26/06/2025
Iran’s Strategic Victory: The Turning Point in the War Against Israel
By Raheel Khan Kasi
In a historic and unprecedented shift in Middle Eastern geopolitics, the long-brewing confrontation between Iran and Israel has reached a decisive phase. While the battlefield is riddled with complexities and the fog of war still hangs heavy, one truth emerges from the smoke: Iran has won this war—politically, strategically, and symbolically.
This victory is not measured merely in missile counts or battlefield advances, but in Iran’s ability to reshape the regional order, strengthen its axis of resistance, and shatter the myth of Israeli invincibility—a perception long upheld in Western media and military doctrine.
The Collapse of Deterrence
For decades, Israel relied on its strategic deterrence—backed by U.S. military superiority and regional intelligence dominance. Yet, Iran managed to pierce this shield, directly challenging Israel through proxy forces and asymmetric warfare, without inviting full-scale retaliation from Western powers. The very fact that Israel now finds itself surrounded—by Hezbollah in Lebanon, armed resistance in Gaza, and growing unrest in the West Bank—shows Iran’s success in decentralizing the battlefield and turning every border into a front line.
Strategic Patience, Calculated Offense
Iran’s war doctrine has been one of strategic patience and calibrated escalation. Through years of careful planning, it has created a web of influence across the region—from Iraq and Syria to Lebanon and Yemen. These alliances have not only survived economic sanctions and military pressure but have also evolved into a unified axis of resistance, capable of confronting Israel on multiple fronts simultaneously.
While Israel launched strikes and campaigns expecting quick results, Iran turned each confrontation into a long war of attrition, eroding Israeli morale, dividing its politics, and exposing vulnerabilities within its defense infrastructure.
The Battle of Narratives
Iran’s victory is also one of information warfare and ideological resonance. Across the Muslim world, the image of Iran has shifted—from a pariah state to the vanguard of resistance against Zionism. Meanwhile, Israel finds itself more isolated than ever before, facing condemnation not just from adversaries but from a growing segment of the international community disillusioned by its military aggression and occupation policies.
In global forums, particularly among the Global South, Iran’s stance is increasingly viewed as defensive rather than provocative, while Israel’s actions are seen as disproportionate and rooted in decades of occupation.
A New Middle East Emerging
With U.S. influence waning and the Abraham Accords failing to produce a united Arab front against Iran, a new regional balance is forming. Countries that once covertly aligned with Israel now reconsider their positions, fearing popular backlash and the failure of Israel’s military superiority. Iran, on the other hand, has emerged as a regional power broker, not through formal treaties, but through resilience, ideology, and regional alliances built on shared resistance to occupation and hegemony.
Conclusion: The War That Changed Everything
While military operations may still continue and battles may flare up again, the broader political and strategic outcome is clear—Iran has emerged victorious. It has forced the world to reconsider who holds the upper hand in the Middle East and redefined what it means to win a modern war.
For Israel, the challenge now is not only rebuilding its damaged image but rethinking its long-term strategy. For Iran, this is not the end of a war—it is the beginning of a new regional order, one where resistance is no longer a slogan, but a strategic reality.
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Raheel Khan Kasi is a geopolitical analyst and commentator on Middle Eastern affairs. He has traveled extensively across the region and written on international relations, strategic resistance movements, and the evolving global power dynamics.
