2. Tolstykh, V. The War between the US, Israel and Iran: A Legal Assessment under International Law // Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC). 26 March 2026.
On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched massive missile and drone strikes against Iran and Hezbollah bases in Lebanon (Operations ‘Epic Fury’ and ‘Lion’s Roar’). The strikes killed around a thousand people, including several senior Iranian officials. In response, Iran launched strikes against Israel and US targets located in eight Arab countries, and announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in a 95 per cent drop in traffic through the strait. Spain, Russia, China, Turkey, Armenia, Brazil, Chile, Kazakhstan, Norway, Pakistan, Oman and several other states condemned the US-Israeli attacks. Iran’s retaliatory strikes were condemned by Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and others. The Gulf States and Azerbaijan asserted their right to self-defence. A number of states condemned the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, whilst the United Kingdom, France and Portugal authorised the US to use their bases for the purposes of self-defence.
3. M. Zubovskiy: Hamas and Egypt: from confrontation to cooperation.
It is noted that, despite the current Egyptian government’s negative stance towards political Islamism, President Abd al-Fattah al-Sisi is compelled to maintain cooperation with Hamas in the interests of the country’s national security. For its part, since 2008 (Operation Cast Lead), Cairo’s mediating role in negotiations with the Jewish state has been of particular significance to Hamas. Furthermore, the preservation of the network of underground tunnels in the Philadelphia Corridor – which has become critical infrastructure for Palestinians in Gaza under the Israeli blockade – depends on the political will of the Egyptian leadership.
T. Karasova – Benjamin Netanyahu – the politician who changed the nature of Israel’s political system
For some time now, there has been a growing trend in Israel towards voters favouring strong leaders – ‘chieftains’ – who are regarded as the bulwark of national security. In the Israeli political system, the Prime Minister’s authority has traditionally been the strongest. At the same time, the specific features of the Israeli parliamentary system, which operates on the basis of a proportional representation electoral system, act as a certain constraint on the Prime Minister’s personal power. The multi-party system means that governments are always coalitions of allied parties, whose ambitions the head of the cabinet is forced to take into account. In recent decades, it has become virtually impossible to form a stable governing coalition capable of remaining in power until the next parliamentary elections. The task of a strong party leader has become to establish control of his party apparatus within the country’s state system. One of Israel’s most prominent and controversial leaders, Benjamin Netanyahu, has successfully tackled this task.