Opinion: The West's unconditional support for Israel is triggering a region-wide war

Events over the past week have brought us one step closer to a region-wide war in the Middle East.

In the early hours of Friday 19 April, Israel carried out military operations against Iran. Explosions were seen and heard in the skies over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz as Israel’s drones were shot out of the sky. Israeli media reported that targets were also hit in Iraq and Syria. This was Israel’s response to Iran’s 13 April drone and missile attack on Israel. Both sets of attacks resulted in no casualties and no serious damage.

But this is a serious escalation of a situation that is quickly spiralling out of control. How we understand what caused it and which policies are needed to de-escalate it are crucial.

READ MORE: The West's unconditional support for Israel is triggering a region-wide war. Opinion by Mandy Turner