Expert Insights – Israel-Hamas War

To navigate through the latest news and place the events in a broader perspective, we have created a compilation of our latest publications, videos and ‘in the media’ expert comments.

A ‘symbolic’ attack by Iran on Israel

Television fragment with Erwin van Veen featuring in news show ‘Nieuwsuur’ (Dutch)

Iran has carried out a major attack on Israel for the first time, primarily intende as a symbolic message for domestic political consumption. The attack was a response to an Israeli assault on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Iran has sought to minimise the risk of escalation by issuing warnings beforehand and refraining from deploying their most advanced missiles. 

The shadow war between Iran and Israel Tensions between Iran and Israel are rising

Video with Erwin van Veen by news show ‘Nieuwsuur’ (Dutch)

This video analyses the shadow war between Iran and Israel, delving into the shared history between both countries. The recent rise of tensions is not the first crisis; the relations between Iran and Israel have been problematic from decades. The attack by Hamas on October 7th last year, however, has further escalated the conflict.

About the Authors: 

Erwin van Veen is a senior research fellow at Clingendael’s Conflict Research Unit (CRU). He is an experienced professional who delivers high quality and insightful strategic advice that helps mitigate violent conflict. His direct area of expertise are the relationships between political order, protest and violence in countries like Iraq, Israel/Palestine, Syria and Turkey.

Hans Wurzer is a Senior Academy Fellow at the Clingendael Institute. He joined Clingendael in June 2014 and coordinates training programs for Dutch and foreign professionals. In particular, he coordinates and provides training programmes to diplomats and other civil servants from the Middle East and North Africa.