Iran-Israel War: A New Era of Direct Confrontation in the Middle East

Since the 1980s, the conflict has largely been characterized as a proxy war. Iran has actively supported various militant groups opposed to Israel, most notably Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories. This support has included funding, training, and the provision of weapons, enabling these groups to launch attacks against Israel, thereby extending Iran's influence and challenging Israeli security without direct state-on-state confrontation.