Shadow War in Iran and Israel
The Iran-Israel conflict is one of the unstable wars in the Middle East. It is not what would be planned and fought with nose-to-nose and shoulder-to-shoulder combat, but rather a treacherous proxy and shadow war across several countries. This geopolitical conflict is fueled by ideological hostility, regional interests, andnational security.
The revolutionary system in Iran since the year 1979 considers Israel an Islamic enemy and a Western foothold station in the region. Israel, on the other hand, feels that Iran poses the most threat to its existence, especially due to its nuclear ambitions and its facilitation of militant groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas. Iran funds such groups, trains them, and provides them with weapons, and they often conduct unfriendly operations on Israel.
The two countries do not officially exist in a state of war, and thus they carry out secret operations, cyber warfare, and assassinations. Several airstrikes by Israel on Iranian military bases in Syria have been some of the attempts by Israel to ensure that Iran does not get a foothold along Israeli borders. Iran retaliates by using proxies, dropping rockets or drones, especially in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
Such animosities have been increasing in recent years, especially in the years 2023-2025. Iran has extended its presence in the region by using regional militias, and Israel has enhanced its military actions, particularly amid fighting in Gaza. These intensifications create concerns of a war of all kinds that may entail local powers and international forces such as the United States and Russia.
Negotiations as well as the use of diplomatic means like nuclear negotiations with Iran or backchannel communications have had little effect on the alleviation of the tensions. The two countries are still preparing for the option of an open conflict.
Finally, the conflict between Iran and Israel is not a rivalry between 2 countries but the representation of the bigger power and ideology battle in the Middle East, which will have disastrous results for the regional and global stability in case it turns out of control.