Iran has emerged as a serious player, having exchanged two direct rounds of aerial attacks with Israel. Published: November 8, 2024 4:45 PM IST By Edited by Iran, the only non-Arabian country in the West Asia/Middle East region was, for about 15-17 years largely considered a non-entity in terms of geopolitical, political, regional, and military issues. It was almost dismissed as a weak state thriving only on its petroleum and energy reserves.
Somewhere in the beginning of the 2010s, there were a few flutters concerning the nuclear programme of the Persian nation, with Israel and the United States being most vocal and concerned amid the fears that the Islamic Republic is seeking a nuclear weapon. The communication and action in this regard were confined to sanctions and rhetoric and Iran was not taken as a serious player, at least in the field of modern technology and weapons. All this changed on October 7, 2023, with Palestine-based militant group Hamas launching a massive strike on Israel.
It was the opening of the floodgates and since then, more than a year later, not only the proverbial proxies of Iran, Hezbollah, Iraqi Resistance, and Yemen-based Houthis, but Iran itself has emerged as a serious player, having exchanged two direct rounds of aerial attacks involving some of the most sophisticated ballistic missiles, drones, and fighters from both Iran and Israel. Iran announced its arrival on the scene previously dominated by Saudi Arabia and Turkey as far as regional supe.