Shams Ur Rehman Alavi
The war that began after Israel hit Iran’s nuclear facilities, has ended for now, but it has brought a major shift in the power dynamics in the region. It was on June 13, that Israel attacked Iran.
The nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow were the main targets.
Subsequently, Iran said that it would respond and its missiles attacked multiple cities in Israel. Despite the ‘Iron dome’ and interceptions on way, Iran hit and caused damage in multiple locations in different cities in Israel.
Israel had launched precision attacks and apart from the damage to nuclear facilities, it attacked Tabriz airport as well Hamadan airbase and also killed military commanders and Iran’s nuclear scientists.
Soon, Iranian missiles struck Bat Yam, Rehovot and Tel Aviv. People were killed, buildings were damaged and there was a clear sign of panic in different cities in Israel too.
As the war intensified, Israel said that its air defense system was successfully intercepting the Iranian missiles.
Houthis too fired missiles from Yemen. Though the war that led to death of hundreds of persons, caused destruction in both the countries, before it ended on the twelfth day, its aftermath will be analyzed in the days to come.
The Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities suffered damages and though there was confusion as to how much the country’s nuclear program was affected, but Iran remained defiant, insisting that it would continue to attack Israel.
After June 15, more strikes took place from both sides. Images of fire and explosions in cities in Israel made more news, due to Israel’s image of ‘impregnable, invincible’ nation. While Iran suffered much more in terms of deaths of civilians as well as damage to its vital installations, the fact that it responded and hit Israel, changed perceptions across the world.
In Middle East, the killings in Gaza hadn’t forced Arab leaders to issue tough statements, but here Iran was seen as leading in rhetoric & reality, taking on the mighty US and its ally. The supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements and the Iranian stance as well as bold attack, was clear sign in Arab world that Iran was able to fight and respond on its own, despite years of sanctions, amid hostile regimes in West Asia.
The Muslim street too saw the elderly Khamenei as a leader standing up when the other influential and wealthy Arab countries were rolling red carpet to Trump and yet, failing to get concessions. Clearly, Iran’s clout has risen in Arab region as well as the entire Islamic world.
[The author is a senior journalist who has been associated with The Hindustan Times, The HuffPost and writes on international affairs as well as strategic affairs.]
