On Saturday night, Iran launched an unprecedented retaliation against Israel, firing more than 300 projectiles, including 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles. Rockets, drones and missiles were also fired from Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen. Following the attack on an Iranian diplomatic building in Damascus and the death of several Revolutionary Guard commanders, the regime faced a dilemma: respond, and probably with an unprecedented degree of intensity, but limiting the danger of unleashing an all-out war. which would be devastating for the country.
In this context, as many experts have pointed out, The regime opted for a graduated response, carrying out an important attack, in terms of the number of missiles and drones launched, but limited from a strategic point of view. By choosing not to delegate its defense as in the past to its Lebanese, Yemeni or Iraqi allies, Iran breaks with its historical policy of “deterrence.” However, by launching its attack from its own soil, rather than from positions closer to Israel, the Islamic Republic has ensured that the projectiles take several hours to reach their target, giving Tel Aviv and its imperialist allies time to prepare a defense.
According to the first Israeli reports, almost all the shots were intercepted, with the support of France, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as Syria and Jordan, while Israel’s “Iron Dome” air defense system was not saturated . A girl and a boy were seriously injured by shrapnel from a missile or an interceptor, according to Israeli sources, while minor damage was reported to a military base from which the attack on the Iranian consulate was allegedly launched.
Despite his restrained character, The Iranian offensive once again puts the fear of a regional conflagration in the Middle East on the table. As the Israeli government continues its genocide in Gaza, without hesitating to attack its neighbors alongside its imperialist allies, Israel’s reaction will be decisive. In the coming days, the situation on the Lebanese border, which Israel has harassed without interruption since October 7, will be closely monitored. This “attention” will be all the more crucial as Tel Aviv could take advantage of the Iranian offensive to carry out the Lebanon invasion plan that worries US intelligence, in addition to intensifying its commitments in Iraq, Yemen and even Iran.
In this context, Western powers have shown strong support for Israel, in line with their support for the Gaza genocide, denouncing the Iranian attack while ignoring the Israeli offensive to which it was a response. A speech that seeks to mask its own responsibility and that of Israel in the current escalation. In addition to the destruction of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, recent months have seen numerous US attacks in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, as well as targeted Israeli assassinations in Lebanon and, of course, tens of thousands of deaths in Gaza.
However, since last night, the United States and France have been trying to avoid retaliation that could trigger a regional conflagration. Biden reportedly told Netanyahu that the United States would refuse to participate in offensive operations against Iran and would not support such operations. As G7 leaders meet this Sunday to “coordinate a united diplomatic response to Iran”, the goal of avoiding a new escalation appears to be at the center of the imperialist camp’s concerns, despite its unconditional support for Israel.
Although Saturday night highlighted the risks of a further escalation in the Middle East, it is not possible to know with certainty how the conflict will continue. Netanyahu faces an enormous internal crisis in which his political survival will depend on the continuation of the genocidal war in Gaza and the satisfaction of the demands of his far-right partners.. In this context, only the struggle of the workers and people of the region, independent of imperialism but also of the theocratic and reactionary Iranian regime and the so-called “axis of resistance”, can allow us to avoid war and lead the fight for self-determination. of the Palestinian people.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
