2024 Iran–Israel Conflict

In 2024, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict escalated to a series of direct confrontations between the two countries. On 1 April, Israel bombed an Iranian consulate complex in Damascus, Syria, killing multiple senior Iranian officials. In response, Iran and its Axis of Resistance allies seized the Israeli-linked ship ''MSC Aries'' and launched strikes inside Israel on 13 April. Israel then carried out retaliatory strikes in Iran and Syria on 19 April.

The Israeli strikes were limited, and analysts say they signaled a desire to de-escalate. Iran did not respond to the attack, and tensions de-escalated back down to the proxy conflict.

Other actors participated in the conflict as well. The United States, United Kingdom, France, and Jordan intercepted Iranian drones to defend Israel. Syria shot down some Israeli interceptors, and Iranian proxies in the region also attacked Israel.

Tensions increased after the 31 July assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Tehran, Iran. The killing of Haniyeh occurred a few hours after the 2024 Haret Hreik airstrike in Lebanon that assassinated Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr. Iran and Hezbollah pledged retaliation. On 1 October 2024, Iran launched a series of missiles at Israel. Israel then carried out more retaliatory strikes against Iran on 26 October.

On 12 June 2025, Israel launched several airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and infrastructure. This was followed by retaliatory airstrikes by Iran against Israel, beginning an ongoing war between the two countries.

Background

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Government of Iran took a more critical stance on Israel, and a proxy war emerged as Iran supported Lebanese Shia and Palestinian militants during the 1982 Lebanon War. Iran began to gain power and influence with other Islamist countries and groups in the Middle East, collectively named the "Axis of Resistance". The conflict evolved with Israeli attempts to stop the Iranian nuclear program and confrontations during the Syrian civil war.

Previous tensions during the Gaza war

On 7 October 2023, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group partially funded by Iran, launched an attack on Israel resulting in the deaths of almost 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and the outbreak of the Gaza war. Israel also skirmished with Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. After the attack, Israel began targeting Iranian and proxy troops in Syria more frequently as retaliation. Fears of a regional war grew in the following months.

On 25 December, Razi Mousavi, an Iranian commander, was killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike at his residence in Sayyidah Zaynab, south of Damascus, amid the Gaza war. Mousavi's assassination marked the highest-ranking killing of a senior Iranian military official since the targeted assassination of Qasem Soleimani, until the subsequent killing of Mohammad Reza Zahedi in 2024.

On 20 January 2024, Iranian general Sadegh Omidzadeh and four other Iranian officials (Ali Aghazadeh, Saeed Karimi, Hossein Mohammadi, and Mohammad Amin Samadi) were killed during a meeting at a building in the Mezzeh district of Damascus. The Israeli airstrikes, as reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, resulted in the complete destruction of the building, leading to the death of at least 10 military personnel.

April 2024 escalation

Israeli bombing of Iranian embassy (1 April)

On 1 April, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria. The attack killed 16 people, including multiple Iranian officers and proxy fighters. Most notably, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander for the Quds Force was killed in the airstrike. Iranian officials in the building were allegedly meeting with Palestinian militant leaders at the time of the attack.

Iran vowed to respond, and Western sources suspected it would directly attack Israel. Israel began preparing in the days leading up to the attack, evacuating Israeli embassies and jamming GPS signals in the case of an aerial bombing. France deployed its navy to defend Israel. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates provided Israel with intelligence on the strikes.

Seizure of the MSC Aries (13 April)

On 13 April 2024, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy took control of the Portuguese-registered and Madeira- flagged container ship ''MSC Aries'' in the Hormuz Strait where it was boarded by Iranian commandos in international waters off the coast of the United Arab Emirates via helicopter, then directed to Iranian territory for "violating maritime law". The ship is leased to the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) by Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime, whose principal is Israeli. Following the incident, Israel called on the European Union to sanction the IRGC.

Iranian strikes on Israel (13–14 April)

Early on 13 April, Hezbollah attacked northern Israel with around 40 rockets. Israel responded by bombing a Hezbollah weapons manufacturing site in Lebanon. Al Jazeera said the attack was significant given the conflict, and the ''Institute for the Study of War'' suggested the strikes were coordinated with Iran.

