What’s going on between Iran-Israel? In the aftermath of Israel’s recent airstrike in Syria, tensions between Iran and Israel have reached a critical point. The January 20 attack, which targeted a residential building in the Syrian Capital, Damascus, resulted in the deaths of five high-ranking Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials. Israel faces accusations of escalating hostilities by intensifying strikes on senior Iranian and allied figures in Syria and Lebanon, as they support Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The incident adds to the spiked regional tensions amid Israel’s offensive in Gaza, and concerns grow over the potential expansion of the conflict across the Middle East. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the attack and blamed Israel for the “terrorist and criminal” act, vowing retaliation and asserting that the strike will not go unanswered. Let’s take a look at the Iran-Israel relationship starting from their early years as allies with maintained diplomatic relations to their current status as enemies.
Iran-Israel: Early Years
1947-1951: Iran, under the Pahlavi dynasty, officially recognized Israel in 1948. Following the start of the first Arab-Israeli war, during which Israel captured more territory than the UN had approved, Iran, led by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, became the second Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel after Turkey.
1951-1953: Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh’s efforts to nationalize Iran’s oil industry led to the termination of ties with Israel. His primary focus was on countering British control over oil, with the Iran-Israel relationship being collateral damage.
1953-1979: Following the Iranian coup on August 19, 1953, which reinstated the monarchical rule of the Shah, Iran, and Israel restored relations. Israel established a de facto embassy in Tehran and the two exchanged ambassadors in the 1970s. Trade and military cooperation flourished, driven by shared interests against Arab states and the Soviet empire.
1979: The Islamic Revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeini marked a significant shift. Iran cut off all ties with Israel, adopted an anti-Israel stance, and declared Jerusalem (Quds) Day to support the Palestinian cause.
1980-1990: The Iran-Iraq War that took place between 1980-1988 intensified tensions between the two as Israel supported Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, fearing the spread of radical Islamism, consequently straining relations with Iran. After that, Iran-Israel enmity further grew when the former supported a “resistance axis” against Israel. Both sides engaged in a “shadow war,” involving alleged attacks on each other’s diplomatic interests.
2000s: In the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Iran’s nuclear program became a focal point of tensions. Israel, suspected of deploying the Stuxnet malware, vowed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Following sabotage attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and assassinations of nuclear scientists further raised hostilities.
2010-2020: During this time, several Arab states had normalized relations with Israel, but Iran continued to resist any reconciliation. Ongoing conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen fueled proxy warfare between the two countries, with each side accusing the other of attacks.
2023-2024: When Israel started bombarding Gaza in October 2023, Iran warned of the conflict spreading. The airstrike in Syria on January 20, 2024, which targeted Iranian security forces, surely worsened the situation in the region. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi blamed Israel, stating that the attack was “terrorist and criminal”. As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its fourth month, the situation in the Middle East and the relationship between Iran and Israel do not appear to be improving.
Iran-Israel Relations: Prospects of Improvement?
The Iran-Israel relationship has undergone significant fluctuations over the years. While historical ties once existed, political shifts, the Islamic Revolution, and regional conflicts involving neighboring nations have fueled a longstanding enmity. The possibility of normalization between Israel and Iran seems remote at this moment. Iran’s opposition to U.S. hegemony in the Middle East, alongside Israel’s resistance to withdrawing American troops further contribute to their rivalry. Ongoing conflicts in the region, including Israel’s war with Hamas and the recent airstrike on Syria, continue to strain their relations. All these factors indicate that a normalization between these two sides remains elusive for the foreseeable future.