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

The escalation to direct conflict in 2024 and 2025 was preceded by a series of significant events. In April 2024, an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killed several senior Iranian officials, including two generals. Iran retaliated with an unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel on April 14, 2024, though most of the projectiles were intercepted by Israel and a U.S.-led international coalition. This exchange marked a notable shift towards more overt confrontation.