Israel’s attacks

The crisis in the Middle East seems to be unending as Israel continues to play the role of bully and aggressor, continuing its violent ways without any restraint. After waging a war on Gaza – which has turned into a thought-out genocide – since October last year, the warmongering Zionist state is facing global backlash. This backlash has persisted despite the support Israel has received from the US and other Western governments. It is safe to say that as far as so much of the world’s regular population is concerned, Israel finally stands exposed for what it is: a warring settler-colonial state that has waged violence on the bodies, home, and lives of the Palestinian people for decades. This is probably why some feel that, in a bid to distract the world from the ongoing genocide, Israel attacked Iran’s embassy in Syria earlier this month in order to provoke Iran and start another escalation in this already war-torn region. It has been noted by everyone that Iran and other countries in the region had so far shown a lot of restraint vis-a-vis Israel despite the heinous war crimes being committed in Gaza.

Once Israel had attacked the Iranian embassy and target-killed Iran’s senior military leadership, it was only a matter of time before Iran responded – using its legitimate right to defend itself as a sovereign nation. Iran carried out an attack on an airbase in Israel’s Negev desert on the night of April 13. Clearly, Iran had to respond after such a provocative act by Israel. However, it is also clear that the US and the world do not have an appetite for another full-fledged war after the Ukraine-Russia conflict, especially since this is election year in the US. Israel though may have other plans. Israel hit Iran with a missile in the early hours of Friday while Iranian state media says Iran’s air defences brought down three small drones over the central city of Isfahan. According to Western media, the Israeli response was limited in its extent and because there has been no official response from the Israeli government, this is being taken to indicate that things might not escalate any further. However, a blast on Saturday at a military base used by the Iran-aligned Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Iraq is being investigated.

By all estimations, while Israel would want an all-out war with Iran, it will not do so without the support of its Western allies, particularly the US. This opposed Iran which could have easily used its allies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen to attack Israel, but showed utmost restraint and acted responsibly despite extreme provocation. Tensions between Iran and Israel are not new. Israel wants complete hegemony in the region and sees Iran as an obstacle to its nefarious designs. Many were expecting Iran to go to war when Israel started committing war crimes in Gaza but that would have meant the world not seeing the reality of Israel and its inhumanity. We have seen how Netanyahu and his cabinet and many of the Israeli people are hell bent upon shedding innocent blood. It seems their appetite for Palestinian misery and death has not yet reached its limit as we hear more and more horrific stories and see videos coming out of Gaza. From bombing innocents, including children and women, to downright starving the Gazans, from hitting hospitals and schools to killing journalists with impunity, Bibi has shown how he will be remembered as one of the biggest genocidal leaders in history – leading a not less violent state. The West may not say it out loud due to its relations with Israel but everyone in the world with a conscience knows that what is happening in Gaza is a blot on humanity. There is no forgiving the massacre upon massacre we have seen in the past six months.