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Middle East: Iran and Israel, two intimate enemies for 45 years
Israel and Iran are now sworn enemies, after having been valuable allies under the regime of the Shah of Iran. So what are the roots of hatred? Decryption.
(France 2)
Israel and Iran are now sworn enemies, after having been valuable allies under the regime of the Shah of Iran. So what are the roots of hatred? Decryption.
On April 1, a strike attributed to Israel destroyed the Iranian consulate in Damascus (Syria), killing 16 people, including Iranian revolutionary guards. “The evil regime made a mistake. In this regard it must and will be punished”, reacted Ali Khamenei, the Iranian supreme leader, in Tehran on April 10. Iran and Israel have been intimate enemies for over 40 years. However, when the Shah of Iran was still in power, before 1979, the Jewish state was Iran’s ally.
No interest in provoking open conflict
In 1950, Iran was even the second Muslim country to recognize the State of Israel. Everything changed in 1979, with the Islamic revolution in Tehran. The new regime of the ayatollahs rejects American imperialism and its ally Israel, the start of a long indirect war between the two powers. “There was a sort of unwritten rule of the game, which is: no attack, no direct confrontation”explains Thierry Coville, researcher at IRIS specializing in Iran.
Tehran had therefore always chosen until now to strike Israel via its allies in the region. This time, Iran is attacking Israel head-on, without going through third parties, but the modus operandi is under control. According to experts, the two powers have no interest in provoking open conflict. On the other hand, their remote clashes should not stop.
