Hindi English Translation || Editorial || ​Inflection point: On the escalation in the multi-party West Asia conflict

​Inflection point: On the escalation in the multi-party West Asia conflict

West Asia needs the intervention (हस्तक्षेप, दखल) of major world powers for peace

Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile (a missile, which is shot from the ground, takes a long distance to travel well outside the atmosphere and falls to the earth to explode on its target (due to the gravity)) attack on Israel marks (चिन्हित करना, संकेत देना) a serious escalation (वृद्धि, उग्रता) in the multi-party conflict (संघर्ष, टकराव) in West Asia. The attack is not surprising as Iran was under pressure, at home and in the region, from its allies, to respond to repeated Israeli provocations (उकसावा, उत्तेजना). It was Israel that took the war straight to Iran by attacking the Iranian embassy (दूतावास) complex in Damascus (the capital of Syria), Syria, on April 1. Iran responded with its first direct attack on Israel 14 days later, giving Israel and its allies enough time to prepare for it. Israel’s response was a symbolic, unclaimed (अज्ञात, जिसका दावा नहीं किया गया) strike (हमला, प्रहार) at a radar system in Isfahan. In end-July, Israel again escalated (increase, intensify, accelerate, heighten, make more serious) the conflict by killing Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of Hamas (Hamas is an Islamist militant group based in Gaza), in Tehran. Iran vowed (कसम खाना, प्रतिज्ञा करना) retaliation (प्रतिशोध, जवाबी हमला) but showed restraint (संयम, रोक-थाम), promising to hold back (restrain oneself, stop oneself, pause, desist, forbear, discontinue, refrain from, withhold from) fire if there was a ceasefire (संघर्ष विराम) in Gaza. But Israel not only continued the war on Gaza but also expanded the war in the north with Hezbollah (Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network have fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded in the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-backed group is driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East). Late last month, Israel unleashed (let loose, unchain, unshackle, let something go freely/uncontrollably) waves of attacks on Lebanon, killing Hezbollah’s commanders and its chief, Hassan Nasrallah. Now, with Israel threatening to respond to the October 1 attack, the conflict is set to (start doing something vigorously) enter a more dangerous phase.

In the current conflict, no party is deterring (रोकना, हतोत्साहित करना) its rivals. Israel’s greater firepower ((military) capacity, ability, strength, muscle) did not stop Hamas from launching the October 7, 2023 attack. Israel’s threats of retribution (प्रतिशोध, प्रतिकार) did not stop Hezbollah or the Houthis either from attacking the Jewish state. Nor did Iran’s proxy (representative; deputy, substitute. (proxy war means war through a representative/agent)) network and its missile might (strength, force, vigour, energy, potency, powerfulness) deter Israel from expanding the war by bombing (bombard, shell, raid, assault, attack (with bombs)) the Iranian embassy complex in Syria. And Israel’s nuclear weapons did not stop Iran from launching direct attacks on the country. As deterrence (the act of deterring/stopping someone from doing something) collapsed, the crisis has escalated and widened (increase, spread, expand, amplify). What has made the situation worse is the abdication (disowning, rejection, refusal/avoidance, abandonment) of leadership by U.S. President Joe Biden. He has given Israel a free hand (freedom, licence, scope, space, leeway, elbow room, independence, latitude, carte blanche) in Gaza while focusing his diplomatic (tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy) resources on preventing a regional war. He has remained unmoved (untroubled, undisturbed, unworried, unperturbed, aloof, stony) when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to breach (violate, break, infract, contravene, offend, transgress, go against) red line after red line (boundary, limit). Today, the war in Gaza remains unfinished, while a regional war, which could draw in (attract, pull in, persuade, rope in, entice, lure) even the U.S., could break out (flare up, begin suddenly, start suddenly, erupt, burst out) any time. There are no clear off-ramps (exit lane; the exit from a highway. (“on-ramp” is entry lane; the entry onto a highway)). A full-blown (fully developed, full-scale, full-blooded, fully-fledged, complete, thorough) war would be catastrophic (destructive, ruinous, disastrous, damaging, dangerous) and could spiral out of control with the involvement (participation, engagement, contribution, representation, taking part) of multiple parties. With Israel’s threat of retaliation looming (appearing/emerging as a large/threatening one; imminent, impending, forthcoming, fast approaching) large, the clock is ticking (the time is passing quickly and there is not much time). Preventing such an outcome (end result, consequence, aftermath, effect, development) should be the immediate priority of the major world powers, including the U.S., which has great leverage (influence, power, sway, control, dominance, clout, say) over Israel, and China, which has a deep (strong, intense, great, serious) influence in Tehran. West Asia is at an inflection point, and the region needs emphatic (certain, clear, decided, firm, determined, assertive, insistent, outright, one hundred per cent, categorical, unequivocal, unambiguous) diplomatic intervention to break out (escape from, flee from, get free) of its conflict loop (twist, spiral) and dial down (lessen the amount or intensity of something) the heat (fury, anger, agitation, intensity of feeling).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.escalation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - वृद्धि, उग्रता
English Meaning - intensification, aggravation, exacerbation.

