The attack launched by Iran was unprecedented, announced and limited. The reactions have been completely explicit. It is necessary to defeat zionism and its imperialist protectors. We cannot have any trust in the reactionary regime of the Ayatollah. The mobilization of the peoples must continue in the direction of a strategic way out for Palestine and the Middle East.
By Ruben Tzanoff
Missiles and drones over Israel
The destruction of the consulate in Damascus, Syria, in which members of the Revolutionary Guards were killed, was a provocation to which Iran responded on Saturday night, April 13. It did so with the unprecedented launching of more than 300 missiles and drones, mainly from Iran but also from Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon, countries in which militias close to Tehran are active. The Israeli defense system known as “Iron Dome”, assisted by the US, UK, France and Jordan, intercepted 99 percent of 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles in the air. After the defensive vulnerability exposed by the surprise Hamas attack on October 7, Netanyahu and the far-right regime have been at pains to magnify the restoration of security.
On notice
The attack prompted Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi to state that the Zionist regime has been “taught a lesson” and to speculate about the end of the doctrine of “strategic patience”. For the time being, what took place was a limited action announced 72 hours in advance to the governments of the region, thus also putting Israel and the US on notice. It was more a propaganda warning than a forceful response to the genocide and occupation of Gaza. The reactionary regime of the Ayatollahs is trying to show that it is “doing something” for Palestine, because of the aggression in Damascus and the assassinations of its commanders and scientists, inside and outside the country. It acts under pressure both by the mobilization of the peoples of the region and by the actions taking place at home, which were even expressed in the streets on the very day of the attack on Israel.
Uncertainty about future reactions
Netanyahu called for a meeting of the UN Security Council, the most radical wing of the government has already declared itself in favor of a “crushing attack” against Tehran and the Minister of the War Cabinet, Benny Gantz, warned that the retaliation will be “in the way and at the time that is right for us”. For his part, the head of the Iranian army, Mohammad Bagheri, warned that “our response will be much greater if Israel retaliates against Iran” and that US bases could be attacked if Washington backs an Israeli counterattack. According to the New York Times, Joe Biden told Netanyahu that he will not support a direct assault on Iranian territory and intends to avoid a regional escalation, which would also aggravate the crisis of the world capitalist economy, the financial and political instability.
Hegemony in dispute, open perspective
As stated in the article by comrade Imran Kamyana “A few points about the Iran-Israel conflict”: “…this situation needs to be seen in the context of growing contradictions between regional and global imperialist powers, not only in the Middle East but worldwide, which could explode uncontrollably despite all their “understanding” and behind-the-scenes diplomacy. This could lead to massive bloodshed in the form of new wars as well as an unprecedented crisis in the already fragile global economy. Even the imperialist policy makers are aware and afraid of this fact. This is the reason why the Americans were trembling and racing to stop the Iranian attack and tried to solve the issue by involving powers from China to the Gulf states for arbitration. The post-Iranian attack situation will take some time to get clear, the key factor being whether Israel retaliates. And if it does, what the nature of retaliation would be. In case of Israeli retaliation, Iran will have to respond more aggressively than before and the situation will only worsen. Hence, it seems more likely that the tense situation will be eased by channeling into institutionalized condemnations and deceptive rhetoric, and efforts will be made to suppress the Iran-Israel conflict, at least temporarily.”
Yankees “Go home”
At the moment, Netanyahu went from being the focus of international criticism to receiving the endorsement of the G7, the EU and NATO, accompanied by the request for “moderation” so that the regional situation does not get completely out of hand. The Prime Minister is trying to take advantage of the circumstances to decompress the critical domestic situation that afflicts him, to reposition Israel in the eyes of world public opinion and to set up an international anti-Iranian alliance with the aim of dismantling its nuclear development. It remains to be seen whether he can achieve this or not since, beyond his anxieties, an unprecedented mobilized solidarity in support of Palestine is underway, centered on the repudiation of the genocidaires and growing with every minute of heroic resistance of its people. Current events have demonstrated for the umpteenth time that US imperialism acts as if the Middle East were located in a dependency of the White House. U.S. interference is not a guarantee of “peace and democracy” for the region but of support for Israel and more war; therefore it must be categorically rejected! U.S. out of the Middle East! Rejection of any Zionist or imperialist attack on Iran!
Nothing should prevent diverting the focus of attention with the false belief that Israel is a “victim” of the aggression of its neighbors. It is necessary to continue to actively reject the genocide, the war crimes, the violation of human rights that the State of Israel is carrying out against the Palestinian people and that threatens to intensify in Rafah. There is no justification for supporting Israel, on the contrary, it is responsible for 75 years of colonialist aggression against the Palestinian people in its own territory and the Arab peoples throughout the region; as a gendarme of British imperialism first and US imperialism later. The way out to achieve a just and lasting peace is through the dismantling of the Zionist state, the return to the situation prior to 1948 and the establishment of a single, secular, democratic, non-racist and socialist Palestine, which can only be achieved if the socialist revolution advances in the Middle East.