The first hundred years war was an intermittent conflict that took place between England and France from 1336 to 1453. The new one is happening now. It is becoming a religious war, because one side is not willing to make an agreement or treaty to put an end to it.
Yes, I’m writing about the “Arab-Israel: dispute. It started after the League of Nations confirmed that several peoples, including both Arabs and Jews (but not Kurds0 , deserved their own countries. The new states were to be taken out of territory that had previously been part of the Turkish Empire for some 4 centuries. What started as a political dispute over territory and resulted in a sound defeat for the Arab states in open war in 1948 became an ongoing struggle that was marked by many stages of redefinition of the conflict. T.he Arab side has moved from political motivations to ethnic motivations to religious motivations. And within the latter, from pan-Islamic to Islamic terror and from Sunni to Shi’a.
The latest brief spasm of open fighting took place this past week. It was overshadowed by President Trump’s decision on the Iranian treaty. But it also involved Iran. That same Iranian Islamic Republic (another way of saying it’s a theocracy) has long been calling for the total destruction of Israel. In turn, Israel has openly declared it will not allow Iran to use the Syrian Civil War as a cover to establish an Iranian (or Iranian sponsored) military presence in Syria and aimed at Israel.
Iran already sends arms and other aid to a couple of proxy forces on Israel’s borders, Hamas in Gaza is one. Hizbullah in Lebanon is another. Over the past few years there have been many attempts by Iran to deliver advanced weapons Hizbullah in Lebanon. Israel, in response, has sent the Israeli Air Force (IAF) to destroy these convoys before they reach their destination. The latest brief spasm of violence came when the IAF bombed yet another such convoy as it was being put together at an Syrian base called T-4. Several Iranians were killed. Iran decided to respond by firing some 20 missiles at Israeli targets. The missiles were launched from inside Syria. Israel was not willing to accept Iranian activity in Syria as a new status quo. The IAF, together with some ground based units, struck some 30+ Iranian military sites in Syria. They also blasted 5 Syrian air defense sites when the Syrians tried to intervene,
Israel warned Syria that it would act against any Syrian moves to harm Israel, but noted that the objective of the current attacks was Iranian sites, not Syrians. It brings to mind a confrontation in 1982 when anti-aircraft missiles from Syria were placed in the Lebanese Beka’a valley. The IAF bombed them. The Syrian Air Force stepped in to protect them. Final score: no Israeli losses against about 80 Syrian fighters shot down.
The final results of this round may not be in yet, but it is clear that Israel has acted purely from self defense and has made clear what she expects fro the other side of the border. Hopefully, it will be simply more verbal hostility without violence.
Wetherhorn 