On April 19, we revisit what can only be seen as the Middle East reaching a tipping point as Iran and Israel shed their shadow warfare and come out in the open.
- Tehran’s ruling theocracy shed its use of proxies to rain missiles on Israel, launching 300 missiles and drones. The US and the UK, France and Jordan, UAE & Saudi worked together to protect Israel.
- And as Iran braced for a retaliatory strike from the Jewish state, post its daring missile strike, its nuclear facilities were clearly the top target; it's also scrambling to find ways to thwart Israel’s much-vaunted cyber warfare which has targeted Iran in the past.
- Any further escalation can only affect trade and shipping for countries like India and the Gulf countries who have tried to walk a fine line between the two powers, refusing to allow the US to browbeat them into getting sucked into the wider war.
- Talking us through the watershed moment in the history of Israel and Iran as bombs rain down - without much damage - to Isfahan, which houses Iran nuclear facility Natanz, are former Ambassador Anil Trigunayat who served in Syria and Libya.
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Prof Alvite Ningthoujam an Israel expert, who teaches at Symbiosis School of International Studies.