Escalation in undeclared Israel-Iran war 2024/4/3

 

Escalation in undeclared Israel-Iran war

Israeli soldiers stand in front of a self-propelled artillery howitzer, as an artillery unit shells southern Lebanon, in northern Israel, Jan. 4, 2024. (Jalaa Marey /AFP via Getty Images)

The Monday killing in Syria, presumably by Israel, of Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, not only took out a military leader responsible for orchestrating attacks against Israel, but also sent a symbolic message to Iran and its chief proxy force in Lebanon, writes Tel Aviv-based columnist Ben Caspit. Israel made it clear to Iran that its commanders aren’t safe anywhere and that Israel is willing to strike at the heart of its operations and take out its top personnel. 

Regional players will be watching to see whether Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah heeds the warnings and stops firing to avoid a full-blown war neither side wants, or ups the ante.

Why it matters: While the hit on the high-ranking Iranian official on the outskirts of Tehran’s embassy in Damascus was likely months in the making, Caspit writes, it comes against the backdrop of ongoing attacks by Iranian-backed militias against US and Israeli targets for the past six months. On Monday, an Iraq-based militia claimed its first-ever attack, striking Israel's southern port city of Eilat. 

Iran vows payback

According to Al-Monitor's correspondent in Tehran, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promised retaliation against Israel after several of its commanders were killed in the Damascus strike Monday. "We will make the Zionist regime regret this crime,” the supreme leader said, while one ultraconservative politician called on Iran to target Israeli diplomatic missions around the world.