TEL AVIV, Israel — On Friday morning, Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Iran, marking a peak in the prolonged tension and covert confrontations between the two nations that have spanned decades. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently labeled Iran as the predominant threat to Israel. His claims revolve around Iran’s advancing nuclear program, aggressive rhetoric, and backing of anti-Israel militant groups scattered across the Middle East. Conversely, Iran has been a vocal supporter of Palestinians and views Israel as an intrusive force in the Middle East.
This latest surge in conflict took shape following a significant assault by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a forceful Israeli backlash. This escalation eventually embroiled Iran’s affiliates in an intense series of Israeli offensives, leaving Iran largely isolated in the confrontation experienced on Friday.
Examining the historical animosities, Israel and Iran emerged as rivals following Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. After the revolution, Iran’s leadership pointedly identified the U.S., Britain, and Israel as enemies due to their associations with the ousted Iranian monarchy and a broader legacy of Western colonialism and military interventions in the region.
Over recent decades, Israel has accused Iran of harboring ambitions for nuclear weaponry, purportedly conducting various clandestine operations against Iran’s nuclear initiatives, including cyber-attacks and the assassinations of Iranian nuclear experts. Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear aspirations are strictly peaceful. Nonetheless, the U.N. nuclear agency has recently underscored concerns that Iran possesses substantial uranium enrichment capabilities, approximating the threshold for creating multiple nuclear devices if chosen.
The International Atomic Energy Agency along with Western nations believe Iran had an organized nuclear weapons agenda up until 2003. Despite Iran’s assertions of maintaining a peaceful program, the nation continues to elevate its uranium to near weapons-grade metrics. For Israel, the inception of a nuclear-capable Iran represents a critical existential hazard, with aspirations of dismantling Iran’s network of regional allies, such as Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the former regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Iran’s network, known as the “Axis of Resistance,” wielded considerable influence in the region over the past 40 years, but suffered significant impairments following the October 7 assault. Years of active conflict with Israel shrank Hamas’ military abilities, leading to mass casualties within the Palestinian population and severe destruction within the Gaza Strip, culminating in large-scale displacement and food scarcity concerns.
Hezbollah and Israel shared numerous retaliatory strikes over the course of the past year, ending with Israel executing precise operations that crippled Hezbollah’s leadership and devastated southern Lebanon through a systematic ground and air assault, further diminishing Hezbollah’s capabilities.
In the aftermath, Israel’s strategies enabled them to capture portions of southern Syria and dismantle substantial military infrastructures, contributing to regional destabilization, particularly weakening Iran following Israeli military engagements linked to the Gaza conflict.
Addressing the timing of Israel’s recent actions, Netanyahu highlighted the urgency by pointing towards Iran’s recent advancements in uranium enrichment, which Israel fears could potentially allow Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon imminently. The U.S. and Israel have long retained the possibility of military intervention to thwart Iran’s nuclear advancements. However, former President Donald Trump pursued diplomatic negotiations after withdrawing from a previous nuclear agreement during his tenure.
A continuation of diplomatic discussions was slated for Oman on Sunday, yet the execution of these talks remains uncertain after Israel’s recent strikes. Historically, Israel has harbored skepticism around diplomatic ventures, fearing they inadvertently afford Iran the time needed to enhance its nuclear capabilities. Their stance remains firm that Iran should relinquish its nuclear program entirely, something Iran resolutely refuses.
It recently surfaced that, for the first time in two decades, the IAEA board rebuked Iran for lack of collaboration with inspectors, to which Iran responded by announcing the establishment of additional enrichment facilities and implementation of advanced centrifuge technology.
Marginal US backing has been noted, as Trump had reportedly requested that Netanyahu refrain from any military actions while diplomatic talks were ongoing. Nevertheless, Trump’s administration has largely been supportive of Israel’s moves, abstaining from denouncing Friday’s missile strikes.