Israel, Iran, and the Dawn of a New Middle Eastern War
Israel, Iran, and the Dawn of a New Middle Eastern War (This article has been updated as of June 18, 14:00 GMT) I. Summary On June 13, 2025, the long-simmering shadow war between the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran erupted into direct, state-on-state military conflict, fundamentally altering the strategic landscape of the Middle East. Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion,” a meticulously planned and technologically sophisticated offensive, marked the culmination of years of intelligence groundwork and a series of escalating tit-for-tat strikes. The operation successfully degraded critical elements of Iran’s nuclear program, decapitated a significant portion of its senior military command, and crippled its conventional war-making capabilities. Iran’s retaliation, codenamed “Operation True Promise III,” demonstrated the reach and potency of its ballistic missile arsenal, striking deep into Israeli territory and causing casualties and damage in major cities, including a ...