Israel’s Airstrikes on Iran Signal a Dangerous New Chapter

Israel launched three waves of attacks on Iran Saturday morning in retaliation for an Iranian attack on October 1.

The moment Israeli leaders chose was symbolic: the end of the festival of Simchat Torah, which on the Jewish calendar is the anniversary of October 7 last year. The Associated Press reported yesterday that the attack damaged facilities at a secretive military base linked to Tehran’s nuclear weapons program and another base tied to its ballistic missile program.

What comes next?

A senior Israeli military official said the response was “designed to send a strong message while avoiding escalation in the near term.”
Iran’s military signaled that Tehran would not retaliate immediately.
However, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said today that his country “will use all available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime.”
Some analysts note that by damaging Iran’s air defenses and radar system, Israel has made it easier for its fighter jets to attack Iran in the future. This could deter Tehran from responding forcefully, leading to de-escalation in the conflict. Or it could embolden Israel to stage further attacks in the future, perhaps depending on the results of the American presidential election.

The Return of “Total War”

Mara Karlin is a Johns Hopkins professor and a former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities. In Foreign Affairs, she writes: “Today’s global security environment is the most complex since the end of the Cold War.” Her extensive analysis is titled “The Return of Total War.”

She explains that in previous eras, wars were fought between groups of nations (the Allies against the Central Powers in World War I and against the Axis in World War II, for example). The Cold War continued bipolar conflict between the West and the Soviet Union and its satellites.

After 9/11, the focus shifted to non-state actors such as al Qaeda and ISIS.

Hamas’ October 7 massacre merged the two. Since then, Iran has been waging war on the Jewish state through non-state proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Then, last spring, Iran attacked Israel directly, provoking a response from Israel to Iran. On October 1, Iran attacked Israel again; last Saturday, Israel responded.

An Emerging Nuclear Axis against the West

Now we are witnessing the emergence of major power alliances that look eerily similar to those that waged previous world wars.

The US and its European allies have been assisting Israel with weapons and other materials and recently with US soldiers deployed as anti-missile system operators. On the other side:

China is by far the largest buyer of energy from Iran, defying Western sanctions to fuel Tehran’s war effort.
Russia provides technical assistance to Iran’s nuclear program and supplies it with weapons in its conflict with Israel.
Russia has also provided targeting data enabling Iran’s proxy, the Houthis in Yemen, to attack Western ships in the Red Sea.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has led to similar bipolar alliances. Twenty-six Western countries have committed $1 billion or more to Ukraine. On the other side:

North Korea recently sent thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine and has been delivering shells and other ammunition to Russia.
Iranian drones and short-range ballistic missiles have been deployed by Moscow in its onslaught against Ukraine.
China has given Russia substantial amounts of microelectronics and machine tools that can be used to make weapons.

Putin’s war against Ukraine is catalyzing a new axis between nuclear powers China, Russia, and North Korea along with Iran, which the US says could likely assemble a nuclear weapon in “probably one or two weeks.” Meanwhile, the US and the West have clearly signaled their support for Taiwan in the face of rising tensions with China.

“All the Peoples of the Earth May Know Your Name”

There are obviously flawed, fallen people on both sides of every conflict. However, a deep ideological difference between the two sides of the emerging “total war” is worth noting.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas massacred Israeli civilians and has used Palestinian civilians as human shields in the months since.
In support of the October 7 atrocities, Hezbollah has bombed population centers in northern Israel, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has cost as many as 120,000 Russians and 70,000 Ukrainians their lives.
China has conducted a genocidal persecution of Uyghurs for a decade, employing torture, sexual violence, and internment camps against the minority Muslims.

All are led by autocrats who leverage their people for their personal, power-driven agendas.

By contrast:

While fighting enemies hiding behind civilians, Israel has taken extraordinary steps to safeguard noncombatants, knowing that the deaths of innocents only exacerbate future terrorism against the Jewish state.
Americans who protest the tragic deaths of Palestinians share Israel’s commitment to the value of human life.
While Western nations have geopolitical reasons for supporting Ukraine, their underlying motive is the defense of innocent Ukrainians.

All are led by elected officials who are accountable to the people they serve.

This difference can be tied to Genesis 1, where we learn that “God created man in his own image” (v. 27). As a result, Israel’s King Solomon prayed that “all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel” (1 Kings 8:43). America’s founders similarly declared that “all men are created equal.”

There is a Judeo-Christian, foundational commitment to the sanctity of each human life that runs through Western culture. At our worst—slavery, racism, antisemitism, legalized abortion, and euthanasia, for example—we violate this commitment. At our best, we honor it for ourselves and the world.

“My Greatest Concern Is to Be on God’s Side”

Let’s close by applying this foundational commitment to ourselves. Jesus taught us:

“Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

If we obey his command, we will love the Iranian people when their theocratic rulers do not. We will love the Palestinians when their terrorist leaders use them as human shields. We will love the people of Russia and China more than their despotic dictators do.

We will, therefore, pray for peace that is not just the absence of conflict but the presence of righteousness. Since such peace comes ultimately from the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6–7), we will pray and work for a spiritual awakening across the globe and in our own hearts.

When we do, we share God’s heart in this and every human conflict.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was purportedly asked if God was on his side. He replied, “My greatest concern is to be on God’s side.”

Will you be on “God’s side” today?

*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.

Quote for the Day:

“There is only one desire: to find the promised land and the freedom of a pure love that is without concern for anything else but love.” —Thomas Merton

Published Date: October 28, 2024

Jim Denison, PhD, is a cultural theologian and the founder and CEO of Denison Ministries. Denison Ministries includes DenisonForum.org, First15.org, ChristianParenting.org, and FoundationsWithJanet.org. Jim speaks biblically into significant cultural issues at Denison Forum. He is the chief author of The Daily Article and has written more than 30 books, including The Coming Tsunami, the Biblical Insight to Tough Questions series, and The Fifth Great Awakening.