It wasn't always like this. In fact, if you traveled back to the 1960s, you’d find Iranian oil flowing into Israeli ports and Israeli agricultural experts teaching Iranian farmers how to irrigate the desert. They were "periphery" partners, two non-Arab powers in a mostly Arab Middle East, finding common ground in a "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" kind of way. Then came 1979. Everything changed.
When people ask why Iran hates Israel, they usually expect a simple answer about religion or ancient borders. But it’s messier than that. It’s about a total revolutionary overhaul, a fight for leadership in the Muslim world, and a shadow war that has moved from the back alleys of Beirut to high-tech cyberattacks in Tehran.
The 1979 Pivot and the Birth of "Little Satan"
Before the Islamic Revolution, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi—the Shah of Iran—maintained a de facto relationship with Israel. He didn't love them, but he used them. The Mossad even helped train his notorious secret police, the SAVAK. But when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini took power in 1979, he didn't just want to change Iran’s government; he wanted to flip the entire regional script.
Khomeini branded the United States the "Great Satan" and Israel the "Little Satan." This wasn't just catchy branding for a protest poster. For the new Islamic Republic, Israel became the ultimate symbol of Western "imperialism" in the Middle East. By positioning himself as the fiercest defender of the Palestinian cause, Khomeini was doing something clever: he was bridging the gap between Iran's Shia minority and the broader Sunni Muslim world. He wanted Iran to lead the global Islamic struggle. To do that, he needed a clear, undeniable villain. Israel fit the bill.
The Proxy Game: Hezbollah and Beyond
Iran realized early on that it couldn't win a conventional war against Israel. Israel’s military is basically a tech powerhouse backed by the U.S. so Iran went asymmetric. They started exporting their revolution.
In the early 1980s, during the Lebanese Civil War, Iran sent Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) trainers to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. This gave birth to Hezbollah. Honestly, this was a game-changer. Suddenly, Iran had a "forward base" right on Israel's northern border. Fast forward to today, and Hezbollah has an arsenal of over 150,000 rockets. That is a massive deterrent. If Israel strikes Iran, Hezbollah rains fire on Tel Aviv. It’s a brutal, effective stalemate that explains a lot of the day-to-day tension you see in the news.
✨ Don't miss: Why Every Tornado Warning MN Now Live Alert Demands Your Immediate Attention
But it isn't just Lebanon. Iran’s "Axis of Resistance" spans:
- Gaza: Supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, even though they are Sunni groups.
- Yemen: Backing the Houthis, who have started launching long-range drones toward the Red Sea.
- Syria: Using the chaos of the Syrian Civil War to build permanent bases and transit lines for weapons.
The Nuclear Anxiety
If you want to understand why Iran hates Israel—and why Israel is terrified of Iran—you have to look at the nuclear issue. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful energy. Israel, citing thousands of documents stolen by the Mossad in a daring 2018 warehouse raid in Tehran, says that’s a lie.
Benjamin Netanyahu has spent decades showing charts at the UN, warning that a nuclear-armed Iran is an existential threat to the Jewish state. Iran’s leaders, meanwhile, have used rhetoric about "wiping Israel off the map," though their diplomats often try to walk that back later as a "political" rather than "physical" goal. Regardless of the semantics, the fear is real. This fear drives the "Shadow War"—the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, the Stuxnet virus that melted Iranian centrifuges, and the constant "tit-for-tat" shipping attacks in the Gulf of Oman.
It's Also About Regional Hegemony
Let’s be real: some of this is just old-fashioned power politics. Iran wants to be the dominant power in the Middle East. Israel is the biggest obstacle to that.
For Iran, Israel is a tool of American influence. They believe that as long as Israel is strong, the U.S. has a permanent "aircraft carrier" in the region. By weakening Israel, Iran feels it can finally force the U.S. to leave the Middle East for good. It’s a high-stakes game of chess where the board is the entire Levant.
🔗 Read more: Brian Walshe Trial Date: What Really Happened with the Verdict
Conversely, the "Abraham Accords" shifted the vibe. When countries like the UAE and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel, it sent a shockwave through Tehran. Iran saw this as a betrayal. They felt like a "Zionist-Arab" alliance was forming to circle them. This has only made the rhetoric from the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, even sharper. He frequently refers to Israel as a "cancerous tumor" that must be removed.
Ideology vs. Pragmatism
There is a weird tension in Iranian foreign policy. On one hand, you have the hardline IRGC guys who genuinely believe in the religious necessity of "liberating" Jerusalem (Al-Quds). On the other, you have more pragmatic officials who know that a direct war would be suicide.
This is why we see the conflict play out in "Gray Zone" warfare.
- Cyberattacks: Iran targets Israeli water infrastructure; Israel hits Iranian gas stations.
- Maritime Sabotage: Limpet mines on tankers.
- Drone Tech: Iran has become a world leader in cheap, "kamikaze" drones, exporting them to Russia while also testing them against Israeli defenses.
What Everyone Gets Wrong
People think this is an ancient religious war. It isn't. Persians and Jews have a history that goes back to Cyrus the Great, who is actually praised in the Bible for freeing the Jews from Babylon. This current "hate" is a modern, political construct born out of the 1979 Revolution. If the government in Tehran changed tomorrow, the geopolitical alignment could theoretically shift back. It’s not about the people; it’s about the regime's identity.
Moving Forward: Actionable Insights for Following the Conflict
Understanding the friction between these two powers requires looking past the headlines. If you want to keep a pulse on where this is going, stop looking for "peace talks" and start looking at these three specific indicators:
💡 You might also like: How Old is CHRR? What People Get Wrong About the Ohio State Research Giant
Watch the "Land Bridge": Pay attention to news regarding Iranian convoys in Iraq and Syria. If Iran successfully solidifies a permanent supply line from Tehran to the Mediterranean, Israel will likely increase its kinetic strikes (a fancy word for bombings).
Monitor the IAEA Reports: The International Atomic Energy Agency is the referee. If they report that Iran has reached "90% enrichment" (weapons-grade), the timeline for a potential direct conflict shrinks from years to weeks.
The Succession Question: Supreme Leader Khamenei is in his 80s. Who takes over after him? A more military-focused leader from the IRGC might double down on the anti-Israel rhetoric, while a more "traditional" cleric might try to de-escalate to save the struggling Iranian economy.
The situation is incredibly volatile, but it isn't random. Every move—from a drone strike in Damascus to a protest in Tehran—is a piece of a 45-year-old puzzle. Understanding why Iran hates Israel is basically understanding the modern Middle East: a place where history is long, but memories are even longer.