On Apr. 1, 2024, Israel attacked Iran’s Embassy in Damascus Syria, destroying it completely. The airstrike resulted in 16 deaths including the deaths of top Iranian officials. Embassies are seen as sovereign entities, meaning that Israel directly attacked an Iranian target on Iranian soil. This airstrike gave Iran the legal authority to “defend themselves.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that seven Iranian military advisers died in the strike including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in its Quds Force, which is an elite foreign spying and mercenary arm. The Quds force was listed as a supporter of terrorism by the United States in 2007.
The Iranian regime vowed to take revenge, but some saw these as empty threats, especially with past threats not being fulfilled. In 2020, a mission mandated by President Trump killed top Iranian revolutionary guards commander, Ghasem Soleimani.
On Apr. 11, 2024, the U.S. issued a travel warning that Iran’s attack on Israel is believed to be imminent. On Apr. 13, Iran attacked Israel by deploying hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. According to the Israeli military, 99% of the drones and missiles were intercepted with only one casualty reported. Israel’s war cabinet led a meeting where they are considering their options for a response.
Meanwhile, world leaders have been urging Israel not to attack Iran. Iran warned Israel that an attack on Iran would be met with a strong retaliation. Abolfazl Amouei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee conveyed this when stating, “We will confront any Israeli aggression and respond to it. We are ready to use weapons that we have not used before. We have plans for all scenarios and we call on the Zionists to act rationally.”
The attack resulted in protests and demonstrations all across America. Some pro-Palestinian groups have been seen in Chicago chanting “Hands off Iran!” while other pro-Palestinian groups such as “IfNotNow” have said both Iran and Israel are “authoritarian governments” that were putting citizens in danger. “Further escalation only serves these warmongering, corrupt politicians’ interests.”
In New York, anti-Israel protesters were seen waving Hezbollah flags. The protesters were also seen burning American flags. Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed proxy group that has launched attacks on Israel for years. A proxy group is an organization used as a middleman during times of war. Iran uses proxy groups to attack its enemies and opposition to have deniability. In 1997, the Department of State designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization. Some protesters were also seen wearing Hamas’ signature green headband.
The governments of the U.K. and the U.S. have now announced they would be imposing sanctions on Iranian Military commanders and anyone involved in the attack. Some view the attacks as a distraction with the Iranian regime condemning many political prisoners to death during the engagements. Popular Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death for speaking against the government. For now, we can only wait and see if Israel takes further action.
Ezekiel Zaldivar • May 20, 2024 at 11:33 am
On May 16, 2024, Iman Sharif wrote an article titled “The War Is Expanding Its Borders”. This is a well written article that effectively explains the current situation in the middle east. The author includes some examples of recent events that have led to the current situation that give the reader a good background on the subject. The author’s use of numerous examples and quotes helps the reader visualize the situation better. Throughout the text there are numerous terms which readers may be unfamiliar with and they are effectively defined or explained to the reader. An example of this is the term “proxy groups” which are explained to be groups which nations can deny involvement with in war. Importantly, the author remains neutral on a highly controversial topic. Remaining neutral adds credibility by limiting personal bias from just the facts of the events. The author includes many perspectives on the issue such as Iran, Israel, and the U.S.
Noah Perez • May 20, 2024 at 9:10 am
This article provides a wide variety of information to help give context to the situation and is very objective in its delivery. I appreciate the attention to detail and the overall lack of bias shown in the article as it helps reach a wider audience. The article is well written and each piece of the information describes the situation precisely. The article also gives you an understanding regardless of if you have kept up with the news on the matter or not. It is important to be able to give context for every reader, and this article does that well.
I appreciate the use of specific diction used to describe certain events and situations to help create a better understanding for the matter. It presents the reader simply with facts that give a precise outline of the events that have occurred. I like how the article presents information and delves into it whilst also expanding on the stray facts that are important as well. Overall the article is well written, easy to understand, and does a great job at keeping objective perspectives.