Washington- The departure of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Amos Hockstein – the envoy concerned with the Lebanese file – to the Middle East reflects growing concerns in Washington about the consequences of the expansion of the scope of the war on the Gaza Strip.
In a press briefing yesterday, Wednesday, a senior American official said that Blinken will continue diplomatic consultations regarding the conflict between Israel and Gaza, while envoy Hockstein will work to calm tensions between Tel Aviv and Hezbollah.
As the Israeli aggression on Gaza continued, the Middle East witnessed exciting developments over the past few days, which began with advanced attacks by the Houthi group on commercial ships at the entrance to the Red Sea, which required American military intervention for the first time.
This was followed by the assassination of the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Saleh Al-Arouri, in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and ended with bombings targeting participants in commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, leaving more than 100 people dead.
Washington’s priority
For his part, David De Roche, professor of security studies at the Pentagon’s National Defense University, and former NATO and Defense Department official, says that the United States’ priority now is to calm the conflict and prevent it from spreading.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Des Roches added that the administration of US President Joe Biden does not want to expand the scope of the war between Israel and Hamas, and cited “the United States having absorbed more than 100 attacks against its soldiers in Syria and Iraq, and that it only responded with lethal force to several attacks.” .
He continued, “There were more than 20 incidents in which the Houthis opened fire on commercial ships and US Navy ships in the Red Sea, but the only American response so far was to fire on Houthi boats, from which they opened fire directly on US Navy helicopters.”
It is believed that “the greatest risk of the conflict spreading is in Lebanon, as the assassination of Al-Arouri was in the heart of an area under the control of Hezbollah, and one day before the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing, which represents a dangerous act. It is certain that the Biden administration would have tried to prevent Israel from carrying out this attack.” If only I knew about it.”
In assessing the position of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, which is known for its adoption of Israeli positions, Director of the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Program Matthew Levitt and Arab affairs expert Hanin Ghaddar stated that “even if Hezbollah does not seek a major war, this possibility cannot be ruled out, whether by chance or intentionally.” “.
Tarita Parsi, vice president of the Quincy Institute in Washington, tweeted – on the X platform – commenting on these developments as “a very dangerous moment. It seems that war at the regional level is more likely day after day.”
Multiple messages
Parsi pointed out that at least 100 people were killed in an explosion commemorating the assassination of General Soleimani. He linked these bombings to the assassination of Israel Al-Arouri in Beirut, a move widely seen as aimed at provoking a reaction from Hezbollah.
The previous week, an Iranian general was killed in Syria by Israel. Until now, Tehran has responded indirectly to Israel, the same spokesman adds.
Parsi says that Tel Aviv is seeking to escalate and move from its low-level war with Iran to an open war. At the same time, as Israeli attacks continue, Tehran’s strategy is under increasing pressure, as more voices in Iran argue that the absence of a strong response undermines its deterrence.
For his part, David Makovsky, a former official and expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said in a tweet on the X platform that the timing of Al-Arouri’s killing inside Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut carries multiple messages.
Among these messages – according to Makovsky – is that “Israel’s threats are credible. Specifically, do not doubt that it will use force in Lebanon in the broadest sense, and not just against a senior Hamas official,” he says.
He added in his tweet, “At a time when the Biden administration prefers diplomatic action to avoid aggravating the current war, there remain outstanding questions, including: Can a diplomatic agreement be reached? Can it be implemented? It is possible that Israel will say that a diplomatic outcome is also preferable, but that is not the case.” “It is only possible if Hezbollah is deterred.”
Red Sea headache
Amid increasing calls for President Biden to order a stronger military response to the repeated attacks launched by the Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea, members of the National Security Council held a meeting at the White House, yesterday, Wednesday, to review possible options, including directing strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, according to News reports.
So far, the White House has not approved any of the options for strikes on “rebels stationed in Yemen prepared by the US military.”
However, the US army responded to an attack launched by the Houthis on New Year’s Eve, as they opened fire on US Navy helicopters from small boats. The helicopters returned fire, sinking 3 boats and killing 10 fighters.
The White House issued a joint statement on Wednesday with a number of allied countries in which they condemned the Houthi attacks and warned of a possible response if the attacks continued.
The US Central Command (Centcom), which militarily supervises the region extending from Pakistan to Egypt, tweeted through its account on the