The key factors shaping therelationship between Iran and Israel
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66778/RI.v08n01.06Keywords:
dilema de seguridad, doctrina de defensa adelantada, equilibrio de poder, hegemonía regional, maximización de capacidadesAbstract
Relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Israel are shaped by a confluence of multiple, constantly evolving variables. Within this framework, the article examines the key factors driving the rivalry between Tehran and Tel Aviv, identifying the 2023 Al-Aqsa Flood Operation as a turning point and catalyst in the reconfiguration of hostilities between them. Drawing on offensive realism, complemented by regional security complex theory and approaches to regional power projection, the article analyzes how these factors contribute to the pursuit of regional hegemony. This process transforms latent hostilities into direct confrontations in pursuit of survival, regional projection, and dominance within an anarchic environment. On the one hand, Iran’s Forward Defense Doctrine, nuclear program, and the Axis of Resistance trigger a series of Israeli responses, including covert operations and the strengthening of strategic alliances with the United States and other Arab countries through the Abraham Accords. The article concludes the Middle East is experiencing a breakdown of the previous order and entering a period of a competition for regional leadership, with few effective constraints on the ambitions of both states to establish themselves as the regional hegemon.
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