{"id":17657,"date":"2024-04-04T00:38:55","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T00:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/04\/iran-and-israel-have-a-long-history-of-clandestine-attacks\/"},"modified":"2024-04-04T00:38:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-04T00:38:55","slug":"iran-and-israel-have-a-long-history-of-clandestine-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/04\/iran-and-israel-have-a-long-history-of-clandestine-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran and Israel Have a Long History of Clandestine Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"549\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/02\/multimedia\/02iran-israel-timeline-qzwj\/02iran-israel-timeline-qzwj-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,549&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Iran and Israel Have a Long History of Clandestine Attacks\" title=\"Iran and Israel Have a Long History of Clandestine Attacks\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For decades, Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel\u2019s strike in the Syrian capital, Damascus, that killed three top Iranian commanders on Monday was the most brazen attack in years, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/02\/world\/middleeast\/iran-israel-damascus-strike.html\" title=\"\">raising fears of a wider confrontation<\/a>. That would be particularly dangerous in a region already in turmoil on multiple fronts, including Israel\u2019s war in Gaza, cross-border skirmishes between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and attacks by Yemen\u2019s Houthi militia against Western interests in the Red Sea. An escalation between Israel and Iran would also risk further entangling the United States, given <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/04\/world\/middleeast\/us-mideast-strikes-blinken.html\" title=\"\">the presence of American troops<\/a> in the region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Here are some key moments in the yearslong conflict.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-3c309405\">January 2020: A major target<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/03\/world\/middleeast\/suleimani-dead.html\" title=\"\">assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani<\/a>, commander of the foreign-facing arm of Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in an American drone strike in Baghdad was greeted with satisfaction in Israel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Iran hit back by <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/07\/world\/middleeast\/iran-fires-missiles-us.html\" title=\"\">attacking two bases<\/a> in Iraq that housed American troops with a barrage of missiles, injuring about <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/13\/world\/asia\/iran-missiles-us-consulate-iraq.html\" title=\"\">100 U.S. military personnel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">American officials accused General Suleimani of causing the deaths of hundreds of soldiers during the Iraq war. They also said that he was behind destabilizing Iranian activities throughout the Middle East and that he was accused of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/10\/world\/middleeast\/trump-iran-embassy-attacks.html\" title=\"\">plotting attacks against U.S. embassies<\/a> and Israeli targets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The general had <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/01\/03\/obituaries\/qassem-soleimani-dead.html\" title=\"\">built a network of allied militias<\/a> to defend Iran\u2019s interests across the Middle East and to counter the United States and Israel.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-24de0d0a\">October 2023: Tit-for-tat strikes before Oct. 7<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Iran and Israel reportedly carried out a number of covert attacks and counterattacks in the years following General Suleimani\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel killed Iran\u2019s top nuclear scientist, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/09\/18\/world\/middleeast\/iran-nuclear-fakhrizadeh-assassination-israel.html\" title=\"\">Mohsen Fakhrizadeh<\/a>, in November 2021, and followed up with the assassination of a Revolutionary Guards commander, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/05\/25\/world\/middleeast\/iran-israel-killing-khodayee.html\" title=\"\">Col. Sayad Khodayee<\/a>, in May 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In July 2021, an oil tanker managed by an <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/07\/30\/world\/middleeast\/tanker-attack-oman.html\" title=\"\">Israeli-owned shipping company<\/a> was attacked off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members, according to the company and three Israeli officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Two of the officials said that the attack appeared to have been carried out by several Iranian drones that crashed into living quarters underneath the ship\u2019s bridge. Iran did not explicitly claim or deny responsibility, but a state-owned TV channel described the attack on the ship as a response to an Israeli strike in Syria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Once Israel\u2019s bombardment of Gaza began after the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, Iranian-backed militias <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/29\/world\/middleeast\/iran-syria-strike-proxies.html\" title=\"\">stepped up their attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-281d8028\">December 2023: Another high-profile killing<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At the end of last year, Iran accused Israel of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/26\/world\/middleeast\/iran-military-official-israel-syria.html\" title=\"\">killing a high-level military figure, Brig. Gen. Sayyed Razi Mousavi<\/a>, in a missile strike outside Damascus. A senior adviser to the Revolutionary Guards, General Mousavi was described as having been a close associate of General Suleimani and was said to have helped oversee the shipment of arms to Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel, adopting its customary stance, declined to comment directly on whether it was behind General Mousavi\u2019s death.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4823130a\">January 2024: Back-and-forth attacks ratchet up<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Pentagon launched a drone strike in Baghdad that <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/04\/world\/middleeast\/us-drone-strike-baghdad-iraq.html\" title=\"\">killed a senior figure<\/a> in an Iran-linked militant group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The attack came days after <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/02\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-leader-war.html\" title=\"\">an explosion<\/a> in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, that killed <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/02\/world\/middleeast\/israel-hamas-leader-war.html\" title=\"\">Saleh al-Arouri<\/a>, a Hamas leader, along with two commanders from that group\u2019s armed wing. The blast was the first such assassination of a top Hamas official outside the West Bank and Gaza in recent years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials from Hamas, Lebanon and the United States <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/01\/02\/world\/middleeast\/hamas-leader-beirut-killed.html\" title=\"\">ascribed the attack to Israel<\/a>, which did not publicly confirm involvement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. al-Arouri was the most senior Hamas figure to be killed since Israel vowed to destroy the organization after Oct. 7.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel was blamed for a number of attacks in Syria and Lebanon. In February, Syrian state news media said Israel was behind an airstrike on a residential building in Damascus that killed two people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Israeli military declined to comment on that strike, though it has acknowledged hundreds of past strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the Israeli military did acknowledge a strike in southern Lebanon in February that it said <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/02\/26\/world\/middleeast\/israel-lebanon-strikes.html\" title=\"\">killed a Hezbollah commander<\/a>, and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/13\/world\/middleeast\/israel-kills-hamas-leader-lebanon.html\" title=\"\">in March<\/a>, it killed a senior Hamas operative in an airstrike also in southern Lebanon.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-9ycfei eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-1141869a\">March 2024: A tense atmosphere<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An Israeli drone strike targeted a car in southern Lebanon, killing at least one person. Israel\u2019s military said it had killed the deputy commander of Hezbollah\u2019s rocket and missile unit. Hezbollah acknowledged the death of a man, Ali Abdulhassan Naim, but did not provide further details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The same day, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/03\/29\/world\/middleeast\/israel-syria-airstrikes.html\" title=\"\">airstrikes killed soldiers<\/a> near Aleppo, northern Syria, in what appeared to be one of the heaviest Israeli attacks in the country in years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Those strikes killed 36 Syrian soldiers, seven Hezbollah fighters and a Syrian from a pro-Iran militia, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that tracks Syria\u2019s civil war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Israel\u2019s military did not claim responsibility. However, the country\u2019s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, wrote on social media, \u201cWe will pursue Hezbollah every place it operates and we will expand the pressure and the pace of the attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Three days later, on Monday evening, Israeli warplanes struck the building in Damascus in the attack that killed the three top Iranian commanders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For decades, Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war across the Middle East, trading attacks by land, sea, air and in cyberspace. Iran has largely used foreign proxies to strike Israeli interests, while targeted assassinations of Iranian military leaders and nuclear scientists have been a key part of Israel\u2019s strategy. Israel\u2019s strike in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/02\/multimedia\/02iran-israel-timeline-qzwj\/02iran-israel-timeline-qzwj-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1179,23106,3913,19606,38,1404],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17657"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17657"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17657\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17659,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17657\/revisions\/17659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}