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Is this beginning of World War 3? What Iran’s attack on Israel means for the region
The conflict in the Middle East escalated sharply on Tuesday night as Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel – in retaliation killings of Hezbollah militant leaders and strikes in Lebanon. The attack set off alarms across Israel, forcing civilians to take shelter and the military to pull up its air defence systems. Follow live updates
Following the attack, Israel vowed to retaliate, saying it would respond at the “time and place of its choosing”. However, Iran warned that it would carry out “crushing attacks” against Israel if it retaliates to the attack.
This has sparked major fears of World War 3 across the world.
According to the spokesperson of the Israeli embassy in India, Guy Nir, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) is currently assessing the missile attack and is preparing an appropriate response to Tehran, reported NDTV. He informed that if Iran’s Supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, plans to initiate a full-scale war with Israel, it will be a “mistake for Iran”.
Nir also cautioned other nations who might consider joining Iran to attack Israel, urging them not to. “The outcome will be devastating for them too,” he told NDTV.
It is to be noted that the United States, which has been a long-term ally of Israel, ordered military assistance for the country. This included systems that helped destroy the approaching missiles. According to the White House on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris were keeping an eye on the situation in the Middle East.
“President Biden directed the US military to aid Israel’s defence against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles that are targeting Israel,” the White House said in a statement.
World War 3 trends on social media
Meanwhile, social media platforms were flooded with ‘World War 3’ tags and postsas fears rose worldwide.
“Israel Iron Dome failed to stop Iran Missiles that strike Tel Aviv. It seems like the World War 3 is here,” an X user wrote. Another said: “World War 3 has already begun”.
One of the users said: “Everyone on Twitter realizing we’re about to get into World War 3 all because our government is complicit in letting Israel terrorize the entire region.”
“If #Iran thinks that it can defeat Israel with one missile attack, it is mistaken. At present, #Israel is a very big power and America is standing behind it. By doing this Iran has invited World War 3. Netanyahu will answer this very soon, this war will be fatal for human civilization,” a Netizen said.