WW3: How rival nations line up as Iran's missile attack on Israel sparks World War 3 fears

Iran has launched another massive projectile attack against Israel as tensions in the Middle East which could pull both of the countries' allies into a expanded conflict

Tensions in the Middle East are at boiling point after Iran launched projectiles against Israel, in retaliation over attacks on its allies in the region - but who are Tehran and Jerusalem's allies, should the strikes escalate to all-out war?

Dozens of missiles flew toward Israel tonight in a significant escalation of ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Iran's latest direct attack on Israel comes after its nemesis launched numerous attacks against terrorist organisation Hezbollah, killing several of its key figures.

The deadly strikes threaten Tehran's network of alliances in the region, which it maintains to destabilise Israel and the US. In turn, Israel has considerable financial and military backing from Western nations, including the UK and US to name a few.

Who supports Israel and why?

Since the modern state of Israel was founded in May, 1948, the Jewish-majority country has cultivated a wide range of powerful allies, chief among them the US. America's bond to Israel runs deep with former president Harry S. Truman recognising the nation on May 14 that year, the same day it was proclaimed.

The US has provided considerable military support to Israel, and considers it a friendly nation in what it perceives as a region hostile to its influence. In return, Israel has historically provided the US with a strategic footing in the Middle East.

Multiple presidents and Congresses have approved considerable foreign aid to Israel in order to defend the country from external threats. More recently, former president Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner advanced the Abraham Accords; an attempt to normalise relations between Israel and Arab countries, namely Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

The move would have been unthinkable decades before, with many Arab majority nations holding sympathetic views with the Palestinian people, many of whom were displaced from their homes in modern-day Israel following early conflicts between the country and its neighbours.

Israel also maintains a strong network of support in Europe, and is economically bound to the continent. The European Union is Israel's biggest trading partner, accounting for 28.8 per cent of its trade goods in 2022.

Following the October 7, 2023, attacks, numerous European nations, including the UK, offered their support to Israel. The UK deployed the RAF and other military assets in the Middle East to stop the conflict in the region from escalating further.

The UK government has introduced trade sanctions against Iran in a bid to limit its drone production. In July this year, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the UK would review the context of terrorist activity and state threats, including from Iran over the "coming weeks and months."

Who supports Iran and why?

Iran has been a pariah on the world stage following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which overthrew the US-backed monarchy. The monarch, known as the Shah, remained steadfast in keeping the country from swaying toward the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, and aimed to modernise the country.

But ideological tensions emerged among Islamist hardliners who then successfully overthrew the Shah. It has since held contempt for the US and its allies - in particular Israel, which it has vowed to destroy on multiple occasions.

While many nations in the Middle East have been hostile or lukewarm toward Israel, Iran has struggled to maintain several strategic relations with Muslim countries which is complicated in part due to Iranians following the Shiite branch of the religion compared to the majority Sunni nations.

But, it has managed to weave a web of support with Russia, China and Turkey. Russia has viewed Iran as a potential part-time ally as a counter-weight against Washington D.C. Russian President Vladimir Putin has maintained diplomatic ties with Iran with Western nations accusing the dictator of having been supplied with Iranian weapons amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

China maintains a strategic relationship with Iran, and has been given contracts to drill oil wells in the country. Beijing has signed contracts and agreements with Iran over energy supply to meet its huge population's needs.

China is also believed to have trained Iranian officials and assisted its military by supplying technology for missile development and building test ranges. Beijing no doubt views Iran as a useful counterweight to combat American dominance in the Middle East and elsewhere where China wants to extend its influence.