Spectre of a wider conflict still looms in the Middle East
April 23, 2024
ISLAMABAD – THE spectre of a wider conflict still looms in the Middle East after Israel’s ostensibly ‘limited’ attack on Iran. The escalatory cycle of retaliation pushed the region to the precipice of a regional conflagration. But both countries seemed to pull back from the brink amid global calls for de-escalation.
The latest escalation of violence was sparked by Israel’s April 1 air strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus which killed seven members of the Revolutionary Guards including a top commander. This raised the stakes in a volatile situation with Iran retaliating with an unprecedented missile and drone attack targeting military installations in Israel. There were no casualties in what was a measured response. Iranian officials said it was not designed to inflict damage but send a message that Israel would have to pay for any action that breached Iran’s red lines. In response, Israel launched an undeclared drone strike at a military target in Isfahan, which also caused no damage. Iranian officials played down the “failed attack”, claiming three drones had been intercepted and indicating they had no intention to retaliate.
This marked the first direct military confrontation between the two adversaries who have long engaged in covert conflict. Israel has carried out assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, sabotage and strikes on Iranian assets in third countries while Iran-backed armed groups have been firing rockets across Israel’s border, although there is little equivalence between the two. With this conflict out of the shadows, the rules of the game have changed in the Middle East.
Both countries have crossed each other’s red lines. Iran’s retaliatory action sought to establish a
Related News
