When an unprecedented Iranian swarm of over 300 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones created just a crater or two in Israel, it became a compelling endorsement for Tel Aviv’s Iron Dome missile shield. The US did its bit by putting down a sizable chunk of those projectiles. It also shared real-time intel with Israel on the attack, as did the UK, Jordan and some other Gulf states, indicating the changing dynamics in West Asia. Bets were also off on the Israeli counterattack but it pragmatically showed the ability to strike in Iran’s Isfahan - which houses nuclear assets - without making any significant impact on the ground.
Mercifully, there were relatively calmer heads on both sides who played dangerous war games on each other’s territory for public consumption without letting the situation get out of hand. Both countries have since indicated their intention to dial down the tension, so it will be back to business as usual in the Gaza blood sport. At last count, over 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children as collateral damage. That the US is expected to announce its first-ever sanctions against an Israeli army battalion for human rights violations in the occupied West Bank, brought a degree of sanity in the otherwise depressing outlook.
This was the first time in decades that Iran launched a direct attack on Israel instead of employing its proxies like the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Hamas in Gaza to do the dirty job. The provocation came from a missile strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria that left a few army generals and diplomats dead earlier this month. That attack was widely attributed to Israel though it disowned it. Iran also dramatically seized a container ship bound for Israel on the high seas. Among its crew were 17 Indian sailors, one of whom, a female trainee cadet, returned home safely.
There were fears of the Iran-Israel clash further inflaming global markets. Inflation is a bad word in over 60 poll-bound nations, including India, this year, but markets have settled. The cost of freight would stay up due to the vulnerable Red Sea corridor. But with the Ukraine war also contributing to geopolitical uncertainties, global economies would continue to roil. The challenge for India is to navigate a safe passage for its economy while urging warring nations to give peace a chance.