2.conflict (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष, टकराव
English Meaning - war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.

3.intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हस्तक्षेप, दखल
English Meaning - involvement, mediation, peacemaking, conciliation, arbitration.

4.mark (verb)

Hindi Meaning - चिन्हित करना, संकेत देना
English Meaning - represent, signify, indicate, denote, be a sign of.

5.ally (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मित्र, सहयोगी देश
English Meaning - a country/state with an alliance with another one in which they promise to support each other militarily and to defend each other.

6.provocation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - उकसावा, उत्तेजना
English Meaning - incitement, annoyance, irritation, aggravation, stirring, goading, rousing.

7.embassy (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दूतावास
English Meaning - An embassy is larger and more important than a consulate and is described as a permanent diplomatic mission, which is generally located in a country’s capital city. An embassy is responsible for representing the home country, for handling major diplomatic issues (such as negotiations), and for preserving the rights of its citizens abroad.

8.unclaimed (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अज्ञात, जिसका दावा नहीं किया गया
English Meaning - nameless, undisclosed, unidentified, unnamed.

9.strike (noun)

Hindi Meaning - हमला, प्रहार
English Meaning - attack.

10.vow (verb)

Hindi Meaning - कसम खाना, प्रतिज्ञा करना
English Meaning - swear, pledge, avow, promise, avow, guarantee, give one’s word, give assurance.

11.retaliation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिशोध, जवाबी हमला
English Meaning - revenge, vengeance, counter-attack.

12.restraint (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संयम, रोक-थाम
English Meaning - restriction, limitation, control.

13.ceasefire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संघर्ष विराम
English Meaning - a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice.

14.deter (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रोकना, हतोत्साहित करना
English Meaning - put off, discourage, scare off, warn, caution; prevent, stop, block, obstruct, fend off.

15.retribution (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिशोध, प्रतिकार
English Meaning - retaliation, reprisal, counterstroke; revenge, vengeance, counterattack, recrimination, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, tit for tat.

16.inflection point (noun)

English Meaning - a turning point.

17.missile (noun)

English Meaning - a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile.

18.cruise missile (noun)

English Meaning - it is a guided missile that flies with constant speed to deliver a warhead at specified target over long distance with high accuracy.

19.ballistic missile (noun)

English Meaning - a missile, which is shot from the ground, takes a long distance to travel well outside the atmosphere and falls to the earth to explode on its target (due to the gravity).

20.at home (phrase)

English Meaning - in one’s own country.

21.Damascus (proper noun)

English Meaning - the capital of Syria.

22.escalate (verb)

English Meaning - increase, intensify, accelerate, heighten, make more serious.

23.Hamas (noun)

English Meaning - Hamas is an Islamist militant group based in Gaza.

