Israel’s War on Iran: US Backed Bid to Remake the Middle East

June 13 marked not defence, but deliberate escalation—an aggressive assault designed to provoke war, crush Iranian independence, and impose Western dominance through fire and force.

When Israeli fighter jets and drones swarmed Iranian airspace on 13 June in a coordinated attack, Iran awoke to what many in the independent media space are calling its “Pearl Harbour moment.”

For anyone familiar with US imperial history, it was also Israel’s “Bay of Pigs”—a reckless and illegal military operation designed to provoke retaliation and force the US into deeper military entanglement.

Yesterday’s strike, involving precision-guided bombs, surveillance and strike drones, and cyberwarfare tools, hit over 100 sites across Iran—nuclear facilities, IRGC command centres, and critical infrastructure. Beyond the targets lay a bigger strategy: the pursuit of permanent Israeli regional hegemony through regime change in Tehran, with Washington again playing enabler.

And while corporate media outlets throughout the West regurgitated IDF talking points about “neutralising Iranian threats,” the truth is —documented extensively by The Cradle, Al Mayadeen, The Grayzone, Mondoweiss, and other independent voices—tells a very different story.

The 13 June attack executed using a joint force of F-35 and F-15I fighter jets, accompanied by swarms of UAVs—loitering drones for decoy disruption and kamikaze drones for direct strikes. The drones played a pivotal role in targeting Iranian radar systems and electronic defence installations, allowing manned aircraft to reach deep into Iranian airspace with minimal resistance.

Civilian casualties were, unsurprisingly, downplayed or ignored by Israeli and US media. But Al Mayadeen confirmed through hospital officials in Tehran and Isfahan that 78 Iranians were killed, including nuclear engineers and medical staff working at a research facility in Shiraz. Over 320 others were wounded, many critically.

News networks like CNN, BBC, and The New York Times offered little more than sanitised narratives about “surgical precision” and “pre-emptive self-defence,” while omitting the core truth: Iran had not attacked Israel. The assault was unprovoked, illegal under international law, and part of a long-standing campaign of aggression.

The Cradle—a Beirut-based, regionally grounded outlet—first reported on the Israeli use of stealth drones and loitering munitions - launched from forward positions near US bases in Iraqi Kurdistan. It was The Grayzone that uncovered how the US provided satellite intelligence, early warning surveillance, and in-air refuelling to Israeli aircraft—making Washington a silent co-belligerent in the assault.

Mondoweiss, one of the few US-based publications consistently critical of Israeli policy, exposed the clear intent of the attack - to provoke Iran into retaliating in a way that could justify a larger regional war. Netanyahu, under growing pressure for his genocidal war in Gaza and facing domestic political collapse, found his rallying cry. War abroad to distract from criminality at home.

This is why independent media matters. Legacy outlets bend to the will of corporate advertisers and political donors—often deeply embedded in the US and Israeli military-industrial complex—independent platforms are reporting the facts without fear or financial compromise.

Within 48 hours, Iran responded not with rhetoric but with coordinated missile and drone strikes of its own. At least 70 ballistic and cruise missiles were launched, striking military installations in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and close to the Kirya complex—the heart of Israel’s military command. Several of these missiles bypassed Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling systems - Iran employed advanced decoy drones and hypersonic technology.

Al Mayadeen and Press TV published images of severe structural damage at the Ramat David airbase and fires near Ashkelon’s strategic gas facilities. One Iranian official, who spoke anonymously to The Cradle, said, “Our intent was not escalation. Our intent was deterrence—real deterrence.”

Western media outlets refused to show the damage. Instead, they recycled Israeli military briefings while labelling Iranian retaliation as “escalation.” This, despite Article 51 of the UN Charter affirming the right to self-defence after an act of aggression.

America’s role in the 13 June operation cannot be overstated. The U.S. role in the 13 June operation cannot be overstated. While the Trump administration issued vague statements about “supporting Israel’s right to defend itself,” independent investigations confirmed active US involvement. Sources cited by The Grayzone revealed intelligence from CENTCOM installations in the Persian Gulf was passed directly to Israeli defence planners.

Trump has provided direct support to Israel following Iran’s retaliatory strikes, including missile defence coordination and logistical assistance. While the full extent of US involvement in planning Israel’s 13 June attack remains undisclosed, the rapid deployment of US assets in the region—including carrier strike groups and intelligence support—strongly suggests Washington was not only informed, but prepared to back Israeli escalation.

Responding to the Israeli strike, Iran launched dozens of drones and ballistic missiles, targeting Israeli military and intelligence infrastructure. Iranian state media and sources quoted by Al Mayadeen and The Cradle confirmed that key installations near Tel Aviv and the Negev Desert were hit, including radar facilities and airbases. While full damage assessments remain murky due to Israeli censorship laws, open-source footage and regional intelligence suggest that the retaliation was precise, coordinated, and unprecedented in scale. Tehran described the operation as a “measured act of self-defence,” warning that any further Israeli aggression would be met with even greater force.

What Israel wants is not security. What the US wants is not stability. What they both want is to break the back of Iranian independence and resistance. Iran stands as the final barrier to full-spectrum Israeli control of the Middle East and continued Western access to unimpeded oil and political leverage over the region.

Iran has not invaded a country in over 200 years. By contrast, Israel has bombed Syria over 200 times in the last five years. The US has launched or supported wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen. The notion Israel or the US is acting out of defence is a myth—a public relations fiction propped up by the same media networks that cheered on the Iraq War and whitewashed the occupation of Palestine.

Analysts from outlets like Middle East Eye have highlighted the escalating tensions in the Middle East, suggesting the risk of a broader, multi-front war is increasing. While Hezbollah remains a significant force, reports indicate the group has suffered substantial losses in recent conflicts, and there is no confirmed evidence of a large-scale mobilisation in response to the June 13 events. Similarly, while Iran-backed militias in Iraq have previously targeted US forces, there is no verified information of renewed declarations against US bases following the recent developments. Conversely, the Houthi movement in Yemen has demonstrated its capability to strike Israeli targets, as evidenced by the May 4, 2025, missile attack near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, signaling a shift in their operational focus towards Israel.Western influence in the region is unravelling.

The Abraham Accords are collapsing under the weight of Israeli belligerence. BRICS nations are watching closely, recalibrating their strategic posture. Even long-time US allies in the Gulf are urging restraint—not out of loyalty to Iran, but out of fear that Israel’s recklessness will engulf the region in flames.

June 13, 2025, will be remembered as the moment Israel and the US revealed their real intentions: to use war, not diplomacy, to achieve control. It will also be remembered as the moment independent media stood between the world and another catastrophic lie—refusing to allow propaganda to pass as journalism.

Corporate news may continue laundering Israeli aggression into headlines about “self-defence” and “necessary action.” But readers, viewers, and people of conscience are turning elsewhere—for truth, for context, for justice.

Iran is not a threat because of its missiles. Iran is a threat because it refuses to bow. And for that, Israel and the US want to punish it—at the cost of global peace.

But this time, the resistance is stronger. The lies are thinner. And the world can see.