Since Iran launched a massive missile and drone attack on Israel over the weekend, Israel’s allies have warned its leaders to avoid responding in a way that could trigger a regional war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to push back on those warnings on Wednesday, saying the country would “take all necessary measures to defend itself.”
Here’s where Israel gets caught up in conflicts, some of which can escalate quickly:
Iran
On Saturday, Iran launched its first direct attack on Israel. The attack itself caused little damage, as nearly all the missiles and drones were intercepted by Israeli air defenses backed by the United States, France, Britain and Jordan. But it takes the decades-long secret war between the two countries to a different level.
Tehran is responding to an attack on April 1 in which seven officials overseeing Iran’s operations in the Middle East were killed. Iranian Embassy Building In Damascus, Syria. Iran said Israeli warplanes carried out the attack and vowed to retaliate for what it considered an unusually brazen attack.
Iranian officials have said in recent months that they want to avoid war with Israel. Both Israeli and U.S. officials said Israel miscalculated the embassy attack and believed Iran would not react strongly.They said that strike effectively broke unwritten rules of engagement In the long-term confrontation between the two sides. Israel has said it will respond, while Iran’s leader has warned that if it does so, Iran will respond forcefully with weapons more lethal than the last attack.
lebanon
Iran typically does not attack Israel directly but pursues it through regional groups it supports, including its most powerful proxy, Lebanese Hezbollah. On Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a cross-border drone and missile attack in northern Israel that the Israeli military said wounded 14 soldiers, six of them seriously.
It was one of the most devastating attacks in Hezbollah’s ongoing conflict with Israel in recent months and came a day after Israel targeted the killings of two Hezbollah commanders. Since the outbreak of the Gaza war on October 7, both sides have continued to launch attacks and counterattacks in the border areas.
The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of civilians In recent months, Israel has struck targets deeper on both sides of the border Lebanon interior.
Hezbollah’s origins date back to the 1982 resistance to the Israeli invasion. significant power Lebanon and Iran provided substantial financial support and training. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said in January that Israel would “Increase firepower against Hezbollah” until Hezbollah withdraws.
Gaza
Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza continues as tensions rise elsewhere. Palestinian health authorities say more than 33,000 people have died since October, although their statistics do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Hamas came to power in Gaza in 2007 and led an attack on Israel on October 7 that Israeli authorities said killed about 1,200 people. Israel’s goal is to destroy Hamas and free the hostages taken in the attack, about 100 of whom are believed to still be held.
Experts say Israeli forces have severely damaged Hamas’s armed forces. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and fighting have left much of Gaza in ruins, and the United Nations says many people have been forced to flee their homes and face famine.
Fierce fighting in the strip has subsided and many Israeli troops have left, but Hamas and Israeli officials say the war is ending. it’s not finished yet. Analysts say the war appears to have entered a new phase, with Israel continuing small-scale operations to prevent a resurgence of Hamas.
