Relations between Israel and Iran worsened after Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (West Bank). Tehran has warned of possible “precautionary measures” against Israel in the near future.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Israel had “crossed the red line” in Gaza. He said the situation Israel had created might force everyone to take action.
“The Zionist regime’s crimes have crossed a red line, which may force everyone to take action. Washington asked us not to do anything, but they still provide broad support to Israel,” Raisi said.
“The US sent a message to the Resistance Axis but received a clear response on the battlefield,” he added, as quoted by CNN International .
Currently, Israel’s intense military campaign in Gaza has raised concerns that more fronts may open. Iran is allied with Hamas as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has been involved in exchanges of fire with Israel in recent times.
Israel is even reportedly on the verge of a major war with Hezbollah as the war against Hamas heats up which has destroyed parts of Gaza.
As reported by The Guardian, several fronts in Israel are now increasingly empty, after repeated rocket and missile attacks and border clashes in recent days with Hezbollah and Palestinian factions active in Lebanon. The atmosphere throughout Israel is chaotic, trust in the army and the state is waning.
Deteriorating Relations with Israel
Since its founding in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran has supported Palestinian groups in their struggle against Israeli forces. Tehran’s influence in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has increased significantly, especially with the emergence of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip.
The 1979 revolution also marked the end of Iran and Israel’s close ties, turning them into bitter enemies, with the threat of all-out war. It is not surprising that over the last 75 years, relations between Iran, Israel and Palestine have experienced dramatic fluctuations, as reported by The New Arab.
Before the revolutions of 1979, when most Arab countries in the Middle East were at odds with Israel and refused to recognize its sovereignty, the Shah’s dictatorial regime supported settlers in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Under the Shah’s leadership, Iran recognized Israel as a sovereign state in 1950. However, bilateral relations between the two countries slowed in the early 1950s. After a 1953 coup orchestrated by the CIA and MI6, the Shah regained power and became the United States’ closest ally, as well as Israel’s main friend in the region.
Economic, political, and military cooperation between the two countries developed as tensions between Israel and Arab countries increased in the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1957, the Shah, concerned with nationalist and left-wing dissidents, founded one of the most notorious and brutal intelligence agencies in the Middle East, SAVAK, with help from Israel’s Mossad intelligence service.
Although the extent of military collaboration between the two countries before the 1979 revolution was kept secret, leaked documents reveal that they agreed to develop an advanced missile system under the code name Project Flower.
Economic and energy collaboration between Tehran and Tel Aviv was crucial in supporting Israel during its conflicts with Arab countries in 1967 and 1973. This was achieved through an international company jointly founded by the two countries in Panama and Switzerland, known as Trans- Asiatic Oil, and through secret projects such as the Eilat-Ashkelon Oil Pipeline at a time when Arab oil producers were imposing an embargo on Israel.
While Iran and Israel significantly strengthened their relations, Iranian leftist guerrillas, who opposed the Shah, joined the Fatah movement camps in Jordan and Lebanon, where they fought against the Israeli army and gained experience in guerrilla warfare to eventually return to Iran.
Ayatollah Rouhollah Khomeini, another Iranian political figure, also criticized Israel. After the Six Day War, Iran’s hardline ayatollah issued a Fatwa declaring to his followers that establishing political and economic relations with Israel and consuming Israeli products were considered “haram”.
Source : CNBC
