The latest exchange between Israel and Iran in June 2026 has been widely framed as another dangerous escalation in an already combustible region. Yet focusing solely on Iranian missiles risks obscuring a far more consequential reality. 

Iran’s strike did not emerge from a geopolitical vacuum. It arrived after months of devastating warfare across Gaza and Lebanon, after repeated ceasefire violations, after the destruction of hospitals, homes, universities and critical civilian infrastructure, and after a mounting death toll that has surpassed 76,000 people across multiple theatres of conflict. The deeper story is not simply one of retaliation. It is the collapse of the belief that international law still applies equally in the Middle East.

For decades, the international system has rested on a foundational promise: states may disagree, compete and even fight, but rules exist to limit violence and protect civilians. That promise now appears dangerously hollow. What has unfolded in Gaza and Lebanon since 2023 has exposed an uncomfortable truth to global policymakers. In today’s Middle East, power increasingly determines legitimacy, while law struggles to constrain those with military superiority.

Israel continues to present its military operations as exercises in self-defence. Every state possesses that right under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Yet self-defence is not an unlimited licence. It is constrained by necessity, proportionality and the obligation to distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel continues to present its military operations as exercises in self-defence. Every state possesses that right under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Yet self-defence is not an unlimited licence. It is constrained by necessity, proportionality and the obligation to distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The sheer scale of destruction witnessed across Gaza and southern Lebanon has made those principles increasingly difficult to reconcile with realities on the ground.

The humanitarian statistics alone are staggering. Entire neighbourhoods have disappeared beneath rubble. Major hospitals have been rendered inoperable. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned of famine conditions, disease outbreaks and mass displacement. In Lebanon, Israeli operations have expanded beyond........

© Middle East Monitor