24.hold back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - restrain oneself, stop oneself, pause, desist, forbear, discontinue, refrain from, withhold from.

25.fire (noun)

English Meaning - bombardment, firing, barrage, salvo.

26.Gaza (noun)

English Meaning - a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Gaza Strip is a self-governing Palestinian territory surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea, Israel and Egypt.

27.Hezbollah (noun)

English Meaning - Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network have fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded in the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War, the Iran-backed group is driven by its opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East.

28.unleash (verb)

English Meaning - let loose, unchain, unshackle, let something go freely/uncontrollably.

29.set to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - start doing something vigorously.

30.firepower (noun)

English Meaning - (military) capacity, ability, strength, muscle.

31.Houthis rebels (noun)

English Meaning - a decades-old resistance movement, born in opposition to Saudi Arabia’s religious influence. Yemen’s Houthi rebels are leading the fight against a Saudi-led coalition.

32.proxy (noun)

English Meaning - representative; deputy, substitute. (proxy war means war through a representative/agent).

33.might (noun)

English Meaning - strength, force, vigour, energy, potency, powerfulness.

34.bomb (verb)

English Meaning - bombard, shell, raid, assault, attack (with bombs).

35.deterrence (noun)

English Meaning - the act of deterring/stopping someone from doing something.

36.widen (verb)

English Meaning - increase, spread, expand, amplify.

37.make worse (phrase)

English Meaning - exacerbate, intensify, inflame,worsen, aggravate.

38.abdication (noun)

English Meaning - disowning, rejection, refusal/avoidance, abandonment.

39.free hand (noun)

English Meaning - freedom, licence, scope, space, leeway, elbow room, independence, latitude, carte blanche.

40.diplomatic (adjective)

English Meaning - tactful, sensitive, subtle, delicate; consular, foreign-policy.

41.unmoved (adjective)

English Meaning - untroubled, undisturbed, unworried, unperturbed, aloof, stony.

42.breach (verb)

English Meaning - violate, break, infract, contravene, offend, transgress, go against.

43.red line (noun)

English Meaning - boundary, limit.

44.draw in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - attract, pull in, persuade, rope in, entice, lure.

45.break out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - flare up, begin suddenly, start suddenly, erupt, burst out.

46.off-ramp (noun)

English Meaning - exit lane; the exit from a highway. (“on-ramp” is entry lane; the entry onto a highway).

47.full-blown (adjective)

English Meaning - fully developed, full-scale, full-blooded, fully-fledged, complete, thorough.

48.catastrophic (adjective)

English Meaning - destructive, ruinous, disastrous, damaging, dangerous.

49.spiral/spin out of control (phrase)

English Meaning - change/move in an uncontrolled way & quickly.

50.involvement (noun)

English Meaning - participation, engagement, contribution, representation, taking part.

51.looming (adjective)

English Meaning - appearing/emerging as a large/threatening one; imminent, impending, forthcoming, fast approaching.

52.loom (verb)

English Meaning - emerge, appear, become visible, take a threatening shape.

53.loom large (phrase)

English Meaning - be imminent/close, about to happen (and something which has a lot of importance/attention).

54.the clock is ticking (phrase)

English Meaning - the time is passing quickly and there is not much time.

55.outcome (noun)

English Meaning - end result, consequence, aftermath, effect, development.

56.leverage (noun)

English Meaning - influence, power, sway, control, dominance, clout, say.

57.deep (adjective)

English Meaning - strong, intense, great, serious.

58.emphatic (adjective)

English Meaning - certain, clear, decided, firm, determined, assertive, insistent, outright, one hundred per cent, categorical, unequivocal, unambiguous.

59.break out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - escape from, flee from, get free.

60.loop (noun)

English Meaning - twist, spiral.

61.dial down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - lessen the amount or intensity of something.

62.heat (noun)

English Meaning - fury, anger, agitation, intensity of feeling.