Irish Examiner view: Israel's history of conflict has long reach

Families of victims of the explosions in Kerman, Iran, which killed 84 people. Picture: Sare Tajalli/ ISNA/AP

The initial suspicions that Israel was responsible for the bombing attack which killed 84 people at a memorial procession in Kerman, Iran, subsided as soon as it became apparent that it was another deadly chapter in the ancient feud between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

However, this does not obscure the fact that Israel has always regarded assassination, or extraction, on foreign territory as a legitimate weapon in the armoury against its enemies and is prepared to take a long view on retribution and justice. This has its roots in paramilitary actions established before Israel became a nation in 1948.