(RAHNUMA) Iran’s missile barrage against Israel may appear as an escalation, but from Tehran’s perspective, it is a fair and justified response to decades of Israeli aggression. The ongoing war on Gaza, the illegal invasion of Lebanon, and the military strikes on Iranian interests make it clear that Israel continues to act in blatant disregard of international law and the overwhelming will of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Iran sees its actions as not only a defense of its sovereignty but a stand against Israel’s unchecked violations of international norms.
For years, Israel’s military campaigns have inflicted untold suffering on Palestinians in Gaza, leading to accusations of genocide-like actions. Meanwhile, its cross-border incursions into Lebanon and its assassinations of those whom it deems the Axis of Resistance further destabilize the region. From Iran’s standpoint, this missile attack is a necessary response to Israel’s long history of provocations, including the killings of key officials within this Axis. Tehran believes that without firm action, Israel will continue to act with impunity, further destabilizing the region and undermining the possibility of peace.
Even if Israel argues that any retaliatory strike on Iran is legal, if disproportionate, Iran will counter that it too has a right to defend itself and strike back. This cycle of violence could continue endlessly, but it could simply be avoided if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complied with international law—ending the war on Gaza, withdrawing from Lebanon, and adhering to the countless UN Resolutions in support of a Two-State Solution. Such actions would end the conflict once and for all.
However, given the Likud party’s ideological stance on what it calls Greater Israel, and Netanyahu’s own belief that he will hand over the leadership of the State of Israel to the Messiah, such a resolution seems highly unlikely. Netanyahu’s hardline approach and Likud’s expansionist vision suggest that Israel will continue down a path of perpetual conflict, regardless of the toll it takes on the region or its own people.
