The researcher at the Al -Jazeera Center for Studies, Dr. Yaqa Makki, said that the simultaneous military operations taking place in the region indicate that we have already entered into the midst of a regional war, and not just a threat to bring them out, in light of the continuous Israeli escalation in more than one front.
He added – during his participation in special coverage regarding the Israeli attack on Yemen – that Israel does not face any legal, moral or military deterrent, which explains its impulsion towards the expansion of the circle of attacks, taking advantage of the American and international cover, and without bearing an actual cost of what it is doing in the Gaza Strip, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.
Israel announced yesterday evening, launching air strikes on sites in the city of Hodeidah, west of Yemen, and said that it had targeted the port of Hodeidah and a concrete factory in response to a missile fired by the Houthis and targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, which led to the suspension of several international flights.
American sources confirmed to the “Axios” website that the raids were made in advance with Washington, while the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation spoke of “a change in the equation” with the Houthis after the airport attack, which reflects in preparation for further escalation.
Prevention, not deterrence
Dr. Makki saw that Israel, after October 20, 2023, adopts the “prevention not deterrence” mentality, and seeks to strike the capabilities of its opponents even before they have the will of the confrontation, without geographical discrimination between Gaza, Saada, Beirut or Damascus, which threatens the security of the entire region.
He criticized what he described as the absence of the unified Arab position, noting that major countries in the region, such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, are unable to form an alliance even if temporarily, sending a message that this Israeli insect is collectively rejected.
He added that all countries of the region are affected in one way or another, noting that Iran is being depleted, Syria is bleeding from multiple fronts, and Iraq is threatened, while pressure on the Gulf increases, which makes silence or hesitation costly to all parties.
In turn, the former US National Security Adviser Mark Vevele considered that the timing of US President Donald Trump’s visit to the region will be extremely sensitive, especially as he seeks to play the role of mediator in light of increasing complications on more than one front.
Trump’s visit
The White House recently announced that Trump would visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE from May 13 to May 16, while Axios quoted a US official as saying that there is no point in Trump’s visit to Israel as part of this tour.
Fivel pointed out that Trump will face inflamed files, including the war on Gaza and the Iranian nuclear program, and the growing tension with the Houthis in the Red Sea, which has become a field challenge and an escalating military cost for the United States.
He explained that Washington is actively dealing with the Houthi threat, pointing out that an American “F-18” war plane recently crashed at a cost of $ 15 million, which reflects the cost of American military involvement in this front.
He said that this decline in coverage is due to the preoccupation of American institutions with urgent internal issues and other international files, which makes Yemen a burning arena without getting full of American political and media attention.
Trump’s priorities
On Trump’s priorities during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, Vival explained that it will focus on two axes: the first is an attempt to isolate Iran and push it to return to the negotiating table on its nuclear program, and the second is working on a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza.
Trump is also seeking, according to Fivel, to restore the path of Abraham’s agreements, which he had launched at the end of his first term by strengthening normalization with new Arab countries under the slogan of ending chronic wars and achieving regional stability.
However, Makki’s meeting expressed his suspicion of Trump’s intentions, stressing that the priorities of the American President have nothing to do with stopping wars and extinguishing fire in the region or protecting civilians, but rather are limited to economic and investment files, as well as seeking to establish his own political heritage in the region.
He considered that Trump might pressure during his presence in the region on the countries he would visit to persuade the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) to accept the ceasefire deal before the end of his visit with the aim of extracting a political achievement that he is presenting to American public opinion, while the Prime Minister of the Occupation Government Benjamin Netanyahu continues to escalate to achieve his military goals on the ground.
Dr. Makki believes that Trump’s visit will not make a fundamental shift unless it is associated with a reset of the American position on the unconditional support of Israel, stressing that the region will not witness a real calm without curbing the accelerated Israeli aggression.
