The deteriorating relations between Iran and Israel: From recognition to friendship and then enmity, read the whole story.

Posted on 18th Apr 2024 by rohit kumar

Iran-Israel Conflict: Iran and Israel have been at loggerheads for the past several days. This tension started on 1 April. When there was an air attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria. The attack killed at least 11 people, including a senior commander of the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). All of them were attending a meeting at the Damascus embassy complex. The attack was blamed on Israel, which did not claim responsibility.

 

After this attack, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Israel should and will be punished for its operation. After the warning, Iran fired 330 missiles at Israel on the night of Saturday, April 13. Drone attacks were also carried out during this period. Now Israel is also warning of retaliatory action against Iran. This indicates that this process of action and reaction is not going to stop soon. Today Iran and Israel may be face to face but they were once friends.

 

When Israel was formed in 1948, Iran gave recognition

Year 1948: A new country is born on the world map. This country happens to be Israel. Most of the Muslim-majority nations do not even recognize this country that came into existence among the Arab countries. However, there are some exceptions. One of the countries included in these exceptions is Iran. At that time Iran was ruled by the Pahlavi dynasty. This dynasty ruled for more than half a century. The Pahlavi dynasty was a supporter of America while Israel supported America.

 

Palestine, in whose support Iran stands today, had at that time described Iran's action as 'Nakba' i.e. a catastrophe. Palestine also saw it as a tacit international approval of the catastrophe. It is said that due to the formation of Israel, more than 7,00,000 Palestinians were evicted from their land.

 

Israel-Iran strengthened relations

During that period of the Cold War, the Iranian regime was supported by America. At the same time, Israel also had the support of America and Europe. A large number of Jews also lived in Iran. Even today, after Israel, the largest number of Jews in Western Asia live in Iran. According to the census conducted in Iran in 1956, approximately 65,000 Jews were living in Iran at that time.

 

After becoming a country, Israel also started efforts to establish relations with other countries. Israel established an embassy in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Both appointed ambassadors to each other. Trade relations also increased and Iran soon became a major source of oil supply for Israel. The two started a pipeline in 1968 aimed at sending Iranian oil to Israel and then to Europe.

Beginning of sourness in relations due to the Islamic revolution

Year 1979, the Islamic revolution takes place in Iran. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who is in power in Iran, has to flee the country. At the same time, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who was ousted from the country for years, returned to the country and took over power in Iran. After this Islamic revolution in Iran, the relations between the two countries begin to sour.

 

After this revolution, Iran, which was once called Persia, the country of Persians, turned into an Islamic republic. Iran's new supreme leader Khomeini at that time termed the world powers as 'arrogant' and adopted the policy of caliphate against them. He announced standing up against regional allies of world powers who he believed would oppress others, including the Palestinians, to pursue their interests.

 

Also Read: This is how IDF destroyed the missiles fired by Iran in the air, know how Israel's defense system works

 

Saddam's army attacked Iran, Iraq got America's support

However, relationships do not immediately deteriorate completely. After the Islamic Revolution, a Shia Ulema came to power. The neighboring country of Iraq was ruled by Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein. Iran, which was going through a period of instability, was suddenly attacked by Saddam's army in September 1980. Iraq got America's support. At the same time, Israel supported Iran. Saddam was getting help from America. Saddam hoped that he would register victory over Iran within a few days, but this could not happen. Iran's Supreme Leader Khomeini viewed Saddam as an obstacle to the Islamic revolution. His forces stood firm and continued the war to overthrow the Iraqi leader. This war that continued for many years could not reach any result. Neither Saddam could oust Khomeini from power nor Khomeini could remove Saddam from power.

 

There was another interesting aspect of this war. Many reports suggest that the same America that was helping Saddam was also secretly supplying weapons to Khomeini's army. By the end of the eight-year war, the equations of West Asia had changed. Just a few years after this war, Saddam became America's target. When they occupied Kuwait in 1990.

 

Iranian regime calls America 'the great devil'

On the other hand, relations between Iran and Israel also started becoming bitter. A proxy war started between the two. The Iranian regime called America the 'Great Satan' and Israel the 'Little Satan'. Iran broke all relations with Israel. Civilians could no longer travel flight services were canceled and the Israeli embassy in Tehran was converted into the Palestinian embassy. The bitterness between Iran and Israel dates back to 1982. Relations between the two countries subsequently worsened as Israel alleged that Iran created and financially supported political and armed groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.

 

Khomeini declared every last Friday of Ramadan as 'Quds Day'. Since then, large rallies have been held on that day throughout Iran in support of the Palestinians. Jerusalem is called Al-Quds in the Arabic language.

 

Iran accused of supporting proxy network

Iran has been accused of supporting proxy networks in several countries across the region, including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. This group is known as the 'Axis of Resistance' which supports the Palestinian cause while also considering Israel as a major enemy. These armed groups target Israel as well as the US military. Chief among these is Hezbollah in Lebanon, which was formed in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. This proxy war has been going on for the last several years. Talking about the latest case, starts with the war between Hamas and Israel on 7 October 2023. Hezbollah is also involved in this war. He is continuously carrying out rocket attacks in northern Israel. Iran is also accused of helping Houthi rebels. This organization is also continuously attacking Israel.

 

The attack on Iranian Embassy became the cause of new controversy

Also, know the latest controversies as you go. The latest dispute between Israel and Iran began on April 1. On this day the Iranian embassy was attacked in Syria. At least 11 people died in this attack on the Iranian Consulate located in Syria's capital Damascus. A senior commander of the al-Quds force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was also among the dead. All of them were attending a meeting in the Damascus embassy complex at the time of the attack. The attack was blamed on Israel, which did not claim responsibility. Iran talked about taking revenge for this attack. After the attack, late on the night of April 13, Iran attacked Israel with missiles and drones. It was claimed that during this period more than 300 missiles were fired at Israel. However, the US claimed that almost all the attacks were foiled. On the other hand, Israel has also threatened to respond to this attack. In such a situation, it can only be guessed how long this tension will last.

 

Also Read: PM Modi said- If even Baba Saheb cannot change the Constitution then how can we dare? Said this on Ram and Shakti