How Did Iran And Israel, Who Were Once Friends, Become Staunch Enemies Of Each Other? Why Is This War Happening

The war between Iran and Israel has started, due to which there has once again been turmoil in the Middle East. This time, along with Israel, America has also attacked Iran. On Saturday morning, the U.S. and Israel launched an air campaign with more than 200 planes. The campaign, planned for months, was targeted at military sites, air defense systems, and missile production facilities across Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan, Kom, and Tabriz.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had confirmed on Saturday that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had died in the air strike. On Sunday, Iranian state media also confirmed his death. The purpose of the US-Israel joint operation is to forcibly change power and destroy Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. In immediate response, Iran launched attacks with ballistic missiles and drones on Israeli and US military bases in the Middle East (especially in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar).

How Were The Initial Relations Between Iran And Israel?

Israel came into existence as a country in 1948. At that time many Muslim-majority countries refused to recognize it. However, Iran did not do so and maintained its relations with Israel. Even though Iran did not officially recognize Israel, the two countries built their relations on common issues. Relations between Iran and other Arab countries were not good, because it was a Shia majority country. On top of that, Israel had also become a Jewish majority country.

In view of the changing conditions in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion adopted the ‘Periphery Doctrine’ so that Arab countries could be dealt with. Iran was also very troubled by Arab countries. At that time Iran was ruled by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and he maintained good relations with Western countries, including America. America had good relations with both Iran and Israel. Because of this, Iran and Israel also came closer to each other. Iran also used to give oil to Israel.

How Did Israel-Iran Relations Begin To Deteriorate?

After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Shah’s rule had ended and the Islamic Republic of Iran had been established. After the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s stance towards Israel completely changed. Israel was seen as a Palestinian land-occupying country. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called Israel and America devils. He said that both these countries are interfering the most in the Middle East.

Overall, the Islamic Revolution was the moment after which the enmity between Iran and Israel began. Iran wanted to increase its presence in the Middle East. America, Israel, and Saudi Arabia were obstacles in his path. Iran continued to conduct some operations to deal with these three countries. After 1979, relations between the two countries deteriorated. But Iran and Israel never reached the verge of directly fighting the war. Israel kept attacking Iran occasionally.

In 2010, Israel and Iran attacked several nuclear targets, killing many scientists. Israel said that Iran is making a nuclear bomb, which is a threat to its existence. Israel has also been alleging that Iran funds extremist organizations like Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon to attack it. Iran has also responded to Israeli attacks several times by attacking Israel, including the current attack.

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