By Shahid Fayaz
In the arid tension of the Middle East, where history has been written with the blood of civilizations and rewritten with the ink of ideology, Israel has now unveiled a new chapter—Operation Rising Lion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared it a “targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.” But beneath this public rationale lies a far deeper, more sinister storm—a clash of civilizations, an unending cycle of vengeance, and the crumbling edifice of humanity itself.
The War Motive: Survival or Supremacy?
To the global media, Operation Rising Lion appears as a reactionary strike—an attempt by Tel Aviv to pre-emptively disarm Iran-backed militias and nuclear proxies. But to the astute geopolitical eye, this is more than a defensive maneuver. It is a calculated assertion of dominance in a region torn between religion, oil, and ideological supremacy. Israel, often touted as a fortress democracy in the heart of a hostile neighborhood, now stands at the epicenter of a regional transformation—not just surviving, but defining the rules of existence.
Iran, on the other hand, projects itself as the guardian of Islamic resistance—channeling decades of anti-Zionist sentiment, championing the Palestinian cause, and sponsoring militant networks from Lebanon to Syria. This confrontation, therefore, is not just military. It is ideological, eschatological, and existential.
The name “Rising Lion” itself is telling—a symbolic roar of power, rooted in ancient Judaic identity, rising to crush what it perceives as the embodiment of modern evil. Yet in this duel, it is humanity that is crushed beneath the feet of political giants.
Geopolitical Realities: The Domino of Chaos
The consequences of this operation will not remain confined to Iranian missile sites or Israeli bunkers. They are spilling—already—into the global theater.
1. Middle East Meltdown: Syria becomes a proxy battleground once more. Lebanon bleeds as Hezbollah retaliates. Iraq finds itself torn between U.S. influence and Iranian loyalty. The Arab world, fragmented by the Abraham Accords, reacts with confusion—some silently celebrating, others openly condemning.
2. Global Alliances Under Strain: As Israel executes its operation, the United States stands ambiguously behind its ally—supporting its right to self-defense while fearing another endless war. Meanwhile, Russia, entrenched in Syria and courting Iran, sees this as a direct challenge to its influence. China, watching closely, recalibrates its Silk Road dreams with one eye on oil prices and another on arms trade opportunities.
3. Nuclear Nightmare: Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, though often veiled, now risk becoming a rallying cry. Every strike by Israel is being portrayed by Tehran as proof of the need for deterrence. A nuclear-armed Iran is no longer a hypothetical horror—it is a looming possibility, and one that could shatter the balance of power across the globe.
4. Economic Earthquake: Oil markets tremble. As the Strait of Hormuz tightens under threat, prices spike. The world’s fragile economy, already reeling from inflation, climate shocks, and post-pandemic scars, now faces a blood-fueled recession.
Why Is Humanity Dying?
We must ask the unspoken question: Why must nations kill to survive? Why must children die to prove a geopolitical point?
This war, like so many others—from Ukraine to Gaza, from Yemen to Sudan—is not about people. It is about power without conscience. It is about leaders crafting legacies in the smoke of burning cities, while the innocent are left to become martyrs for causes they never chose.
Humanity is not dying because of war—it is dying because of the justifications for war.
Because in a world that manufactures drones faster than bread, that funds bullets more than education, and that worships nationalism more than compassion, humanity has become expendable.
The Philosophy of Destruction: From Civilizations to Rubble
Look deeper, and one will see this conflict is not just political—it is civilizational. The Persian empire, one of the oldest in history, now confronts the resurrected Jewish homeland in a biblical echo of war. But this is no longer the war of kings or prophets—it is the war of algorithms, satellites, and dead-eyed missiles.
Yet nothing changes. Refugee camps still swell. Women still weep over cradles turned into coffins. Children still draw warplanes in their notebooks.
When Netanyahu speaks of Israel’s survival, and Iran warns of sacred revenge, one must wonder—where is the human soul in this great game? Can a nation’s survival justify the erasure of another’s future?
International Silence: The Complicity of the Cowardly
The United Nations, once a symbol of collective conscience, stands again as a mute spectator. The Western world, deeply entrenched in hypocrisy, condemns violence selectively—voicing outrage at Ukrainian suffering but turning away from dead Syrian toddlers or bombed Iranian villages.
Muslim nations, too, are fractured. Some sign peace accords while others chant resistance slogans. But none offer peace—only postures.
This international chaos is not accidental. It is orchestrated. It is profitable. For every war, there is a weapons manufacturer smiling behind the curtain. For every conflict, there is a superpower positioning itself for gain.
If Operation Rising Lion truly seeks to eliminate an existential threat, then it must also confront the existential crisis of modern warfare—a crisis where every solution sows new destruction.
We stand at a precipice where one misstep could spiral into a full-scale regional war—and from there, into a global confrontation where no one wins.
And yet, amid all this, the true question remains unanswered:
> When did the lives of innocent civilians become cheaper than the pride of nations?
The world is not at war with terror or tyranny—it is at war with truth.
Until that war is won, humanity will keep dying—bit by bit, bomb by bomb, lie by lie.
Shahid Fayaz
13 June 2025
[email protected]
www.shahidfayaz.in
