What an Iran-Israel escalation could mean for Pakistan

Analysis

Sabena Siddiqui

Aug 10, 2024

A panoramic view of Jerusalem's Old City is pictured at dawn of April 14, 2024, after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel. Iran launched more than 200 drones and missiles on Israel in an unprecedented attack late April 13, 2024, the Israeli army announced, in a major escalation of the long-running covert war between the regional foes. — RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

KARACHI — The possibility that the Israel-Hamas war could expand into a much larger conflict has grown following the recent Israeli killings of top Hezbollah and Hamas officials, with major implications for Iran’s neighboring countries like Pakistan.

Any direct military confrontation between Tehran and Tel Aviv, and the resulting instability in the region, could greatly complicate security issues for Islamabad.

Fears of a wider war rose in April of this year, when Tehran launched hundreds of drones and missiles against Tel Aviv in response to an attack on Iran’s diplomatic compound in Damascus, Syria, which killed several high-ranking Iranian officials.

And last week, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed while visiting Tehran to attend the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an attack widely blamed on Israel. After Iran vowed “severe revenge,” the whole region is awaiting a new attack.