Why are Israel and Iran fighting all of a sudden?

Let’s clear something up right away: Israel didn’t start this round of the fight. It answered one.

The real beginning of this phase? April 13–14, 2024, when Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles directly at Israel—the first time in history it openly struck Israeli territory from its own soil. That was no warning shot. It was a line in the sand, and it shocked just about everyone paying attention to Middle East politics.

Israel mostly intercepted the attack, thanks to its Iron Dome and U.S.-made air defense systems. But still—imagine 300 flying bombs aimed at your backyard. That kind of thing doesn’t just slide.

So why did Iran attack in the first place?

The trigger was an Israeli strike on April 1, 2024, that hit the Iranian consulate annex in Damascus, killing Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a senior commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force. That strike crossed a big red line. Embassies and consulates are usually off-limits—even in unofficial wars. Iran vowed revenge, and they meant it.

That brings us to now.

On June 13, 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion—its boldest move in years. Dozens of jets flew into Iranian airspace and hit nuclear sites, missile factories, and, possibly, high-ranking military officials. Explosions were reported in Tehran and Natanz, a site well-known to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for uranium enrichment.

In a video statement, Prime Minister Netanyahu made plain: Israel was done waiting. Intelligence estimates indicated that Iran had enough enriched uranium to build as many as 15 nuclear bombs and with nuclear talks stalled, Israel made a decision to act now instead of waiting for one of those warheads to appear.

So, who started it?

It depends how far back you want to go.

If you ask Iran, the April 1 consulate strike was the first direct punch, and they were just responding.

Ask Israel, and they’ll tell you Iran’s long history of supporting groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, plus their nuclear ambitions, are ongoing acts of war—and that April 13 was a declaration of open hostility.

And let’s be honest: neither side is exactly innocent. This conflict has been simmering since the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Both countries have thrown plenty of covert punches. But it’s only now, in 2025, that they’ve dropped the gloves and started swinging in public.

What about the U.S.?

Officially, America’s standing on the sidelines. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. had nothing to do with Israel’s June 13 strike. But behind the scenes, Washington is repositioning troops, pulling embassy staff, and updating travel advisories like it’s the prelude to something big.

So yes—Iran fired the first full-scale shot in April, but that was in response to Israel’s strike on a consulate in Damascus, which was retaliation for Iranian aggression by proxy. It’s not a clean timeline. It never is in wars like this.

But one thing’s clear: the shadow war is over. The real one’s begun.