Iran–Israel proxy conflict

This post is about Israel and Iran, but I believe it belongs here since Iran plays a central role in the Israel–Palestine conflict.

After Israel’s recent strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, this subreddit has seen a surge of posts and comments asking: How could Israel dare to attack a sovereign state? Why is Israel allowed to have nuclear weapons but Iran isn’t? Iranians did nothing wrong, where is the justice? Why hasn’t the world sanctioned Israel yet?

I want to address this reaction by pointing out how many people here seem unaware of Iran’s role in creating and fueling this entire situation.

Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran declared two main enemies: The "Great Satan" and The "Little Satan". USA and Israel accordingly.

These weren’t just political rivals, they were framed as ideological threats. The US was labeled the symbol of global imperialism, and Israel its regional outpost. While this rhetoric may have been aimed primarily at rallying domestic support at the time, it has continued for more than four decades.

Iranian leaders have repeatedly vowed to destroy the "Zionist entity", calling Israel a cancer in the Middle East and promising revenge. And it hasn’t stopped at words. Iran has actively backed a network of proxy groups around Israel, funding, arming, and training them. Without Iran’s support, groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Houthis, and various Iraqi militias would not have the strength or capabilities they showed before October 7.

Iran’s broader strategy appears to be to encircle Israel and exhaust it through a prolonged, multi-front proxy war, not with other states, but with non-state actors. This makes it much harder for Israel to respond. Iran avoids direct conflict, and the countries hosting these proxies remain officially uninvolved. But if Israel retaliates, it risks being portrayed as the aggressor, targeting sovereign nations or civilians, which then triggers international condemnation and pressure through institutions like the UN.

Israel has always recognized that the real threat comes from Iran, but for a long time, it didn’t treat it as an immediate priority. Dealing with Iran’s proxies was challenging, but ultimately manageable. Everything changed when Iran came close to developing nuclear weapons. Personally, I find it hard to believe that Iran’s nuclear program is purely for peaceful energy. The country is ruled by a fanatic with absolute power. What's to stop him from launching a strike on a whim, out of anger or ideology?

This fundamentally shifted the situation. We're no longer talking about just proxy wars or conventional threats. Now, a state that has openly vowed to destroy Israel for over 40 years is potentially on the verge of acquiring the ultimate weapon. For Israel, this is simply unacceptable.

Trump tried to push through a nuclear deal, but from Israel’s perspective, why should it trust a regime that has made its total destruction a stated goal? It would be naive to believe that Iran will simply halt all nuclear development. Even under pressure or international agreements, a regime like this, driven by extreame ideology, will find ways to keep its plans alive, whether in secret or through loopholes.

In conclusion, as long as this regime remains in power in Iran, it will do everything it can to ensure the Israel-Palestine conflict is never resolved. A lasting peace would be a direct contradiction of the Islamic Revolution’s core narrative. It would force the regime to admit that, after decades of struggle and sacrifice, it failed to achieve its ultimate goal. That’s a truth they cannot afford to tell their own people. If, however, the regime were to change, even to one that was simply neutral toward Israel, then my own perspective would shift. I would be more critical of Israel, and I would see international pressure to establish a Palestinian state as entirely justified. At that point, sanctions and diplomatic efforts could make sense. But as long as the ayatollahs rule Iran, any serious conversation about peace, justice, or even sanctions is, in my view, pointless.