Flashpoint Middle East

Considering the lran—Israel/US conflict and its fallout, the way forward must be guided not by ideological rigidity or maximalist posturing, but by diplomatic creativity and collective responsibility, writes LC Patnaik

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JHE Middle East is no stranger to volatility, but the events of June 2025 have elevated a regional confrontation to a crucible of global significance.

The rapid escalation between Iran and the Israel-US axis ignited by a strike on nuclear and military infrastructures and fanned by ideological and sectarian divides, has redrawn the geopolitical fault lines and political schisms. This crisis is not only a harbinger of further regional destabilization but a mirror reflecting the fragility of global institutions, energy interdependence, and the erosion of the nuclear nonproliferation consensus.

Operation Rising Lion: A Calculated Escalation

On June 13, Israel executed a highly coordinated airstrike against Iran’s nuclear facilities along with Mossad’s covert operations sabotaging Iran’s air defence systems and missile infrastructures, Codenamed Operation Rising Lion, the assault was as strategic as it was symbolic: an attempt to delay Tehran’s nuclear breakout timeline while signaling deterrence to adversaries. Backed by American intelligence and midair refueling support, the strikes killed over 1200 Iranian personnel, including senior nuclear scientists and top leadership of the Iranian Armed Forces and the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).

Iran’s retaliation came swiftly and emphatically. Over 550 ballistic missiles and drones rained on Israeli airbases, urban centers, and strategic nodes. Though the Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling defense systems neutralized the majority, more than 24 civilians were killed, and thousands injured. A missile hit the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, symbolizing the war's civilian cost.

Human Cost, Political Repression