Israel and Iran have been at war for decades A shadow war sweeping the Middle East, attacking via land, sea, air and cyberspace. Iran fired a slew of drones and missiles at Israel on Saturday – although nearly all of them were shot down or intercepted – marking a watershed moment in the conflict.
Alan Bregman, a political scientist at King’s College London and an expert on Middle East security issues, said this was the first time Iran has directly attacked Israel from its own territory, which he called a “historic event.”
Iran primarily uses foreign proxies to target Israeli interests, and targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel’s strategy. Here is a brief history of the conflict:
January 2020: Israel welcomes with satisfaction Major General Qasem Soleimani was assassinatedThe foreign-facing force commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during a U.S. drone attack on Baghdad.
Iran strikes back Attack both bases In Iraq, U.S. forces stationed a barrage of missiles, causing approx. 100 US military personnel.
U.S. officials said General Soleimani was behind Iran’s destabilizing activities across the Middle East and he was charged with Plot to attack the U.S. Embassy and Israeli targets.
2021-22: In July 2021, an oil tanker managed by a company Israeli owned shipping company The ship was attacked off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, according to the company and three Israeli officials. Two of the officials said the attack appeared to have been carried out by an Iranian drone.
Iran did not explicitly claim or deny responsibility, but a state-owned television channel described the attack as a response to Israeli attacks in Syria.
In November 2021, Israel killed Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadehand subsequently assassinated a Revolutionary Guard commander, Colonel Sayad HodayiMay 2022.
December 2023: Iran-backed militias after Israel began bombing Gaza in response to Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks Strengthened his attack.Late last year, Iran accused Israel of Killed a senior military figure, Brig.-Gen.General Said Razi Mousaviduring a missile attack in Syria.
General Mousavi is a senior advisor to the Revolutionary Guards and is said to be a close associate of General Soleimani and is said to have helped oversee arms shipments to Hezbollah. Israel has taken its usual stance and refused to comment directly on whether it was behind General Mousavi’s death.
January 2024: explode Killed in Beirut suburb of Lebanon Saleh AluriA Hamas leader and two commanders of the group’s armed wing have been assassinated, the first assassinations of senior Hamas officials outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent years.
Hamas, Lebanese and U.S. officials Blame the attack on Israelthe company has not publicly confirmed its involvement.
Hezbollah is strongly supported by Iran; Intensify attacks on Israel After the death of Mr. al-Arouri.israeli army Fight back against Hezbollah In Lebanon, several people were killed the group’s commander.
Later in January, Iran accused Israel of launching an airstrike on Damascus that killed several senior Iranian military figures.
March and April: An Israeli drone struck a car in southern Lebanon, killing at least one person. The Israeli military said it had killed the deputy commander of Hezbollah’s rocket and missile force. Hezbollah acknowledged the death of Ali Abdulhassan Naim but gave no further details.
the same day, Airstrike kills soldier Near Aleppo in northern Syria in what appears to be one of Israel’s worst attacks on the country in years. The attack killed 36 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian from a pro-Iranian militia, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British group that tracks the Syrian civil war.
The Israeli military did not claim responsibility. But the country’s Defense Minister Yoav Galant wrote on social media, “We will pursue Hezbollah everywhere where it operates, and we will increase the pressure and the speed of attacks.”
Three days later, Israeli warplanes attacked the Iranian embassy building in Damascus, killing three senior Iranian commanders and four military officers.
Matthew M’Poke Biggar Contributed reporting.
