What's at stake for Canada after Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel

Following the Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel over the weekend, Canada should take the threat of Iran and potential escalation of the conflict seriously, one global affairs analyst says.

Following the Iranian missile and drone strikes against Israel over the weekend, Canada should take the threat of Iran and potential escalation of the conflict seriously, one global affairs analyst says.

"We have a larger global interest," Aurel Braun, professor of international relations and political science at the University of Toronto, said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca. Braun is also an associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. "Iran poses a threat not only to Israel but to the Arab states (and) to the larger international system."

Now closely allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iran has supplied thousands of "killer drones" to Russia that have killed both thousands of civilians and troops, Braun said.

"So Iran's tentacles extend over a very large area and we in Canada as a G7 member, as a NATO member, as a supporter of Ukraine, as a fellow democracy, we have an important stake in this," Braun said.

"If (Iran is) able to control the region, they have worldwide ambitions and if they have nuclear weapons, they would present a threat because that would give them new capabilities."

Despite hostile relations since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, it was only on Saturday when Iran launched a direct military attack on Israel, The Associated Press reported. Israel said 99 per cent of about 300 drones and missiles were intercepted. It occurred in the wake of a suspected Israeli strike in Syria on April 1. Israel didn't confirm responsibility for that attack, which killed two Iranian generals in an Iranian consular building.

Iran declared the operation over and no one was reported killed in the Saturday attacks.