Later, Iran and its proxies attacked Israel with about 300 drones and multiple ballistic missiles. The Houthis, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, Badr Organization, and True Promise Corps also launched attacks on Israel under Iranian command. Syria shot down some Israeli interceptors. The United States, United Kingdom, and Jordan intercepted over 100 Iranian drones. The attack caused minor damage to Nevatim Airbase, which remained operational. A 7-year-old Israeli Bedouin child was critically injured by a missile shrapnel, and 31 other civilians suffered minor injuries while rushing to shelters or due to anxiety.

Israeli and U.S. officials conducted situational assessments that night. The United States said it would not participate in a retaliatory strike on Iran. Iran threatened that if Israel were to retaliate, directly or indirectly, it would strike back harder. Israel said the attack warranted a response. The United States warned Israel to exercise restraint, and the Israeli war cabinet argued over the scale of Israel's response. Israel delayed plans to start an offensive in Rafah that week so it could determine a response.

The war cabinet continued arguments over the Israeli response during the following week. The cabinet considered military and diplomatic options, with international pressure to de-escalate the situation influencing decisions. On 18 April, it was reported that the United States would greenlight a Rafah offensive in exchange for no Israeli strike on Iran. The U.S. and EU tightened sanctions on Iran.

Israeli response (19 April)

On the morning of 19 April, Israel retaliated against Iran. Israel attacked three targets in or near Isfahan International Airport, including a military base. One of the targets was a radar for the Natanz nuclear site. Iran claimed that its air defense shot down all Israeli projectiles and that the explosions were from air defense, but satellite images showed a damaged air defense battery and damage to the radar system. Israel did not comment or claim responsibility for any attack. In southern Syria, SAA bases were targeted, leading to material losses. Explosions and fighter jets were also heard in Iraq, and debris from an Israeli missile was found in central Iraq, suggesting Israel fired from there.

Iranian state media downplayed the Israeli strike, and Iranian officials said there was no planned retaliation. An anonymous source told CNN that direct state-to-state strikes were over. Analysts said the attack and Iranian reaction showed that both sides wanted to de-escalate.

Summer and fall 2024 escalation

Assassinations of Shukr and Haniyeh (31 July)

On 31 July, Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander was assassinated in an Israeli strike on Haret Hreik, in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut. Iranian military adviser Milad Bedi and civilians were also killed in the strike. The strike was retaliation for the Majdal Shams attack, which killed twelve children, that Israel claimed Shukr had ordered.

Later that day, Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated along with his personal bodyguard in the Iranian capital Tehran by an apparent Israeli attack. Haniyeh was killed in his accommodation in a military-run guesthouse after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian.

Heightened tensions (August–September)

After the attacks, Iran and Hezbollah pledged retaliation. According to Israeli reports, retaliatory attacks are likely to be launched by multiple members of the Axis of Resistance, including in Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, as similarly done in the coordinated attack on Israel in April 2024. Many countries warned their citizens to leave Lebanon because of increasing war tensions.

The U.S. State Department has been trying to prevent an attack by working through diplomats to send the message to Iran that escalation of the conflict is not in their best interests, and that the U.S. will defend Israel from attacks. Other U.S. officials stated that the successful shoot-down in April relied on good military intelligence about what Iran was planning, but this time the military situation is more uncertain. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message to Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei through Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia's security council, to have a restrained response, and not to attack Israeli civilians.

The United States military announced the deployment of an additional squadron of F-22 Raptors from the 1st Operations Group of the 1st Fighter Wing; 4,000 marines and 12 ships were deployed to the region as a part of Carrier Strike Group 9 in the Persian Gulf and three ''Wasp''-class amphibious assault ships, two destroyers and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit as a part of the USS ''Wasp'' amphibious ready group in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The Carrier Strike Group 3 including USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and an unspecified number of cruisers and destroyers along with Carrier Air Wing Nine was also deployed, sent from the Pacific Ocean.

On 5 August 2024, NOTAMs were issued to warn pilots regarding the closure or restriction of the airspace of Iran and Jordan, a precaution related to a possible attack by Iran against Israel.

