Early Sunday morning of April 13th, Iran sent over 300 explosives into Israel, escalating tensions in the Middle East. About 99% of the missiles were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace; however, six days later, on April 19th, Israel retaliated with its own set of missile strikes. Iran sent over 300 drones, crude missiles, and ballistic missiles, hitting and damaging an air base in southern Israel, and may have severely injured a 7-year-old girl. However, investigations into the cause of these injuries are still underway. Israeli Arrow system and U.S. aid helped to stop and intercept missiles. 
The attack on Israel came two weeks after there was an attack on an Iranian government facility that killed two generals, which is said to have been the work of Israeli drone strikes. However, Iran has presented no proof of that theory, and Israel has not commented on the strikes. The strikes marked the first direct conflict between Iran and Israel since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, when Iran overthrew the government at the time. Subsequently, the ayatollahs took power, consolidating power and gaining supreme rule. However, Iran and Israel have been involved in proxy wars through Iranian-backed militant groups like Hezbollah. The proxy wars have increased and are a central part of the Gaza- Israel conflict, but even before the war, many shadow wars between Iran and Israel were fought in Syria. Iran spoke out, warning any country that gets involved will be seen as an enemy, explicitly warning the US to back away from further involvement. Iran has repeatedly said it will be willing to escalate and go against anyone who provides aid to Israel in the context of attacking and going against them. The immediate result of the strikes was that many countries restricted aircraft from entering Israeli air space, and the United Nations condemned the action of Iran.
On April 19th, Israel launched missiles into Iran and hit an air base and nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran. The nuclear facility has been the target of more than one attack and is a highly regulated area. The extent of the damage done to the base is unknown but is seemingly higher than what Iran initially reported. Iran originally suggested that the attacks were minimal and did minor damage, but satellite images and footage report otherwise. The satellite footage revealed that a facility housing Russian technology was damaged, as well as burns and scorch marks around the air and nuclear facilities. During the drone attacks, Israeli jets remained in Iraqi airspace, refraining from entering Iranian airspace. This demonstrates the theory that Israel’s strikes were not meant to ensure massive damage but instead warn Iran about its capabilities. Biden pledged his support for Israel, which is a switch from his recent condemnation of Israel’s actions during the Gaza -Israel affairs. The current rising conflict over the Middle East, and now the strikes, have caused many other countries, specifically in the European Union, to get worried about the future of the conflict. At the moment, most disputes with Iran have been through proxies. Still, this escalation may lead to a state-state war, which could call on alliances and prompt significant escalations in the US and other countries’ direct involvement in the war.
As a response to the missile strikes on April 22, the European Union gathered and agreed to increase sanctions on Iranian weaponry. The EU already has sanctions on Iranian weaponry that is provided to Russia for the war against Ukraine. Still, starting later this week after the adoption of the proposal, the sanctions will extend to Iranian weaponry provided to Iranian proxy groups. Additionally, some countries like Germany and Sweden have called to add Iran’s revolutionary guard to their list of terror, a highly symbolic gesture because of the sanctions and limits already placed. The countries, however, recognize the controversial nature of the call because of the rising tensions and debates about the ethics surrounding the Israel and Gaza conflict.
