U.S. and Israel Rejoind in the Crossroads of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the ‘Great Satan’ of the World
U.S. officials say that they have sent messages to allies with closer ties to Tehran to urge Iran to exercise restraint. The U.S. officials noted that the U.S. has also relayed the same message directly to Iranian officials.
Israel is on high alert for possible attacks from Iran, after an airstrike in Syria killed a number of senior Iranian military officers. Iran blames Israel for the attack, and has vowed to retaliate.
Iran also supports Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that led the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that triggered the current war, which Gaza health authorities say has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, over the past six months.
There isn’t much chance of reestablishing the friendship between Iran and Israel with both countries under the control of hard-liners.
Iran continues to insist that its program is 100% peaceful, although certain incidents, such as an unexplained discovery of uranium particles at sites Iran never disclosed to the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, trouble critics who doubt Iran’s motives.
The sabotage attacks continued into the 2020s, as Israel tried to damage the Iranian nuclear facilities. Nuclear scientists were also targeted. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear agreement in 2018 was seen as a blow to Tehran and a victory for Israel.
Even so limited cooperation between Iran and Israel continued into the 1980s. But later a hostile rivalry emerged as Iran built up and funded proxy militias and other groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Iran and Israel have been at war for many years.
Relations between the two nations fell apart after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was ousted, and the new supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pursued a policy of standing up to “arrogant” world powers. During his regime, the United States became known in Iran as the “Great Satan,” and Israel as the “Little Satan.”
The Oct. 7 Hamas Attack on Israel: Security of the Palestinian People and a Global War on the “Nakba“
Palestinians saw that recognition as a tacit international acceptance of what they call the “Nakba,” or catastrophe — the forced dispossession and displacement of more than 700,000 Palestinians when Israel was created in 1948.
Iran hailed the Hamas attack as a “victory”. Hours after news of the attack broke on Oct. 7, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told Iran’s ISNA news agency that “What took place today is in line with the continuation of victories of the anti-Zionist resistance in different fields, including Syria, Lebanon and occupied lands.”
Israel put together a video showing Hamas killings of civilians, including babies. Some of the attack videos were verified by Human Rights Watch and they are calling for an investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Many countries have issued warnings to their citizens not to visit the region, as tensions flare and fears grow that an Iranian attack may be imminent — and the war in Gaza may spread.
Israel has bombarded Gaza in the last six months, and the assault has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials.
Many officials around the globe expressed concern about the situation since the day Hamas launched its attack on Israel.
“President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel’s security is ironclad,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. “The United States will stand with the people of Israel and support their defense against these threats from Iran.”
Israel’s defense minister says Iran is a terrorist state, hours before the launch. “We are determined to defend our citizens against this terrorism, and we know how to respond to it.”
Israeli officials warned residents near Gaza and the Lebanon border to limit the size of gatherings, work indoors or within reach of a shelter, as anticipation had grown over a possible retaliation. Schools were closed through Monday in Israel.
IRAG Launch of Drones and Syrens in Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense of the State-Dependent State
The launch was confirmed by the White House, where a spokesperson said President Biden would monitor the attack from the Situation Room alongside top defense and diplomatic officials.
“We have determined a clear principle: Whoever harms us, we will harm them. Netanyahu said that they would defend themselves against any threat with determination.
In a Saturday night speech to Israelis, Benjamin Netanyahu said that he was ready for any situation, both defensively and offensive.
In a statement broadcast on Iranian state television, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had launched dozens of drones and missiles against targets in Israel.
The Israeli military spokesman said the drones would take hours to arrive in Israeli airspace. If sirens go off in their areas, he warned Israelis to stay in safe rooms for 10 minutes.