Context: Israel launched a large-scale military operation named “Operation Rising Lion” against Iran. The operation involved a series of airstrikes, hitting more than 100 targets across Iran.
Relevance of the topic:
Prelims: Key facts about Operation Rising Lion, key locations.
Mains: Geopolitical Implications of Operation Rising Lion.
Operation Rising Lion
- Israel launched the large-scale military operation which involved a series of airstrikes, hitting more than 100 targets across Iran.
- Key targets were: Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, missile sites, and top military and nuclear personnel.
- Attacked Natanz Nuclear Facility- the heart of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme, located in the Central province of Isfahan.
- Israel's strikes killed top military personnel like:
- Maj Gen Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the armed forces
- Gen Hossein Salami, chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), arguably the most powerful institution in the country.
- Israel also targeted a number of military sites across Iran. These include:
- a nuclear research centre and two military bases in Tabriz in northern Iran
- missile development and production facilities in Bid Kaneh, on the southern edge of Tehran
- a missile base in Kermanshah in central Iran; and multiple military bases in and around Tehran.
- This is by far Israel's most extensive attack on a sovereign state since the 1967 war and is likely to have far-reaching consequences for the region and the world.
Why did Israel strike now?
- The immediate trigger was a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declaring Iran as non-compliant with its nuclear obligations - the first such resolution in two decades.
- The resolution came after revelations that Iran was secretly conducting nuclear activities at three undisclosed sites. Israel has long viewed a nuclear Iran as an existential threat.
- Talks between Iran and the US in Oman to revive the 2015 nuclear deal had shown little progress.
Wider Geopolitical Implications:
- The strike may lead to a broader regional war. Iran's response through drone attacks and the threat of further retaliation increases the chances of open conflict.
- The attack has likely derailed the US-Iran talks in Oman to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
- The shared threat from Iran has brought Arab states closer to Israel. The Abraham Accords may further deepen as Gulf countries and Israel enhance their security cooperation.