Expert: Israel wants to draw the US and Iran into the war

Now it's total war and Nasrallah is dead, says Iran expert Rouzbeh Parsi. According to him, it can lead to the region's heavyweights – the USA and Iran – being forced into the war.

» Updated: September 29 2024

» Published: September 28 2024

Expert: Israel wants to draw the US and Iran into the war
Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP/TT

Rouzbeh Parsi, program director at the Foreign Policy Institute's Middle East and North Africa program, is convinced that Hezbollah will respond to the Israeli attacks that killed leader Hassan Nasrallah.

But how Iran's involvement - which founded Hezbollah and has since financed the militia to strengthen its influence in the region - will look is difficult to say.

Iran will have to think about how much they can tolerate, says Parsi.

Testing Iran's Red Line

He means that Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to get Iran to react in a way that makes the US have to act.

Most of what Israel has done this spring in relation to Iran has been to push Iran's red line. If you cross that line, Iran will respond, and then the Americans cannot stay out.

Iran could also back down and let Hezbollah take care of the retaliation itself, according to Parsi. A possibility that Isabell Schierenbeck, political scientist at the University of Gothenburg, also mentions.

They (Iran) are not interested in further escalation and a big war in the region, she says.

That Nasrallah, who has ruled Hezbollah for over 30 years, has now been killed is still considered a major victory for Israel and a setback for Hezbollah.

Hezbollah must now show a new leader very quickly and show that their military capacity is so intact that they can retaliate, says Rouzbeh Parsi.

Power Balance in Flux

Anders Persson, political scientist at Linnaeus University, describes the recent Israeli attacks as the country's greatest successes in war in many years.

The last ten days are Israel's greatest successes in war in 50 years. They have managed to inflict so much damage on Hezbollah, by killing the highest leader and very many under him, without Hezbollah having been particularly strong in return. Very few analysts believed that such a scenario was possible.

This is probably just the beginning of a long war.

With the death of the Hezbollah leader, the power balance in the region is also in flux, according to Persson.

The power balance in the Middle East between the US, Russia, and China is now in disarray. How strong will the Iranian alliance between Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas be after all this? All those questions are on the agenda.

What happens depends on how Hezbollah responds and how Israel and Iran act, emphasizes Isabell Schierenbeck.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Zelensky Calls for European Unity
2 MIN READ

Zelensky Calls for European Unity at Butja Memorial Site

Japan's Mega-Quake Risk: New Estimate
1 MIN READ

Japan's Mega-Quake Risk: New Estimate Predicts 298,000 Lives at Stake

US Sanctions Hong Kong Police
1 MIN READ

US Sanctions Hong Kong Police Chief Over Rights Restrictions

Verdict Against Le Pen Casts
2 MIN READ

Verdict Against Le Pen Casts Doubt on Presidential Ambitions

UAE Court Sentences Three Uzbeks
1 MIN READ

UAE Court Sentences Three Uzbeks to Death for Rabbi's Murder

Central Asian Nations Resolve Fergana
1 MIN READ

Central Asian Nations Resolve Fergana Valley Dispute

1,001 Killed in Gaza After
1 MIN READ

1,001 Killed in Gaza After Ceasefire Ends, Health Officials Report

Putin Open to Talks with
1 MIN READ

Putin Open to Talks with Trump Despite Recent Tensions

Democrats Seek New Leadership as
6 MIN READ

Democrats Seek New Leadership as Trump Dominates US Politics

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Explosion in Spanish Coal Mine Claims Five Lives

Hamas Urges Global Resistance to
1 MIN READ

Hamas Urges Global Resistance to Trump's Controversial Gaza Plan

Families Hold Vigil at Bangkok
2 MIN READ

Families Hold Vigil at Bangkok Skyscraper Collapse Site

Swedish Man Extradited to Norway
1 MIN READ

Swedish Man Extradited to Norway in Major Drug Trafficking Case

Marine Le Pen Barred from
3 MIN READ

Marine Le Pen Barred from 2027 Election After EU Funds Verdict

Zelensky Prepares for Possible Ukrainian
1 MIN READ

Zelensky Prepares for Possible Ukrainian Election This Summer

Three Missing US Soldiers in
1 MIN READ

Three Missing US Soldiers in Lithuania Found Dead

Russia Accuses Ukraine of Power
2 MIN READ

Russia Accuses Ukraine of Power Line Attacks Amid Drone Strikes

Israel Urges Palestinians in Southern
1 MIN READ

Israel Urges Palestinians in Southern Gaza to Relocate to al-Mawasi

Iran Vows Powerful Response if
1 MIN READ

Iran Vows Powerful Response if US Launches Attack

Three Found Dead in Southern
1 MIN READ

Three Found Dead in Southern Norway; Police Investigate Link

Myanmar Earthquake Claims Over 2,000
2 MIN READ

Myanmar Earthquake Claims Over 2,000 Lives, Thousands Injured

Le Pen's Presidential Hopes in
3 MIN READ

Le Pen's Presidential Hopes in Jeopardy as Fraud Verdict Looms

Trump Accuses Zelenskyj of Backing
1 MIN READ

Trump Accuses Zelenskyj of Backing Out of US Mineral Deal

Zelensky Thanks Stubb for Finland's
2 MIN READ

Zelensky Thanks Stubb for Finland's Support After Trump Golf Diplomacy

Ice Storm Leaves 500,000 Without
1 MIN READ

Ice Storm Leaves 500,000 Without Power Across US and Canada

Islamic Extremists Suspected in Deadly
1 MIN READ

Islamic Extremists Suspected in Deadly Attack on Burkina Faso Soldiers

Trump Hints at Third Term
1 MIN READ

Trump Hints at Third Term Despite Constitutional Limits

Erna Solberg Witnesses Ukraine's War
1 MIN READ

Erna Solberg Witnesses Ukraine's War Devastation on Frontline Journey

US Students Face Deportation Over
3 MIN READ

US Students Face Deportation Over Alleged Pro-Palestinian Support

Red Cross Condemns Israeli Attack
1 MIN READ

Red Cross Condemns Israeli Attack on Ambulance Workers in Rafah

Trump Warns of Strikes if
1 MIN READ

Trump Warns of Strikes if Iran Rejects Peace Deal Proposal

Trump Frustrated with Putin Over
1 MIN READ

Trump Frustrated with Putin Over Ukraine, Threatens New Tariffs

Erdogan Urges PKK to Disarm
1 MIN READ

Erdogan Urges PKK to Disarm Without Delay

Tsunami Warning Lifted After 7.1
1 MIN READ

Tsunami Warning Lifted After 7.1 Earthquake Near Tonga

Norwegian Rocket Test Ends in
2 MIN READ

Norwegian Rocket Test Ends in Crash but Deemed a Success by Isar Aerospace

Sudanese Army Takes Control of
2 MIN READ

Sudanese Army Takes Control of Khartum as RSF Withdraws

Israeli Defense Intercepts Yemeni Robot
1 MIN READ

Israeli Defense Intercepts Yemeni Robot as Air Raid Sirens Sound

US Pledges Strong Military Presence
1 MIN READ

US Pledges Strong Military Presence in Taiwan Strait to Deter China

Greenland's Prime Minister Firmly Rejects
2 MIN READ

Greenland's Prime Minister Firmly Rejects Trump's Takeover Claims

Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills
1 MIN READ

Israeli Airstrike in Gaza Kills Eight, Including Five Children