No equation in the world is as complicated as the puzzle of relations and conflicts between Iran and Israel, because on the one hand they appear as two strategic actors who share common interests, on the other hand they are two rivals.
After the establishment of the State of Israel, Iran was one of the countries that opposed Israel’s membership in the United Nations, but soon became the second Islamic country after Turkey to recognize Israel.
From 1953 to 1979, Iran and Israel worked hand in hand as two strategic US partners in the region. Since the mullahs came to power, a kind of conflict and hostility has been declared between them, but throughout Iran’s eight-year war against Iraq, Israel was Iran’s biggest supporter. The best weapons of that time were supplied to Iran from Israel.
Since the end of the war, Israel has supported Iran to strengthen Iran in several other stages. In contrast, all of Iran’s hostility towards Israel, from chanting death slogans to Israel to supporting Palestinian armed groups, with threats from Iranian leaders to wipe Israel off the map, has turned into a helping hand to give Israel even more strength.
This result has raised doubts that Iran and Israel are fundamentally fighting for the same goals in the region, as both have common threats and interests.. Both see the Arabs as a threat to themselves. Both see the Sunnis as a threat to the Islamic world. Both have an interest in weakening the Arabs and destroying the Sunni Arabs.
Imam Khomeini came to power with Western trains. In the long run, Islam will no longer be a threat to the West, other religions or civilizations, and Islam will have an enemy, namely Muslims themselves. In the future, no Muslim will wish death on Israel and the United States. The Sunnis will have an enemy, the Shiites, and the Shiites will have an enemy, the Sunnis.
The achievement of this common goal of the West, Israel and Iran will not be achieved in a situation where Iran and Israel are friends and allies, as we saw during the reign of the Shah of Iran. But when Iran comes as an Islamic state, it takes the legitimacy of this issue out of the hands of Sunni Arabs and makes itself the heir to the Palestinian issue and presents itself as Israel’s greatest enemy, on the other hand, it becomes the greatest threat to the Arab world.
This forced the Arab countries that oppose Israel to bow to Israel and if they ever refused to recognize Israel, were now forced to join the Israeli side for fear of Iranian hegemony, now no Arab state sees Israel as a strategic enemy. On the contrary, some form strategic political, military and economic alliances with Israel.
On the other hand, Iran’s support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria, Shiite groups in Yemen has appeared as a necessity to oppose Israel, but it has never been a real threat to Israel. Meanwhile, although Israel has targeted many nuclear scientists and military commanders inside and outside Iran, it has never been a real threat to Iran. The only group Iran has aided and abetted to deal a major blow to Israel was Hamas, but this war in Gaza has ended the Hamas threat to Israel as well.
The latest Iran operation also looked like a children’s “play war”, from advance notification of the start of the operation where even the US and Israel were informed, to how and where to direct the drones and missiles. One of the rockets fell in Rwandz, South Kurdistan, one in Jordan and some in several other areas, and those that have reached Israeli airspace have already exploded in the air.
What dispels the magic of this puzzle is seeing what Israel’s response will be to a direct Iranian attack on Israeli territory, which has given Netanyahu enough justification to blow up Iranian nuclear plants, which he has long advocated. If he carries out an operation similar to Iran’s, there is no doubt that what they are doing is a scenario at the expense of the peoples of the region, especially the Arab world and Sunni Muslims.
Halmat Hosayn
Open image in full screen mode A square in Tehran with anti-Israeli murals. According to Halmat Hosayn, there is a form of common interest between Iran and Israel despite the enmity. Image: Vahid Salemi
