Image Credits - Atlas Lisoba
Fears of a regional conflict are mounting in the Middle East after a series of strikes and counter-strikes between Israel and Iran over the past day, prompting a dire warning from the United Nations Secretary-General against allowing violence to escalate further.
While Israeli officials have not confirmed the attacks, anonymous U.S. officials told American media outlets that Israel conducted an airstrike targeting a site in Iran. This alleged Israeli operation came on the heels of Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israeli diplomatic premises in Syria earlier this week.
The purported Israeli attack on Iran triggered a forceful response, with Iranian air defences firing at and downing three drones over the city of Isfahan, according to state media reports. There were also unconfirmed reports of explosions in Syria and Iraq amid the flurry of cross-border strikes.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani further stoked tensions, stating that the United States had been given a last-minute warning about the attack on Iran, though he did not specify which country was behind it.
The escalating tit-for-tat violence has raised alarm across the region and internationally. In a carefully worded statement that avoided mentioning the latest attack, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres implored all sides to break the “dangerous cycle of retaliation.”
“It is high time to stop the dangerous cycle of retaliation” in the Middle East, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent any further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond.”
The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of Israel’s devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has raged for over six months and killed nearly 34,000 people. Flights in several Iranian cities were temporarily suspended amid the attacks.
Tensions have simmered between Israel and Iran, bitter regional rivals who have engaged in a shadow conflict for decades. Iran has provided funding and weapons to anti-Israel militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. For its part, Iran has accused Israel of being behind recent drone strikes and the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists.
While both nations have strategically avoided directly claiming responsibility for the latest strikes, the cross-border exchanges threaten to spark a broader conflict that could draw in other powers and devastate an already volatile region.
