John Downing: An unsettling reality – what the conflicts in Iran, Israel and Ukraine mean for global security

A missile on display in Iran's capital Tehran reads 'Death to Israel'. Photo: AP

John Downing

Few people noticed last week that we were teetering on the brink of total war between Israel and Iran amid a welter of international appeals for calm.

Last Friday, Israel struck an air-defence system in Iran in the latest in a series of direct attacks between both countries as each left the proxy attacks on each others’ allies to one side. Despite repeated proxy attacks and a “shadow war” between these Middle East behemoths, it was the first time in 45 years that each attacked the other directly, and marked a dangerous development in their adversarial relationship, with potential ramifications for all of us globally.