An expert has outlined two scenarios that could possibly spark World War Three, with a Russian official claiming that it has already begun.
Conflict between Iran and Israel has escalated dramatically, igniting fears of a full-scale global confrontation.
With both nations launching missiles and drones, and ominous warnings that Western interference could trigger massive repercussions, many believe a third world war may already be underway.
Israel launched Operation Rising Lion in response to Iran’s missile strikes. The retaliatory strike involved 200 fighter jets targeting around 100 Iranian positions.
Iran then fired 100 drones into Israeli territory, intensifying the crisis.
Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham warns that this conflict could set a precedent for future wars, per the Mirror.
He outlines two chilling scenarios: “First, that Iran hits back hard, is supported by its admittedly weakened proxies, Hezbollah, the Houthis and what's left of Hamas, as well as its chums in the region and beyond.”
He fears that, with the U.S. distracted, other powers might seize the moment: “We recall that Putin is firing Shahed drones at Ukraine. Now is the time to pursue their own bugbears in Ukraine, South Korea and Taiwan.”
Glees adds: “Naturally we hope this won't happen. But if it does, I think what Israel has been doing since about 3:00AM give us a blueprint for what could happen to us here in Europe.”
Europe's biggest threat, according to Glees, is a massive cyber attack from Russia: “It will not only knock out our digital communications networks. We hope the government networks which are far more secure will be resilient enough to withstand such an attack, but who knows.”
He points to Israel's early-warning system as a model: “We know that the Israelis sent alarms to every single mobile phone user in Israel, warning them about the attack at 3:00AM, including those who had switched off their phones, or put them on silent mode.”
While Israel and Iran trade blows, Russia’s military hawks are seizing the moment. Apti Alaudinov, a top general and deputy chief of Russia’s armed forces, issued a chilling call to arms on Telegram: "We need to declare mobilisation."
He then dropped a bombshell: Russia could call up a million troops: "We need to prepare at least half a million people in advance. But realistically one million people.
"We need to call them up and start preparing them for the fact that the war has already begun, which we already know is happening - World War 3. But it has already taken on a new turn and a new momentum.
"And so that no one dares to play with us the way they played with all the other countries, and now with Iran. Believe me, we all need to unite, unite, unite at all levels."