On June 13, Israel launched a large-scale military attack deep into Iranian territory, striking what it claimed were nuclear and military targets. Official Israeli statements framed the operation as a necessary preemptive measure to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

But the broader picture, especially the timing and immediate consequences, suggests something else may be at play: a deliberate effort to shift the world’s focus away from the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

This is not speculation for its own sake—it is rooted in regional context, diplomatic trends, and Israel’s own strategic playbook.

As global pressure mounts over Israel’s war on Gaza—now in its eighteenth month—this strike on Iran appears less like a response to an urgent threat and more like a diversionary manoeuvre to recalibrate global narratives.

The Gaza war has dragged Israel into one of the most serious legitimacy crises in its modern history.

The war’s toll on Palestinian civilians has become impossible to ignore. Hospitals have been bombed. Aid has been blocked. Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened.

International legal bodies—the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court—have taken unprecedented steps. Israeli leaders are facing potential arrest warrants.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protests have swept across university campuses, city squares, and diplomatic arenas across the world.

It is precisely in this climate of growing global isolation that the June 13 strike took place.

Crucially, the timing coincided with the sixth round of

© TRT World