TENSION between Iran and Israel have reached a dangerous level following the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus by Tel Aviv that killed three top commanders from Iran’s al-Quds Force and four other officers. Sensing a strong retaliation from Tehran, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant claimed on Sunday that his country has completed its preparations to respond to any possible scenario involving Iran.
It has consistently been warned by saner voices that the ongoing genocidal war in Gaza has the potential to expand and it seems Israel is deliberately provoking Iran to drag it into a hot conflict. Iran has strongly reacted to the attack with President Ebrahim Raisi vowing Iran would retaliate at its own choosing while supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed determination to make Israel regret the attack. Israel has closed its embassies in several countries for fears of reprisals and its defence forces are on high alert. Now much depends on the kind and level of response from Iran to the Israeli criminal act, which has been described by Tehran’s UN mission describing it as “flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international law and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises”. Israel is under the impression Iran doesn’t want to get dragged into a regional war, so if it escalates its attacks against Iranian assets and personnel in Syria, it probably will be cost-free and if Iran does respond and retaliate, then it becomes a justified pretext for expanding the war. However, it is now clear that Israel is emboldened by the lackluster response of the global community to its genocide in Gaza and is taking the risk of an escalation in the conflict lightly. There are genuine apprehensions that any escalation would not remain confined to the two countries and might involve other regional countries with dangerous consequences for regional and global peace as well as the economy.
