During the Iran-Iraq War, an armed conflict that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988, Israel actively supported Iran. Israel emerged as one of the main suppliers of military equipment to Iran.
Israel and Iran are embroiled in a bitter conflict right now. (Photo credit: Manuel Augusto Moreno/Moment/Getty Images)
New Delhi: In the early hours of October 3, 2024, Israel launched airstrikes on central Beirut which killed at least six people. Israel’s attack came a day after it faced one of the deadliest days in clashes with Hezbollah. Earlier on October 1, Iran fired over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, marking the largest military action against Israel to date.
It was a response to the actions of Israel against Hezbollah in Lebanon and militant leaders in Gaza. Regarding the latest airstrike, the Israeli military has called it precise as the strikes targeted a building in the Bachoura neighbourhood near the Lebanese parliament. Amid the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict which is threatening to spill over to a full-fledged war in the Middle East, we look back at a time when Israel helped Iran in a war.
When Israel supported Iran against Iraq
During the Iran-Iraq War, an armed conflict that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988, Israel actively supported Iran. Israel emerged as one of the main suppliers of military equipment to Iran and also provided military instructors. In turn, Israel received Iranian intelligence that enabled it to execute Operation Opera against the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq. The nuclear reactor was a central component of Iraq’s nuclear weapons program.
Why did Israel support Iran?
During its war against Iraq, Israel supported Iran so the latter could provide a counterweight to Iraq. Also, Israel wanted to re-establish influence in Iran which it lost after the Shah was overthrown in 1979. Another reason for Israel was to create business for its weapons industry. The Israeli arms sales to Iran also enabled the unchecked immigration of Iran’s Persian Jewish community to Israel and the US. However, Israel’s support for Iran during the war was kept unofficial and Iran never officially talked about any cooperation between the two nations.
From 1981 to 1983, notably, the amount of arms that Israel sold to Iran totaled an estimated $500 million according to the Jaffe Institute for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. According to other arms experts, the total sales amounted to over $500 million per year including aircraft spare parts, artillery, and ammunition. According to reports, internal U.S. documents indicated that the sale was well near $2 billion each year in the early 1980s. Israel helped Iran primarily to thwart Iraq from gaining an easy victory.
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