In response to the attack by Iran about a month ago, Israel launched an aerial attack on Iran’s military area on Saturday morning, and tension has risen in West Asia. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has said that it has carried out a ‘precision attack’ on Iran’s military bases. Israel claims that the attack was a response to repeated attacks against it by Iran and its allies.
Iran launched 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1st after attacking Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group based in Lebanon. Israel says that it attacked on Saturday in response.
IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari stated that for the time being, their countermeasures have been completed and the planes used in the attack have returned safely. Hagari says that Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself. The IDF has said that based on intelligence information, it has struck missile manufacturing facilities in Iran.
The Iranian army said that the IDF attack on the capital Tehran as well as military camps in Ilam and Khuzestan caused limited damage. Iran has said that four soldiers were killed in the Israeli attack. It is said that Israel did not target any nuclear or oil refinery in Iran.
In response to the attack, the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched rockets in northern Israel. Al Jazeera reported that Hezbollah launched a salvo rocket and drone attack on the headquarters of the intelligence agency in northern Israel and the oil-rich Tel Nof military base. Similarly, it is said that Hezbollah attacked the Israeli army in the outskirts of Aita al-Shaw village in Lebanon. Nothing was mentioned about the damage caused in that attack.
Iran has responded that the Israeli attack is a violation of international law and that it has the right to defend its territory. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers it a right and an obligation to defend itself against foreign aggression,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, citing Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The article states that the right to self-defense is a fundamental principle of international law and that any country can defend itself against an armed attack. The IDF has also attacked military sites in the central and southern regions, including the Syrian capital Damascus.
The BBC reported that there was an explosion near Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. But Israel has not released any details about the attack on countries other than Iran. Iran and Iraq have announced that the air service that was suspended due to the Israeli attack has resumed operations.
The US has said that it had no involvement in the Israeli attack. But he urged Iran not to retaliate against Israel. “If Iran tries to retaliate again, we will be ready and the consequences will be dire for Iran once again,” a senior US official said in a statement.
It is mentioned in the statement that America does not want to see that. “The direct aggression and aggression between Israel and Iran must end,” the statement said. The statement states that Washington is ready to ensure the end of the war in Lebanon and the release of hostages along with the cease-fire in Gaza.
Britain has said that Israel has the right to defend itself from an Iranian attack. “I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself from Iranian aggression and I am also clear that we must avoid further regional conflict and urge all parties to exercise restraint,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at a press conference in Samoa.
Starmer says that Iran should not respond to the attack. Iran should not respond. We will continue to work with our allies to end the tense situation in the region,’ he said. Likewise, in a statement issued by the spokesperson of the British government, it was stated that the UK stands by Israel’s self-defense and the right to defend itself under international humanitarian law.
Russia has expressed concern that Iran will become more aggressive due to the developments. “We urge all parties involved to exercise restraint, stop violence and avoid a catastrophic scenario,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and other countries have condemned the attack. Saudi Arabia says that the Israeli attack is a violation of Iran’s sovereignty and international laws and norms.
Similarly, Malaysia has stated that Israel’s attack on a military base in Iran is a clear violation of international law that “seriously undermines regional security”. “Malaysia calls for an immediate end to hostilities and an end to the cycle of violence,” said a statement issued by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry. In the statement, it is mentioned that Israel’s continuous attacks on Middle Eastern countries are bringing the region to the brink of a wider war.
The UAE condemned the Israeli attack and stated that ‘extreme self-restraint is necessary to minimize the risk and prevent conflict’. Likewise, Qatar has stated that the Israeli attack is a clear violation of international law and has urged all parties concerned to exercise restraint. Egypt is deeply concerned about the growing tension in the Middle East and condemns all measures that threaten regional security and stability.
Pakistan has condemned Israel’s attack on Iran’s military bases and said that Israel is ‘fully responsible’ for increasing the conflict in West Asia. “Pakistan strongly condemns the attack carried out by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday morning,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Likewise, Turkey condemned the Israeli attack and said that the international community should implement the law and stop the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government. “We do not want war, violence or chaos in this region,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that regional and international efforts should be made for stability in Gaza and Lebanon after a cease-fire. Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and the Palestinian group Hamas have also condemned the Israeli attack.
Although Israel has declared that the attack on Iran has been completed for the time being, it seems that Saturday’s incident will further increase the tension in the West Asia region. Especially after the incident, Iran and its partners have become more angry with Israel. This means that Iran will always be waiting for an opportunity to attack Israel.
Whose military strength?
In terms of population and geography, Iran is much larger than Israel. Spread over an area of 1.648 thousand 195 square kilometers, the population of Iran is about 90 million. Israel has an area of 22,145 square kilometers and a population of 9.4 million.
Geographically, the aerial distance between Israel and Iran is 1,724 kilometers. In such a situation, the easiest way for both countries to attack each other is to launch missiles. Iran is the largest and most diversified missile development country in West Asia. Iran has at least 3,000 ballistic missiles.
Along with missiles, both countries have used drones to attack each other. Iran also has short and long range drones. Israel imports missiles from various countries. America is Israel’s largest arms supplier. It is believed that Israel has become the world’s most technologically efficient army with American support. About 69 percent of the weapons that Israel imports are American.
Similarly, according to the agreement between the two countries, the United States has been giving 3.8 billion US dollars to Israel as annual military aid. Under the grant, Israel has bought the ‘F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’ plane, which is considered the best so far for attack. According to the BBC, Israel has already received 30 of the 75 contracts with the US.
Israel has been buying materials for air defense systems and communication equipment from Germany. Helicopters and naval weapons are purchased from Italy. Similarly, it has also bought weapons from Britain and Canada. If we look at the defense expenditure, Israel’s is more than Iran’s. Last year, Israel’s defense budget was 19 billion US dollars, while Iran’s was only 7.4 billion. Israel has 170,000 soldiers and Iran has 600,000 soldiers. Although there is no formal war between the two countries, they have been in informal conflict for a long time.
There is no possibility of a direct war between the armies of the two countries due to geographical distance. Israel is considered responsible for the killing of Iranian officials in other countries of West Asia including Iran. Iran has been attacking Israel through some other party, i.e. ‘proxy’. For that, he uses Hamas, Hezbollah or Houthis. Iran has been providing arms, ammunition and training to Lebanon-based military and political groups Hezbollah, Yemen-based Houthis and Gaza-based Hamas. Similarly, various groups supported by Iran in Iraq and Syria are also said to be powerful. Israel claims that Iran supports the Syrian government and attacks it from Syrian soil.
The backbone of Israel’s defense system is ‘Iron Dome’ and ‘Arrow’. Through this system, Israel has been neutralizing weapons including missiles that have been fired at it. Iran’s defense system is technically weaker than Israel’s. Israel has 340 military aircraft that can be used for war. Israel has ‘F-15’ jets that can attack at long distances, ‘F-35’ jets that can evade radar and helicopters that can attack at high speed. But Iran has only 32 combat aircraft. On this basis, Israel seems more capable than Iran for air strikes. Iranian Navy has 220 ships while Israel has only 60.
Israel is believed to have nuclear weapons. But he has not clearly mentioned anything about it. But it is believed that Iran does not have such weapons. Although there have been accusations that Iran has nuclear weapons, Tehran has been claiming that it has not used its nuclear program to build weapons.
