Iran-Israel tensions 'the best for Putin' ahead of new Ukraine campaign plot
Iran and Israel are continuing to fuel fears of a new regional conflict as the West is now split in helping partners in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel are the "best for Putin" as the Russian leader can exploit the instability to draw attention away from Ukraine, geopolitical experts have claimed.
Iran is bracing for a potential retaliatory strike from Israel after firing a volley of missiles at it over the weekend in response to an air raid that killed two of Tehran's top generals earlier this month.
Russi has expressed "extreme concern" over "the latest dangerous escalation in the region" – but the uncertainty could ultimately prove to be beneficial to Vladimir Putin and his own war efforts.
“The Middle East entering uncharted territory (short of full-blown war) is the best that can happen to Putin now,” according to Hanna Notte, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Notte told Radio Free Europe that tensions in the Middle East "diverts Western attention and resources away from Ukraine and NATO's Eastern flank, it generates insecurity among US regional allies, and it further fuels a broader, global perception that the West cannot pacify the region, thus amplifying perceptions of the Gaza war".
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She added: "In sum, such instability fuels a global perception that the war in Ukraine is another war among many, one problem amid a proliferation of problems - a perception which the Kremlin can only value."
The potential deflagration of a new war in the Middle East comes at a critical time for Kyiv as Russia doubled efforts to wipe out its defence forces and its electric grid with relentless attacks.
Putin could also use the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel to strengthen his claims that Russia is currently defending itself from an encroaching West and, more notably, the United States.
The Russian leader repeatedly justified his attack on Ukraine as part of an effort to push back on what he described as NATO expansionism in Europe.
Israel's potential retaliatory response against Iran could further play into his communication strategy and reinforce his claims that the West and its allies are overextending their reach.
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Centre for Middle East Studies chief Ihor Semyvolos told Current Time: "There is a certain perception among the axis states - Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China - that the West has weakened.
"And [that] American attitudes and policies can no longer guarantee the security of its allies."
Semyvolos said the operation Iran conducted on Saturday gives Moscow and its allies "a chance to challenge this unipolar world that Putin, [Chinese President] Xi Jinping, and [Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah] Ali Khamenei have talked a lot about."
Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
The war erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,700 people, according to local health officials.
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