Israel’s 12-day war on Iran this past June was brief, but its significance cannot be overstated. For the first time, the decades-long shadow conflict between the two archrivals burst fully into the open, pulling the United States directly into the fight. To outside observers, the war ended quickly. In reality, it was only the opening act of what is likely to be a far bloodier confrontation still to come.
As foreign policy commentator Fazle Chowdhury argues in his book, Beneath the Red Line: Iran, Israel, and the Rise of a New Lethal Front, the June clashes marked the collapse of one of the world’s most fragile balancing acts. For years, Tehran and Tel Aviv waged a hidden war through assassinations, cyberattacks, and proxy militias. Iran’s push for nuclear capability and its reliance on regional allies steadily intensified the rivalry, while Israel’s doctrine of preemptive defense ensured it would strike before threats could fully materialize. That cover rivalry ended in June 2025, when Israel launched open attacks and the United States joined with precision strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.
For Israel, the outcome remains unfinished business. To Iran, it was a warning and a rehearsal. Chowdhury cautions that the next round will not resemble the first. This time, Tehran is unlikely to pace its responses. Instead, it may strike ferociously—or even enlist other powers—to break the perception of Israeli military dominance. The “new lethal front,” as he calls it, has only just begun.
For Washington, the stakes are immense. If President Donald Trump again bows to Israeli pressure and commits U.S. forces, America could find itself dragged into a conflict with Iran resembling the 2003 Iraq War. Such a move is neither in America’s strategic interest nor consistent with Trump’s campaign pledge to reduce U.S. entanglements abroad. Chowdhury argues that the United States must reclaim its role as a deal maker rather than a deal breaker. Still space for diplomacy exists—and using it is vital, both to avert another war and to finally shift American focus away from Middle Eastern conflicts.
The June war also highlights deeper global dilemmas. Can preemptive strikes ever be reconciled with international law? How do ideology, and national identity shape decisions when nuclear stakes are involved? And how close is the line between a contained conflict and one that escalates into a regional—or even global war?
Yet amid this march toward confrontation, another story lingers quietly. Across digital platforms, young Iranians and Israelis continue to connect, even as their leaders exchange threats. These fragile bonds of dialogue, friendship, and collaboration suggest the faint outline of a different future—one where hostility does not dictate the fate of an entire generation. But for now, such possibilities remain overshadowed.
The rivalry between Iran and Israel is no longer a clandestine contest. It is now fully in the open, and it is far from finished. The question is whether diplomacy can pull the conflict back from the brink—or whether the next round will ignite the new lethal front Chowdhury warns of.
Beneath The Red Line: Iran, Israel, and the Rise of a New Lethal Front by Fazle Chowdhury
2025 406 pp. $29.95
