemies, have conducted hostilities indirectly. They are some 1700 kilometres apart, separated by Jordan, Syria and Iraq.
But, on April 1, a missile struck an Iranian consulate in Syria, assassinating a top Iranian general. Israel is the suspected aggressor but has not admitted so.
The Iranian consulate, technically, is considered Iranian territory; the ayatollahs vowed revenge.
They aimed more than 300 missiles and armed drones at Israel on the weekend. They failed to land a punch. According to Jerusalem, 99 per cent of the hostile weaponry was shot out of the sky by the combined interception efforts of Israel, the US, UK, France and Jordan.
It’s a relief for a frightened Israeli public, and an embarrassment for Iran. Joe Biden reportedly called it a “win” for Israel. Yet Iran says it intends no further direct hostilities unless Israel retaliates.
The ayatollahs are not ready for full-scale war against the combined might of Israel, the US and possibly other allies, too. The Iranian regime has always preferred to outsource risk by arming proxy forces on foreign soil, like Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen.