Israel and Iran have been at war for decades A shadow war sweeping the Middle East, attacking via land, sea, air and cyberspace. The latest round of attacks – mainly Iranian airstrikes on Israel over the weekend – have brought the conflict more openly and raised fears of a wider war.
However, Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iranian air bases on Friday appeared to be limited in scope, which analysts said was a sign that Israel was struggling to break out of a dangerous cycle and risked plunging the war back into the shadows.
Here is the recent history of the conflict:
August 2019: An Israeli airstrike killed two Iranian-trained militants in Syria, a drone triggered an explosion near Hezbollah offices in Lebanon, and an airstrike in Qaim, Iraq, killed an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia of a commander. Israel accused Iran of Analysts said the attack was aimed at deterring Iran and sending a signal to its proxies that Israel would not tolerate a fleet of smart missiles deployed along its borders.
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.
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 incident 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 explosion 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.
March: 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, it appears to be one of the worst Israeli 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.”
April: On April 1, the Iranian embassy building in Damascus was attacked, killing three senior Iranian commanders and four military officers. Iran blamed Israel and vowed to hit back hard.
Two weeks later, Tehran launched more than 300 drones and missiles into Israel. Unexpected large-scale attackAlthough almost all of the weapons were shot down by Israel and its allies. Israel had said for days it would respond before launching an attack on a military air base near the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Friday.
