From the Shadows to the Battlefield: How the US and Israelâs War on Iranâs Nuclear Program Went Hot.
- Aug 26, 2025
- 3 min read
The Cold War just got hot.
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For years, the conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran was a careful game of chess. It was a "shadow war" fought with spies, proxies, and calculated strikes that always stopped short of a direct attack on each other's soil. Iran pressured Israel through groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, while Israel used covert operations and sabotage within Iran. This delicate dance of deterrence had been going on for decades, but like any good thriller, the plot just took a dramatic and explosive turn.
That long-standing taboo was shattered in 2024. After Israel struck an Iranian consulate in Syria, Iran retaliated with an unprecedented missile barrage directly at Israeli territory. Then, Israel struck back with limited air strikes on Iran. This was no longer a shadow game; the gloves were off. But those early clashes were just a prelude to the main event that would unfold in June 2025, which saw the war shift from a cold one to an all-out aerial assault.
After a UN nuclear watchdog declared Iran was in breach of its non-proliferation commitments, Israel launched a massive, surprise attack. Codenamed âOperation Rising Lion,â a stunning number of Israeli warplanes hammered nearly 100 targets across Iran, obliterating everything from missile launchers and air defenses to senior military leaders. But the biggest move came from the US, which joined with its own unprecedented âOperation Midnight Hammer,â deploying B-2 stealth bombers with massive bunker-buster bombs to hit Iranâs two most fortified, buried nuclear sites. It was a show of overwhelming force, but did this massive show of force actually achieve its ultimate goal?
