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The Middle East is once again at a dangerous crossroads as Israel’s war on Iran intensifies, igniting fires that now rage across Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. What began as a long-simmering rivalry between Israel and Iran has exploded into open conflict, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spearheading military actions that risk dragging the entire region into prolonged war. The so-called reason behind Israel’s recent strikes — that Iran is racing toward nuclear weapons capability — remains steeped in controversy, with little verifiable evidence offered publicly and growing comparisons to the discredited pretext for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
Israel’s direct attacks on Iranian military installations, alleged nuclear sites, and proxy forces have been accompanied by the most devastating assault on Gaza in modern memory. Netanyahu frames these operations as necessary to neutralize what he calls the “Iranian terror axis” and to defend Israel against existential threats. Yet, analysts and human rights groups argue that these claims mask deeper ambitions: regional dominance, the destruction of Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, and Netanyahu’s own political survival.
The current wave of violence has its roots in decades of enmity. Israel has long viewed Iran as its principal strategic rival in the region, citing Tehran’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Palestinian factions like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and militias in Syria and Iraq. Tensions escalated dramatically following the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — after the Trump administration’s withdrawal in 2018. Since then, both Israel and the United States have repeatedly accused Iran of covertly advancing toward a nuclear weapon. These accusations have provided justification for cyberattacks, assassinations of Iranian scientists, and now, a sustained military campaign.
However, much like the fabricated claims of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction that paved the way for the 2003 invasion, evidence of an imminent Iranian nuclear bomb has not been presented to the international community in any transparent or verifiable form. UN nuclear inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have reported Iranian enrichment activities exceeding limits set by the JCPOA, but have stopped short of concluding that Iran is building a bomb. Critics of Israel’s narrative argue that Netanyahu is exploiting the nuclear fear to galvanize Western support and to legitimize actions that otherwise would be condemned as unprovoked aggression.
The United States and European Union have largely embraced Israel’s framing of the war. Washington has pledged unwavering support, supplying billions of dollars in military aid, advanced weapons, and diplomatic protection at the United Nations. European leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, have echoed this stance. Von der Leyen has described Israel’s military actions as a rightful defense of democracy against terrorism and extremism. This has fueled outrage across the Global South and among international rights organizations, who accuse Western powers of enabling war crimes and turning a blind eye to what they increasingly characterize as acts of genocide, especially in Gaza.
While Israel’s confrontation with Iran dominates headlines, the humanitarian cost is most visible in Gaza. Since October 2023, Israeli forces have unleashed a ferocious assault on the enclave, flattening neighborhoods, hospitals, schools, and refugee camps. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The United Nations warns of imminent famine and mass displacement, with the territory reduced to rubble. Despite mounting evidence of widespread civilian suffering, ceasefire efforts at the UN Security Council have been repeatedly blocked by the United States and its allies.
Netanyahu’s strategy, according to many observers, is not only to degrade Iran’s influence but to reshape the map of the region in Israel’s favor. His government, dominated by ultra-nationalists and hardliners, envisions permanent Israeli control over the West Bank, a depopulated and weakened Gaza, and a Lebanon stripped of Hezbollah’s military power. In pursuing this vision, Netanyahu has leveraged the war to deflect attention from his domestic troubles, including ongoing corruption trials and fierce opposition to his efforts to weaken Israel’s judiciary.
The specter of Iraq hangs heavily over the unfolding crisis. In 2003, the world watched as the United States, with the backing of allies, invaded Iraq on the false pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. No such weapons were ever found, but the war shattered Iraq, destabilized the region, and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Today, many fear a similar pattern is repeating itself, with Iran cast as the new existential threat and war justified on dubious grounds.
As Israel’s military operations continue, and with no sign of diplomatic breakthrough, the risk of a full-scale regional war grows by the day. The lessons of the past, it seems, have gone unheeded. Without an urgent shift toward accountability, diplomacy, and justice for the region’s peoples, the Middle East stands on the brink of yet another devastating chapter.
Editor’s Note:
This article draws on information from UN agencies, the IAEA, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and public statements by Israeli, US, and European officials. For further reading, see:
