by Farrukh Abadi
On Friday morning, Israel launched a small-scale attack on an Iranian military air base in Isfahan, a city in central Iran. Shortly afterward, a separate group of drones were shot down in Tabriz in northern Iran. The attacks are said to be Israel’s response to Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israeli military bases last week, which itself was retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on an Iranian consulate building in Syria earlier this month that killed two top-ranking Iranian generals.
Israel also struck Syrian and Iraqi military sites, with three casualties reported in Iraq.
Israel has yet to claim responsibility for the attacks, though a US official admitted that Israel told them they were planning on striking Iran hours earlier. The US was quick to state that they did not participate in the action despite funding and arming Israel.
The attacks on Iran were comprised of small groups of drones that originated from within Iran itself. There are conflicting reports about whether or not missiles were used, and if so, where they landed. The Iranian government has stated that the attack caused little damage while Western monopoly media reports critical damage to an air defense system.
The small scale of the attack, damage, and official state responses are said by monopoly media commentators to be a sign of both governments favoring an ease in tension. At the same time, the attack coming from within Iran itself is meant to signal Israel’s capabilities to deter a further attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated: “What happened last night was not a strike. They were more like toys that our children play with—not drones.” According to Amirabdollahian, Iran is not planning on retaliating unless Israel launches a more significant attack.
Most Israeli officials have remained silent on the issue in an attempt to appease their US imperialist masters, toeing the line of deescalation. However, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir tweeted out a Hebrew slang word meaning “weak.” Earlier in the week, Ben-Gvir said that Israel should go “crazy” in its response to Iran.
Following the missile strike, the major US credit ratings agency S&P downgraded Israel’s long-term credit rating, citing risk of escalation of war with Iran. The downgrade further threatens Israel’s economy, showing the imperialists’ disdain with semi-colonial Israel for risking further escalation.
The imperialists have once again called for “restraint” while continuing to fund and arm the Israeli genocide of Palestinians. The imperialists correctly fear that a war between Israel and Iran would not only destabilize the imperialists’ grip over the Middle East, it would also bring the war home to them.
photo: A woman walks past a mural depicting missiles in Tehran, Iran, Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