Israel–Hezbollah escalations (17–30 September)

On 17 September, Israel adopted a new war goal; to return civilians displaced by Hezbollah back to their homes in northern Israel. Later that day and the next, thousands of communications devices (including pagers and walkie-talkies) exploded simultaneously across Lebanon and Syria, with Israel aiming to attack Hezbollah members. The attack killed 42 people. In response, Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on northern Israeli cities and towns, including Nazareth, on 22 September. On 23 September, Israel killed two of Hezbollah top commanders, Ibrahim Aqil and Ahmed Wehbe in Dahieh, south of Beirut.

On 23 September, Israel began a bombing campaign of southern Lebanon. The attacks killed over 700 people, injured more than 5,000, and displaced 500,000 Lebanese civilians. On 27 September 2024, Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh. The strike took place while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at a headquarters located underground beneath residential buildings. The attack also killed Ali Karaki, the Commander of Hezbollah's Southern Front and Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of the IRGC and commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon. Iran condemned the attack, and had internal debates on how to respond to Nasrallah's death.

On 1 October 2024, Israel launched a ground invasion of Lebanon with the stated goal of destroying Hezbollah's presence close to the Israeli border.

Iranian strikes on Israel (1 October)

On 1 October 2024, Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel in two waves. Iranian officials cited the recent assassinations of Hezbollah, Hamas, and IRGC leaders as justification.

Israeli strikes on Iran (26 October)

On 26 October 2024, Israel began attacking Iran, with explosions heard near Imam Khomeini International Airport, Mashhad, Karaj, Kermanshah, Zanjan. Explosions were also heard near Damascus, Syria.

Post-strike threats and Iraqi involvement (October–November)

On 31 October 2024, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered his military officials to prepare for a military response against Israel, with Iranian officials warning that the response to Israel's strikes will be 'harsh' and 'unimaginable'.

On the same day, Israeli intelligence suggested that Iran prepared to respond to Israel's attack from within Iraqi territory. The Axios reported that the attack would consist of a large number of drones and ballistic missiles launched from Iraqi territory.

In November 2024, Israeli news outlets began reporting that Israel may target the Islamic Resistance in Iraq for its campaign against Israel during its wars on Gaza and on Lebanon. Unnamed officials allegedly told outlets that satellites monitored the transfer of ballistic missiles and related equipment from Iran to Iraqi territory.

On 19 November, Israel issued a letter to the UN Security Council asserting its right to self-defense against the Islamic Resistance in Iraq for its military campaign on Israel during its wars on Gaza and Lebanon. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani warned that the letter served as pretext for an attack on Iraq, aligning with Israel's efforts to expand the war in the region.

The Israeli security threat towards Iraq caused the Iraqi government to issue a statement that it would take all necessary diplomatic and military actions to protect its sovereignty. On 21 November, The Iraqi government requested an emergency session of the Arab League Council through the Iraqi Permanent Mission to the Arab League to address the Israeli threats against Iraq. The request highlighted Israel's threats in its letter to the UN Security Council, where it sought to expand its aggression in the region to Iraq.

June 2025 escalation

Swapping of airstrikes (13 June–present)

Israeli missiles were fired at Iranian military targets in the early morning hours of 13 June 2025. The large‑scale aerial assault operation was codenamed "Operation Rising Lion" () by Israel and was coordinated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Mossad, and other Israeli defense industries.

Targeted military and nuclear facilities were impacted, resulting in the deaths of Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists. Revolutionary Guard commander Hossein Salami and other senior IRGC leaders, including the senior commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, were reportedly killed in the attack. The Jahan Koudak Tower was also damaged.

Later that evening, Iran would respond with a retaliatory attack on Israeli military bases and other locations across Tel Aviv.

Preceding these strikes, the 2025 United States–Iran negotiations were making slow but steady progress. Notably, these talks did not involve Israel. The status of these talks is now unclear.

See also

* Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa
* Elections in Iran
* Elections in Israel

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iran-Israel conflict, 2024

April 2024 in Iran
April 2024 in Israel
October 2024 in Iran
October 2024 in Israel
Conflicts in 2024
2024 conflict
2024 conflict
Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present)