Jonathan Spyer

Will Israel continue its strikes on Iran?

A banner depicting missiles in Tehran, Iran (Credit: Getty images)

The reported Israeli strike on an Iranian air installation near the city of Isfahan in central Iran appears to have been the most significant of a series of attacks carried out by Israel in the course of last night. While the full picture is still emerging, there are indications that an additional strike of some kind took place south of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. A third strike took place on a position of the Syrian army in Sweida, a majority Druze province close to the Syria-Israel border, according to a number of Syrian opposition sources.

The strike on Sweida is business as usual in terms of Israel’s ongoing campaign against Iranian entrenchment in Syria. The Isfahan strike, however, and to a lesser extent the apparent strike on Baghdad constitute a significant escalation. Attacks on Iranian regime facilities on Iranian soil have been attributed to Israel in the past. Operations against drone production facilities in the Isfahan area took place in May 2021 and January 2023.

Get Britain's best politics newsletters

Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Written by
Jonathan Spyer

Jonathan Spyer is a journalist and Middle East analyst. He is director of research at the Middle East Forum and the author of The Transforming Fire: The Rise of the Israel-Islamist Conflict.

Topics in this article

Comments

Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months

Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.

Already a subscriber? Log in