Three children are playing in the park where two of them start fighting. The third one is standing beside them and supporting the first one. The second child, engaged in the quarrel with the first one, picks the stone and hits the third child. Should the third one take action If he takes action, will that be justified? Of course, it will have some ground because the third one was not directly engaged in the fight rather he was just supporting the first one.
A similar scenario is unfolding on the world stage where Israel is engaged with Hamas which is supported by Iran; but Tel Aviv, besides fighting with Hamas, also has attacked Iran by attacking its embassy in Syria. Now, according to Article 2(a) of the United Nations Charter, it is forbidden for any country to attack the embassy of another. This is because its embassy is considered a part of that particular state it belongs to; so if it embassy is attacked, it is the legal right of that country to retaliate which is mentioned in Article 51 of the UN charter, and this article is used by Iran and when it attacked Israel with more than 300 missiles, including 136 drones.
The question arises about the start of the rivalry of both countries. When Israel was created with the support of the UK, the USA and other Western powers, Iran, under the rule of the Shah, was among the first Muslim countries to recognize it. Israel’s businessmen were treated with royal protocol and invitations. Jews considered Tehran as their second home. However, things changed when Iran experienced the revolution in 1979; the revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khomeini dethroned the then Shah and took the charge of the country. After the revolution in Iran, Khomeini had a plan to metastasize it throughout the region which ultimately became a threat for Arab states’ monarchies like KSA, UAE, and Qatar among others. Besides, such a revolution changed the whole dynamic of the relation between Iran and Israel. Tehran withdrew from its recognition of Israel and called her a “Little Satan”. Moreover, all the diplomatic, economic, and social ties were strained, and Tel Aviv was presumed to be the archenemy after Washington.
Both Israel and Iran have been involved in assisting proxies, cyber-attacks and intelligence operations to inflict grave damage on each other. Israel along with USA and other European countries has persistently been inculpating Iran for bolstering organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthi. Contrary to this, Iran always accuses Israel of being involved in activities against it. Both states incriminate each other. For instance, Telaviv has been blamed for being involved in Qasim Sulemani’s assassination while Israel has also censured Iran for murdering their top official in Mossad. Apart from this, many other incidents can be quoted where both states are enmeshed against each other. Moreover, Tehran is also indicted for supporting proxies in the region which makes it a troublemaker for other states in the region.
The recent escalation is not only making trouble for the region but for the whole world. Many major powers including, the USA, the UK and Russia are explicitly or implicitly involved in the conflict and fostering their allies. Yjr first indulgence of other states can be seen in the conflict when the UK, the USA and Jordan’s air forces helped Israel and intercepted 99% of Iranian missiles and drones. Besides, Hezbollah’s attacks are obstructed by the USA and U.K. they not only interrupted Hezbollah’s assaults but also used their fleets for strikes over its bases and compounds. Other than this, it is also speculated that Russia has assisted Iran to halt Israel’s strikes.
The Iran-Israel dispute has been continuing for many decades; but recent escalation has brought the world to the brink of World War 3. Both states are unwilling to back down and are prepared to escalate tension to any level. The world is deeply concerned due to recent incidents between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Major powers are urging both sides to resolve the dispute and avert the crisis. Amidst all this, Pakistan is also facing difficulties as the country is already embroiled in economic, political, and security crises. If such a dispute escalates, it will have negative implications for the state and for the entire world.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia expressed some serious concerns over the recent escalation. He said that if such conflict proliferated, it would become the cause of World War 3 in which the USA, Israel, and the western world would be on one side, while Russia, China, Iran and some other countries would be on the other. From this, one can say that all the major powers are deeply entangled in this discord. Apart from this, such escalation has various implications.
The major and foremost implication of this discord would be strategic, which can be assumed as the USA and UK are explicitly entering into the conflict with Hezbollah at the Red Sea. Besides, other states in the region are also feeling threatened as the next moves from both sides are precarious, and Tehran and Tel Aviv could take any step to gain an edge against each other. Major powers like the USA and Russia have also shown concerns over the escalation of the conflict as it could spread not only within the region but beyond. Such concerns have arisen owing to the statement from Iran which has said that it will attack any state who tries to help Israel. Additionally, this conflict has provided considerable benefit to Russia because world focus has shifted from Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Apart from this, economic downsizing would also be one of the significant impacts on the Tehran-Tel Aviv dispute. This is because more than 42 percent of the world’s oil is navigated via the Persian Gulf. If conflict escalates, the Strait of Hormuz would be choked by Iran which would eventually hurt the supply chain of oil and natural gas to the world. Moreover, it is also expected that Iran, by using its proxies, will also influence the Strait of Bab al-Mandab located in the Red Sea which is responsible for 22 percent of the world trade to disrupt the supply chain of the world’s trade as It has done in the recent times via Hezbollah.
Among all this, it should not go unnoticed that Pakistan will also be affected due to such a dispute. It is because the state is already stumbling with its economy and security issues. Therefore, if this discord proliferates, it will adversely affect Pakistan. One major impact would be in terms of inflation, as a spike in global oil prices would lead to increased prices within the country. Pakistan, which is already facing the inflation rate of 23 percent, would bear the brunt of this further rise in prices. Moreover, Pakistan would also have security concerns as it heretofore has been fighting with Tehreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who with the assistance of Afghan Taliban carrying out various terrorist activities in the state.
To add to this, Pakistan is also quarreling with other factors such as Indian proxies, nationalist groups, separatist groups and many others. Therefore, the Tehran-Tel Aviv conflict would raise major security concerns as India might take advantage of the situation against Pakistan and undertake any aggressive action. Furthermore, any other incident can happen within the state as it has occurred recently when Iran illegitimately conducted a strike in Balochistan without any reaction.
The Iran-Israel dispute has been continuing for many decades; but recent escalation has brought the world to the brink of World War 3. Both states are unwilling to back down and are prepared to escalate tension to any level. The world is deeply concerned due to recent incidents between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Major powers are urging both sides to resolve the dispute and avert the crisis. Amidst all this, Pakistan is also facing difficulties as the country is already embroiled in economic, political, and security crises. If such a dispute escalates, it will have negative implications for the state and for the entire world.
