Over the days, the war has spilt over to cover most of West Asia and even to countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey. The conflict has shifted global politics in unimaginable ways and has the potential to change West Asia’s map considerably
The war that began seven days ago has roped in more countries than was initially hoped to be limited to just Israel and Iran, with the US using its bases in West Asia to launch attacks against Tehran.
But over the days, the war has spilt over to cover most of West Asia and even to countries like Azerbaijan and Turkey. The conflict has shifted global politics in unimaginable ways and has the potential to change West Asia’s map considerably.
Which countries are part of the war now?
Strikes linked to the conflict have hit more than a dozen countries within days, raising fears of a wider regional war.
Among the countries that are actively fighting the war are Israel, the US and Iran, while the countries that have undeniably become a part of the war include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey and Azerbaijan, among several others.
Several European countries have also pledged military support after drones struck the British Royal Air Force’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus. The United Kingdom, France and Greece said they would provide anti-missile and anti-drone systems, along with air defence capabilities and warships.
Iranian vessel torpedoed off Sri Lanka
In another major development, the war cut through the water in the Indian Ocean as a
US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
The Iris Dena, on a friendly visit to India, “thought it was safe in international waters,” according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who described the strike as a “quiet death” and stressed, “We are fighting to win.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan authorities have expressed concern after a second Iranian warship moved toward the country’s territorial waters. Authorities fear the approaching vessel could also become a potential target following the earlier strike.
The Azerbaijan attack
Two people were injured in
Azerbaijan after an Iranian drone hit an airport in the Nakhchivan exclave on Thursday. The country’s foreign ministry has lodged an official protest with the Iranian embassy over the attack.
“This attack on the territory of Azerbaijan contradicts the norms and principles of international law and contributes to increased tensions in the region,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We demand that the Islamic Republic of Iran clarify the matter in the shortest possible time, provide an explanation and take the necessary urgent measures to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future,” it added.
Iran has been maintaining since the start of the conflict that it will hit US and Israeli military bases in the region as part of its retaliatory campaign.
Nakhchivan was included in a US-brokered peace agreement signed last year between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Is Nato involved?
A ballistic missile launched from Iran and heading towards Turkish airspace via Iraq and Syria was destroyed by NATO air defence systems, Turkish officials said Wednesday.
The defence ministry said it had been “engaged and neutralised by NATO air-and-missile defence assets deployed in the eastern Mediterranean”.
It did not specify the missile’s intended target. Iran has been hitting sites across the region in retaliation after the United States and Israel launched strikes against it on Saturday.
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