On the sixth day of conflict—launched on Friday, June 13 by Israel’s strike on Iran—the war shows no signs of ending or yielding a definitive outcome. What began as a long-simmering confrontation—dating back to Iran’s 1979 revolution—has erupted with shocking intensity.
Iran struck hard: in the opening hours, Iran lost nearly its entire military leadership and several nuclear scientists. Still, Tehran responded swiftly with waves of ballistic missiles targeting Israeli cities—cutting through the illusion that the Iron Dome could render Israeli civilians untouchable .
Israelis were jolted: residents of Tel Aviv and others realized their sky was less secure than they believed . Military analyst Yossi Melman, writing on X, warned that Tel Aviv’s planners had underestimated Tehran’s resolve, recalling Iran’s endurance during the eight-year war with Iraq washingtonpost.com+15reddit.com+15instagram.com+15. He urged Israel to seek Trump as a broker to avoid further losses, cautioning that Iran may refuse a ceasefire if asked too late ilkha.com.
On U.S. media platforms like CNN, Israeli voices diverged: former PM Yair Lapid and ex‑defense minister Yoav Gallant (under ICC indictment) pleaded for full American military engagement to strike Iran’s hardened nuclear facilities—seeing Trump as a modern-day Moses theguardian.com+1reuters.com+1.
Netanyahu emerged politically strengthened. Facing weeks of corruption hearings and public anger over Gaza, his attack on Iran silenced critics and united opposition under his nationalist banner—much like his prior actions in Gaza and Lebanon .
Within Israel, far-right factions now dream of a Greater Israel, stretching from Egypt to Iran—an ambition fuelled by military assertiveness and ideological transformation .
In Tehran, the regime’s rhetoric intensified—Ayatollah Khamenei rebuked Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender,” asserting Iran will never submit . With its revolutionary identity at stake, Iran’s leadership must respond forcefully or risk losing legitimacy at home and across the Shia Muslim world reuters.com.
Global implications:
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United States: Trump now faces a defining moment—whether to escalate into a full-scale allied effort, balancing interventionist expectations versus his isolationist base theguardian.com.
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Russia and China: Both stand to benefit from a drawn-out conflict. Russia uses it to distract from Ukraine and polish its international relevance; China profits from destabilized energy supplies in Iran .
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European Union: The EU remains a silent victim—vulnerable to soaring energy prices and new refugee flows should the Strait of Hormuz and other routes be affected .
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Ukraine: Already overshadowed, Ukraine loses critical Western military attention and resources. Patriot air-defense systems are being redirected to protect U.S. bases in the Middle East .
The battlefield reality:
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Iran has launched approximately 400 missiles into Israel, resulting in 24 Israeli civilian casualties; Israel claims to have struck over 150 sites in Iran, causing around 224 Iranian deaths reuters.com+1time.com+1.
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Israel’s “Operation Rising Lion,” named after a biblical lion, targeted Iran’s military and nuclear installations en.wikipedia.org+3en.wikipedia.org+3time.com+3.
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Trump has publicly advocated for Iran’s unconditional surrender, considered a military intercession, and reportedly vetoed an Israeli attempt to strike the Iranian Supreme Leader time.com+1reuters.com+1.
🔍 Where does this leave us?
This is no longer a localized conflict: it is a decisive crossroads of global order.
It is a struggle between:
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A shrinking centric Western world—bound to the dollar and NATO;
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A resurgent multipolar network—anchored by BRICS and strategic alliances including Iran-Russia-China.
The true question today is not if it will end, but who will redraw tomorrow’s world map.
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