Iran targets Israel in dangerous Middle East game. Can India solve the crisis? | Latest news from India

There are still 101 Israelis in Hamas custody, with only 66 of them possibly still alive and time running out. Since then, hundreds of Hamas fighters and innocents have died in deadly Israeli retaliatory strikes, and today the Jewish people under Benjamin Netanyahu are fighting their enemies on seven fronts – Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, the West Bank, Iraq, Syria and Iran.

But Israel's main enemy is Iran, which is using its terrorist proxies to attack Tel Aviv and thereby defeat the entire Middle East.

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Taking advantage of its strong asymmetry of military superiority vis-à-vis Hamas and Hezbollah, Israel succeeded in breaking up the Sunni terrorist army in Gaza, which had proper command and control, into a terrorist gang led by Yahya Sinwar after the elimination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.

The military capabilities of the Shiite terrorist group in Lebanon have been significantly weakened. Over the past two weeks, Israel succeeded in destroying Hezbollah's command and control structure by attacking its communications networks and this month eliminated its top military commanders.

The Middle East is currently in flames. Sunni powers such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are forced to stand by and do nothing, and the United States is no longer the guarantor of peace and security in the region.

The region and the world as a whole are sitting on a powder keg that could explode at any moment. The million-dollar question today is how to stop this dance of death, which will have serious consequences for global security in the future.

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At first glance, Iran is almost 2,000 kilometers away from Israel and the two countries had a solid relationship in the early 1970s. But then the world fell apart and 1979 proved to be a turning point: the Shiite revolution in Iran, the siege of Mecca by Islamic terrorists and the occupation of Afghanistan by the then Soviet Union.

These three milestones radicalized the entire Islamic world to such an extent that the consequences are still felt: politicians use religion as a weapon to gain power. To consolidate their power and gain legitimacy, the Ayatollahs of Iran decided to target the US and Israel as an instrument of their larger ambitions and prestige in the Islamic world.

ALSO READ: Understanding Iran’s game: Wants to destroy Israel, considers the US to be the “great Satan”

Using its covert Quds Force apparatus, Iran has been building terror proxies in the region to attack Israel and radicalize the entire Arab world in return. This systematic radicalization of the Arab world through political Islam has incited Muslims around the world and turned them into mere tools of the never-ending Iranian revolution.

Other interest groups have joined the radical platform to express their anger at their own countries. Currently, all of Iran's non-state terror proxies are attacking Israel, with the two-state solution and the legitimate voice of the Palestinian homeland as a thorn in their side. Hezbollah has paralyzed Lebanon and operates in Syria, Hamas has taken over Gaza, Kaitab Hezbollah operates in Iraq, and the Shiite Houthi rebels are attacking international shipping in the Red Sea and off the Gulf of Aden, with the destruction of Israel as their main goal.

The voice of moderate Arab forces is drowned out by extremists, and enlightened Sunni forces watch the violence as mute spectators, fearful of incurring the wrath of the fully radicalized Arab streets.

The situation has worsened because US power in the Middle East is no longer seen as legitimate, Russia is struggling with a war in Ukraine, and China has not yet acquired the political and military clout to act as a global peacemaker. The UN, on the other hand, has degenerated into a forum for political posturing and no longer has any power to enforce peace in any part of the world.

While an outraged Israel's retaliation against non-state Hamas fighters in Gaza was a justified response to the October 7 massacre, Netanyahu's war in Gaza lost legitimacy on the streets of Jerusalem after reports emerged of collateral damage to the streets and squares, killing hundreds of people.

War-weary Israelis also began to question the political leadership after Israeli forces entered the West Bank as part of anti-terror operations following a year of maximum violence and chaos. But then Iran's proxy Hezbollah intervened, attacking Israeli cities as far north as Haifa and Nazareth with rockets, leading to the evacuation of Jews residing in the region.

Israelis are running out of safe spaces

Iran's missile attack on Israel on April 13 and the constant attacks by non-state actors such as Hezbollah and its allies in Syria have restored Netanyahu's legitimacy as the ayatollahs seek to wipe the Jewish nation off the face of the earth.

Today, Israelis are running out of safe space as rockets arrive from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran. Jews are left with no options as their survival is at stake in the face of an enemy like Iran and its deadly proxies with standing armies and credible long-range weapons.

Given the current grim scenario, the conflict in the Middle East will continue to simmer as neither Netanyahu nor Hassan Nasrallah has the courage to wage a full-scale war. The Hamas leadership is decimated, but the radical ideology will not die, and the world will continue to see terrorist attacks as there is no place for moderates in Gaza.

Peace could be achieved on Israel's northern borders if UN Resolution 1701 were actually implemented, but no world power has the weight to enforce it by disarming Hezbollah and demilitarizing the Lebanese-Israeli borders. With the current Biden administration moving against Russia in Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin showing no signs of abandoning his military adventure, the global goal today is to contain war in the Middle East, not to seek complete peace.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates must put détente with Israel on hold

Sunni powers like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been forced to put détente with Israel on hold as extremists on the Arab streets are thirsting for their blood. Although the answer lies in a two-state solution, Iran wants to keep the pot boiling and Israel wants more space to settle Jews who come to the promised land permanently.

As the Ayatollahs face internal opposition and challenges, Iran's leadership will use the war against Israel to distract its citizens from the Shiite state's massive economic problems. Countries like Turkey and Qatar will use the war to settle their scores with the Islamic world, and the same will be done by politicians ruling countries on the periphery of the Middle East.

China and the Central European powers may support anti-Israel resolutions in the UN, but these have no meaning because no one can enforce them or order Israel and Iran to withdraw. All in all, the Middle East is in complete chaos and no one has a viable solution for peace. And that is a sure recipe for disaster.

India's role in resolving the Middle East crisis?

India can play a role under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it is the only country that can negotiate with Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US and Russia to find a viable solution. Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New York to discuss the current issue. The Middle East is in utter chaos and no one has a viable solution for peace.