Australia and the World Past and Present

Iran’s recent launching of hundreds of aerial drones and missiles at Israel is a worrying sign that the Israel-Palestine conflict could spill over into a wider conflagration.

It is Iran’s first direct attack against Israel in a long time.

Almost all of the projectiles were shot down before they could land on Israeli targets.

Some analysts have played down the potential of the strike noting that Iran had telegraphed the move for some time in advance, allowing Israel time to prepare. Nevertheless, there is always the possibility that the situation will spiral out of hand.

The United States was involved in the interception of the missiles.

There has been recent tension between Israel and the United States over how Israel is conducting the war in Gaza.

Still, there is no doubt that the US will support Israel against direct military attacks such as these.

The US is hoping to see a de-escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Israel wants to avoid having to fight on multiple fronts. Israel is always concerned that it may have to face increased activity from Hezbollah on its northern flank.

An Israeli Defense Forces spokesman said that some of the missiles came from inside Iraq and Yemen.

Iran has said that the launching of drones and missiles was in response to the recent attack on its consulate in Syria on 1 April in which seven officers were killed. Iran has condemned the attack on its consulate. Diplomatic facilities are not usually targeted in war.

Israel has not accepted responsibility for the attack on the consulate, nor has it denied it.

Iran is believed to have been operating against Israel through proxies for years, in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and through their support of Hamas.

To say that relations between Israel and Iran are at a low point would be a understatement.

From 1953 to 1979, when Iran was under the Shah, the two counties were on much friendlier terms.

Relations deteriorated after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the rise of a theocratic state inside of Iran. Relations became even worse after the Gulf War.

Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons runs up against Israel’s Begin Doctrine. According to this doctrine, Israel opposes any of its enemies having nuclear weapons.

Continuing cross-border strikes make a dangerous situation even more dangerous. These individual events may further destabilise a troubled region.