Expert: Iran-Israel clash puts Middle East in 'most dangerous' moment

An expert said that the latest military confrontation between Iran and Israel has pushed the Middle East into its "most dangerous state" since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023.

"In the nearly two years of the Gaza conflict, most of the fighting has involved Israel and non-state actors such as guerrilla forces and militias. This time, however, it is a large-scale military conflict between two sovereign states – Iran and Israel – both of which are major military powers in the region," said Niu Xinchun, a professor from the China-Arab States Research Institute at Ningxia University.

He told China Media Group that a large-scale military conflict between the two regional military powers is extremely dangerous and will have significant implications.

Niu also warned that the situation has become more volatile with the involvement of the United States.

"At the outset, Washington declared it would stay out of the conflict and urged Iran not to target U.S. military facilities in the region," he noted. "However, the U.S. has since confirmed it is assisting Israel in building air defense systems to counter Iranian missile strikes."

Niu said that the U.S. involvement could prompt Iran to retaliate against American military bases across the Middle East, further escalating tensions. "The coming days will be extremely, extremely dangerous for the entire region," he cautioned.