Israel-Iran war: Is it the beginning of World War 3?

As close to 200 missiles streamed into Israeli airspace, the world was left in horror. People watched with bewilderment, with just one question on their minds — Is this the beginning of World War 3? The Middle East is on the boil, and further east, there’s the Russia-Ukraine theatre of war. The world couldn’t have been closer than this to World War III.
On social media site X (formerly Twitter), World War 3 was among the most discussed topics in India and the world.
In India, #WorldWar3 and World War 3 were among the top 3 trending topics for 5 hours, with over 2 lakh posts.
Worldwide, World War 3 and World War III saw around 3 lakh
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump too warned that the world was on the brink of a world war.
“Now, war, or the threat of war, is raging everywhere, and the two incompetent people running our country… are leading us to the brink of World War III,” said Trump.
“This is what the policies of weakness and appeasement have brought to the world,” he said, targeting his rivals, US President Joe Biden, and Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Republicans have been warning that Kamala Harris will lead the US to war.
“A vote for Kamala Harris is a vote for nuclear war,” said Republican leader Tulsi Gabbard on October 1.
“If Kamala is allowed to serve as commander-in-chief, she would feel the need to ‘prove’ how tough she is by pushing us into an unnecessary, costly war that does not serve the interests of the American people,” Gabbard, a Hindu-American politician, said earlier.
But the world believes that one might not have to wait till after the results of the November 5 US presidential election is out for World War 3.
“The probability of WW3 feels higher than ever. A global war would destroy humanity. I pray for the wisdom of our leaders,” said Lex Fridman, host of Lex Fridman Podcast.
People across the globe felt the jitters as Iran on October 1 shot 181 ballistic missiles into Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Abbas Nilforoushan and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
Earlier on October 1, Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon, targeting Iran-backed terrorist organisation Hezbollah.
The Middle East has been on the boil since the October 7 attack by Hamas that resulted in the killing of hundreds of Israelis and abduction of scores. Israel has bombed Gaza, where Hamas is based. Then there are the Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, which have been activated too.
With Yemen-based Houthi rebels also attacking ships near the strategic Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, the entire region around Israel has now turned into a war zone.
Though Iran has warned that any retaliation for its missile strikes by Israel will bring crushing attacks, Israel will for sure try to punish Tehran for the blistering attack.
This will throw the entire world into chaos as the US and Nato will intervene and try to help Israel. The US already did that on October 1, by shooting down Iranian missiles.
The oil-rich Middle East has seen a power struggle between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia. The US and Russia have partnered with the regional players.
While Saudi Arabia, the biggest Sunni power, is an American ally, Iran and the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria have the backing of Russia.
Russia isn’t alone. It has the support of China and North Korea when it comes to strategic and political interests.
That’s what is raging on in the Russia-Ukraine theatre of war.
Russia attacked Ukraine for its overtures to US-led Nato, which Moscow sees as a military grouping out to curtail its powers.
There is no end to the Russia-Ukraine war, which is in its third year, and now the world is seeing an escalation in the Middle East.
Supply routes have been disrupted and global trade and commerce have suffered.
American defence officials on Monday said that the Pentagon would deploy a few thousand additional US troops and more fighter jets to the Middle East, as part of the Biden administration’s attempt to mitigate the conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies from becoming a regional war, reported The Washington Post on Monday, September 30.
“Growing up in the Cold War era, and being constantly subjected to the fear of WWIII, somewhat numbed me to the notion of impending ‘Armageddon’. However, I now feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety that the world is on the brink,” Paul Foy, an English trade unionist, said.
People are only getting news of the escalation, and that is worrying them to believe that the direct Iranian attack on Israel is the beginning of World War 3. However, a World War 3 scenario still looks distant with the world more closely knit than ever and the domino effect hurting everyone’s interests. The world will make an all-out effort before reaching that tipping point.