On the 1st of April, there was a deadly strike by Israel on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria. Iranian military commander, Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in the attack, along with six other Iranian nationals, including another general, and at least six Syrian citizens.

In retaliation, on April 13, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel in what they called ‘Operation True Promise’.

But what lies at the heart of this conflict and how will it impact the Middle East?

We speak to Dr. Assal Rad, a scholar of Middle Eastern history. She works on research related to US foreign policy issues, the Middle East, and contemporary Iran. She’s also the author of ‘The State of Resistance: Politics, Culture, and Identity in Modern Iran’.

Image Credit: Shutterstock (Ai-Generated Image)