By Kayode Emola
As the Iran-Israel conflict enters its second week, most commentators are analysing the implications for the region and the wider world. At first glance, the fighting may have been limited to just between Israel and Iran, but the way events are progressing, it seems that it may escalate to become a global affair.
With Hamas and Hezbollah, who previously appeared to pose the most immediate threat to their national security, now stricken, the Israeli government seems to believe there is no better time to attack Iran than now. Israel has adopted the “strike whilst the iron is hot” approach, and, so far, it seems to be paying off.
Whether Israel will be able to sustain the war in the long run is another question entirely. However, the level of precision with which the Israeli government has carried out its operations in the first few days of the conflict has given it an edge over the Iranians.
As the world watches on, it is worth noting that the calmness experienced over the past few days should not be mistaken for peace. The US has given Iran two weeks to negotiate, after which they warned they would join the Israelis in the conflict.
The US unexpected bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities this morning brings a new twist to the conflict. If history has taught us anything, it is that war provides no resolution to the real problem on the ground, and that there are never any real winners.
Both sides will always come out worse off, having expended huge numbers of resources during the war’s execution. Whilst war may be inevitable in some circumstances, it is nonetheless difficult to predict the outcome from the onset.
Israel, no doubt, had hoped that it would be able to complete its operations in Iran within days. However, the fact that the Ayatollah is still standing gives the Israeli government something to worry about.
Whilst we Yoruba may learn from the Israeli government’s handling of the killing of innocent Jews on October 7, 2023, we should also be aware that the world faces the potential of World War 3 if the situation is not handled properly.
The Israeli government did not hesitate to make known that it will do everything within its power to protect every one of its citizens. It demanded that all the civilian hostages be released unconditionally, and failure to do so would lead to the elimination of Hamas leadership and the destruction of the activist group.
Likewise, those of us leading the Yoruba self-determination struggle now need to begin taking concrete decisions towards the actualisation of our independent Yoruba nation. As the world is arming itself for a potential war, we cannot stand idle for those weapons to be used to unleash fear and terror on us.
The time for wishing and hoping is over. The Israeli government didn’t dilly-dally around, hoping and praying that heaven would give them their people back. They took the action to the enemy’s camp to free their citizens held captive there.
We need to begin to view each other within our nation as family, and family means no one gets left behind. Nigeria does not hold this philosophy, as it is now openly embracing terrorists as respected citizens of the country. The time is ripe for us to treat our struggle with the seriousness it deserves, so that we may free our people from the shackles of slavery.
Other Articles
Adeleke Rejoices with Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Akanbi at 58
