One rogue nation’s march toward global chaos
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In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented and illegal military assault deep into Iranian territory, striking nuclear facilities, government buildings, and residential areas in what it dubbed “Operation Rising Lion.” Far from a defensive maneuver, this was a calculated escalation designed to ignite a broader regional war, deflect global scrutiny from its ongoing genocide in Gaza, and edge closer to the goal of Eretz Israel.
This is not self-defence. This is empire in motion.
According to reports, Israeli fighter jets targeted not only Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow but also civilian apartment blocks in Tehran, killing several senior military leaders and civilians. Among the dead were Major General Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of Iran’s conventional military, and Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—a deliberate attempt to decapitate Iran’s military command structure.
As commentator Belén Fernández noted, “Israel thrives on perpetual upheaval and mass killing, all the while portraying itself as the victim of the folks it is slaughtering”. The latest strike, she argues, represents Netanyahu’s continued use of war as a political escape hatch—one that shields him from mounting corruption charges and domestic unrest, while solidifying Israel’s regional dominance.
Just as troubling is the geopolitical context. This brazen attack came just days before planned negotiations between the U.S. and Iran over reviving the nuclear deal, which Trump had once called a “priority.” But as Juan Cole observed, “Netanyahu launched the strikes to thwart the peace negotiations… striking a day before the next talks were scheduled to take place”.
This isn’t just warmongering—it’s sabotage.
Netanyahu’s strategy is disturbingly familiar. Following the classic authoritarian script, he manufactures external threats to justify violence, sow panic, and change the narrative. Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza has triggered worldwide condemnation and legal scrutiny. The ICJ is reviewing allegations of genocide. International NGOs have documented systematic targeting of civilians, journalists, and aid workers. So what does Netanyahu do? Strike Iran. Shift the frame. Expand the war.
As the Atlantic Council noted, the key question now is whether Israel’s true goal is merely to delay Iran’s nuclear program or to catalyze regime change. But as their analysis warns: “What is likely to follow a theocratic Iranian government is not democracy but IRGC-istan… a government much more hardline than the current one”.
The United States has tried to distance itself from the attack. President Trump denied prior knowledge and emphasized that no U.S. forces were involved. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared, “We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region”.
Yet such denials ring hollow. Just months ago, Trump boasted that the U.S. was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job” in Gaza. The vast stockpile of American weapons and intelligence flowing to Israel makes the claim of non-involvement dubious at best.
Even as the White House disclaimed responsibility, Trump warned Iran to “cut a deal before there is nothing left”. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress rallied behind the assault, with Senator John Thune proclaiming: “Iran must never gain access to a nuclear weapon… Israel has determined that it must take decisive action to defend the Israeli people”.
But as Juan Cole points out, “Iran is not assessed by U.S. intelligence to have a military nuclear weapons program, only a civilian uranium enrichment program”. In fact, until Trump tore up the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was in full compliance with the terms—verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. By contrast, Israel is not even a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and possesses an undeclared nuclear arsenal of several hundred warheads.
This isn’t about preventing nuclear war. It’s about maintaining unchallenged regional supremacy.
The question now is not whether Iran will respond—but how. Analysts at Bloomberg outline four possibilities: a narrow strike limited to Israel, a broad escalation targeting U.S. assets, a nuclear breakout, or a coerced return to the negotiating table under humiliating terms. The worst-case scenario, already plausible, is a regional conflagration pulling in multiple actors from Iraq to Yemen.
And still, much of the world stays silent.
The double standards of international law have never been more stark. Iran is vilified for enriching uranium under international supervision, while Israel bombs multiple countries with impunity. Gaza is starved, razed, and suffocated, but Western capitals remain mute. Palestinian children die under rubble, while Western media recycles Israeli talking points about “security.”
Meanwhile, the global arms industry cheers. As Fernández notes, “Key sectors of U.S. capitalism make a killing off Israel’s regional savagery”. One wonders how many weapons contracts were signed as Tehran burned.
Israel’s current path does not lead to peace or security—it leads to perpetual war, international instability, and the erosion of global legal norms. The pursuit of Eretz Israel is not just destroying Palestinian life; it is destabilizing the entire region and pushing the world toward another catastrophic conflict.
It is time to stop pretending that this is about defense.
The international community must act decisively: to rein in Israeli impunity, to prevent further escalation, and to apply international law equally to all states. Silence now is not neutrality. It is complicity.
Let us be clear: One can oppose Iran’s authoritarianism and its proxy conflicts, while still recognizing that Israel’s current conduct is far more dangerous. It threatens not just Palestinians or Iranians, but the global order itself.
(Faisal Kutty is a Toronto-based lawyer and regular contributor to The Toronto Star. His articles also appear in Newsweek, Aljazeera, Zeteo, and Middle East Eye. You can follow him on X @faisalkutty)
