In the early morning of 13 June 2025, Israel launched a large-scale military operation. Within a very short time-span the Israeli army eliminated almost the entire top military leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as well as several leading nuclear scientists. At the same time, several air defence positions were neutralised by Israeli agents already stationed in Iran. This enabled Israel to gain air supremacy and carry out targeted strikes against nuclear facilities and weapons depots.
This operation had been in preparation for years and now took place in a unique strategic window of opportunity: After the terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023, Israel had succeeded in significantly weakening Iranian-funded terrorist groups in the region - Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi in Yemen and various Shiite militias in Syria and Iraq.
Iran managed to strike back with ballistic missiles and drones more than 24 hours after the Israeli pre-emptive strike.
But how do the countries in the Middle East and North Africa view the war? What is the view of the respective governments, what are the discourses in the media, social media and the public? How is the role of Germany and Europe assessed?
The full-length country report is only available in German.
