According to US and European officials, Israel is getting ready to attack Iran soon, a move which would further escalate existing tensions in the Middle East. Due to worries in relation to a potential Israeli strike, and Iran’s retaliation as a foreseeable response, US authorities have started withdrawing diplomats from nearby Iraq and authorized the voluntary departure of families of US military from the Middle East.
Another concern about Israel’s planned attack is that it might derail the Trump administration's efforts to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. It remains unclear as to how extensive an Israeli strike would be, but, about two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump said he warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against launching an attack.
While the reasons behind the tensions between Iran and Israel are complex, the root cause is a continuous rivalry between the countries that has been ongoing for decades.
But the rocky relations between Israel and Iran are not the only example of a complicated power dynamic between two nations. Long-standing rivalry between two countries often results in war, conflict, sanctions, or threats thereof. Overt suspicion, ingrained distrust, and impassioned dislike of one nation by another are among the root causes of some of the most enduring clashes of culture and ideology witnessed by history. And when these disputes boil over, bad blood is spilled with little love lost.
So, which countries have the greatest rivalries? Click through and read about the issues dividing these nations.