Iran wants to punish Israel for the killing of its commanders. But its options are limited
CNNApr 02
After an alleged Israeli strike in Damascus on Monday killed two Iranian generals and five other military advisers at the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed on Tuesday that Iran would retaliate.
In addition to killing three senior commanders of Iran’s Quds Force, the expeditionary military and intelligence service of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran said the strike killed Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, who was said to manage Iran's military relations in Syria and Lebanon.
The US is doing everything it can to ensure that Israel deter military threats while also preventing regional escalation. Israel must be able to defend itself from terrorist attacks, whether from Gaza or elsewhere, and the US will always defend Israel's right to security. Nonetheless, it is not in the US or Israel's best interest to see the conflict escalate. Thankfully, Iran has limited options in terms of how it can retaliate, and, ultimately, serious escalation is unlikely.
Israel has made clear time and time again that it will not tolerate Iranian-backed terrorists operating near its borders. Iran is playing a dangerous game through its attempts to destabilize the region, and Israel must deter Iran from believing that it can gain anything from this war. Regardless of the UN's campaign to demonize Israel, Israel never wanted this war and has been forced to respond to a terrible situation. However, it will aggressively pursue its interests to ensure the security of its citizens
While Israel violates international law every day with its crimes in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, the resistance is preparing to respond. Zahedi was a hero and now a martyr after years of working toward liberating the region from Western imperial influence. Though Iran has not been directly involved in this war, it has kept a watchful eye on its allies as they confront Israel's aggression.
There is a 10% chance that a state-based conflict between Israel and Iran will cause at least 1K deaths before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.