This morning, Iran fulfilled its threat to respond to the attack against its consulate in Damascus, attributed to Israel. It is the first time that the Islamic Republic directly attacks Israeli territory.
Will it be the spark that unleashes a regional war? It will depend on Israel's response, something that will probably depend on the damage caused. There are signs that Tehran informed several of Israel's neighbors of its intentions so that they could warn it and minimize the risk of escalation, says H.A. Hellyer, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and an expert on the Middle East, says. The enmity between both countries has intensified since the Hamas attack on October 7, Hellyer says, adding that Iran has been at pains to make clear that it has no interest in a war.. Since the start of the war in Gaza, Iran's diplomats have made it clear that Iran had no desire to go to war with Israel, he says, and that its military leaders know that the United States is behind Israel.