How Israel took the war to the ‘axis of resistance’, triggering Iran’s attack

  • October 2, 2024
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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How Israel took the war to the ‘axis of resistance’, triggering Iran’s attack

Sub : IR

Sec: Places in news

Context:

  • Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Iran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

Turn of events:

December 2023:

  • Israel kills Sayyed Razi Mousavi, a senior IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) general, in Damascus.
  • Iran retaliates with a missile strike towards what it called a Mossad base in Erbil, Iraq.

April 1, 2024: 

  • Israel bombs Iranian embassy complex in Damascus.
  • Brig. Gen. Mohammed Reza Zahedi and other officers killed.
  • Iran sees a violation of its sovereignty.

April 14, 2024: 

  • Iran launches direct attack on Israel with over 300 drones and missiles.
  • Israel’s response to the April 14 attack is described as meek.

July 30, 2024: 

  • Israel hit three of its enemies, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas, within 24 hours.
  • Israel kills Fuad Shukr (Hezbollah) and Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas) in simultaneous strikes.
  • Iran vows retaliation but holds back to facilitate Gaza peace talks. There was a shift in Iran’s approach from conservative to moderate due to leadership change.
  • Hezbollah, on the other hand, fired some 300 short-range rockets into Israel.

Different approaches:

  • Hezbollah: After the rocket attack, Hezbollah indicates completion of retaliatory strikes, signalling a desire to avoid escalation. Hezbollah prefers a limited conflict rather than a full-scale war.
  • Iran: Iran aims for a unified axis (including Hezbollah) to confront Israel more aggressively.

Escalation of conflict:

  • Backed by the U.S., Israel is prepared for escalation in the conflict.
  • When Israel sensed reluctance from its rivals, it decided to go with full force.
  • Israel has been preparing for a potential war with Hezbollah since 2006.
  • It started with pagers and walkie talkies, targeting Hezbollah’s communication system.
  • Then, Israel launched waves of massive air strikes aimed at senior Hezbollah commanders, including Hassan Nasrallah. This was followed by ground invasion of Lebanon.
  • Israel’s bottom-up approach was successful in weakening the most powerful non-state actor in the region and a major constituent of the axis of resistance.

Iran’s options:

  • Retaliation: If Iran retaliates, it risks provoking an even stronger Israeli response, potentially escalating to an all-out regional war.
  • Inaction: Continued Israeli attacks could further weaken Iran and the axis as seen in the past.
  • Both retaliation and inaction presented unfavourable outcomes for Iran.
  • Pushed to a corner and faced with tough choices, Iran decided to launch its second direct attack on Israel.

Axis of Resistance:

  • The Axis of Resistance is an informal Iranian-led political and military coalition in West Asia.
  • The group describe themselves as the axis of resistance to Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East includes Iran Hamas, Hezbollah, the Syrian government, the Houthis of Yemen and various Shiite armed groups in Syria and Iraq.
  • Iran fostered the groups over decades to enable them to carry out attacks on Israel as well as other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, that Iran has sometimes viewed as enemies.

How Israel took the war to the ‘axis of resistance’ IR