Iranian Attack

On Saturday, April 13th, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a massive air attack on the State of Israel. It was conducted in response to the killing of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, a designated foreign terrorist organization by the United States), commander in Syria, Mohammad Reza Zahedi. Zahedi was the highest-ranking IRGC official to be killed since the United States assassinated Qassem Suleimani in 2020. Zahedi was also a key figure in the supplying of war materials to the terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been targeting Israel for decades.

The attack marked the first time that Iran directly attacked Israeli soil from their own land, rather than using their proxies (such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis) throughout the region. Over 350 airborne weapons were launched at Israel with Israeli and allied aerial defenses taking down 99% of them. Among the weapons launched were Shahed “Suicide” Drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles. A strong coalition of nations participated in the interception of weapons launched by Iran including the United States, United Kingdom, and Jordan. The handful of projectiles that surpassed the air defenses reportedly caused minor damage. One young child was seriously injured in the attack. Israel has vowed to respond to the unprecedented attack, in the manner and at the time of its choosing. Upon threats of a response to the attack, Iran has stated that they will respond immediately to any retaliation from Israel.

Here in the United States, the attack has had a major impact on congressional politics. Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson (R-LA), introduced a foreign aid plan earlier this week that intends to allocate necessary aid to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and others. In this endeavor, he has faced sharp criticism from members of his party. One such member, Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) even went as far as threatening to seek a vote on her motion to vacate the chair (which means the Speaker would be removed from office). With a slim majority in the House, Johnson would likely need Democratic support to retain his speakership in the event Greene’s motion to vacate is voted on by the House. Yet, he stated, “When you do the right thing, you let the chips fall where they may,” and later, “This is a critical time right now, a critical time on the world stage. I can make a selfish decision and do something that’s different but I’m doing here what I believe to be the right thing.”

This is in fact, a critical time on the world stage. The tensions between Israel and Iran that have been lingering for decades and were brought to the forefront of the world stage after the October 7th massacre, perpetrated by Iranian-backed Hamas, have only increased astronomically in the past weeks. With the fears of a wide regional war sparking out of this recent conflict between the two nations, the entire world watches and especially the United States. As President Biden warned, “If Iran succeeds in significantly escalating its assault on Israel, the U.S. could be drawn in.” This directly relates to a line the Speaker shared on why foreign aid is crucial at this moment, “To put it bluntly, I would rather send bullets to Ukraine than American boys.” The impacts of Iran’s assault on Israel are vast and are still continuing to unravel today.

Sources

● https://www.wsj.com/articles/moment-of-truth-on-ukraine-and-israel-war-ammo-aid-package-iran-russia-7ed30288

● https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/17/politics/mike-johnson-foreign-aid-analysis/index.html

● https://punchbowl.news/article/speaker-mike-johnson-foreign-aid-leadership-considers-making-it-harder-to-oust/

SAM OSTROW

Former Writer at The City Voice | 4th in the Nation for Junior High Story of the Year | MIPA Honorable Mention Award Winner

Hi! My name is Sam Ostrow and I am a Junior at City High School. This is my fourth year writing for The City Voice. I enjoy sports, debate, and playing guitar. If you have any questions about my articles, feel free to email me at ostrow-s@students.grps.org