Mint Explainer: How the Iran-Israel conflict impacts India
NEW DELHI : As conflict between Israel and Iran heats up, India is among the countries most affected. India has deep equities in the region: a large diaspora, strong economic partners, and a growing strategy role. But the prospect of a large-scale conflict hurts that.
Mint examines the situation. On 1 April, an attack on an Iranian diplomatic building in Syria led to the deaths of several senior Iranian military commanders. Iran blamed Israel for carrying out the airstrike on the building and threatened retaliation.
Israel disputed Iran’s characterization of events, but stated that it had completed a defence review and was ready to defend itself. This sparked fears of conflict between these two rivals. In response, a number of countries, including India, issued travel advisories warning citizens against visiting Iran and Israel.
America, in particular, sent warships to the region in an effort to deter Iran from attacking Israel. In the early hours of Sunday, Iran launched a concerted missile and drone attack against Israel. According to the Israeli military, around 300 drones and missiles were fired.
Some of these projectiles were also fired from Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, according to America’s defence department. Israel, with the support of the US and the UK, took down a number of the weapons fired, minimising casualties. Senior Iranian military figures have publicly warned Israel against retaliation.
Meanwhile, the Israeli war cabinet is expected to meet today to consider the country’s response. After the attack on the Iranian diplomatic building on 1 April, India expressed its concern about the conflict. “India is distressed at the escalating tensions in West Asia, and their potential to fuel further violence
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