The missile attacks in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen yesterday, Saturday, highlighted the growing danger of war in the Gaza Strip, which could lead to a broader conflict in the region between Iran and its allies on the one hand, and Israel and the United States on the other.
Iran said that 5 members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard were killed in a missile attack on a house in Damascus, accusing Israel of being behind it. Two security sources in Lebanon said that an Israeli strike there led to the death of a member of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
Later on Saturday, US Central Command said that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq targeted the Ain al-Asad air base, where US forces are stationed, with ballistic missiles.
She stated – in a statement – that a number of American soldiers are undergoing examinations to assess the extent of their exposure to brain injuries, adding that at least one Iraqi soldier was injured.
The United States also said it targeted a missile prepared by the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran to strike targets in the Red Sea, describing it as a threat to maritime shipping.
For its part, the “Islamic Resistance in Iraq” announced that on Saturday it also bombed a target in the occupied Syrian Golan with drones, “in support of our people in Gaza, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurping entity against Palestinian civilians, including children, women and the elderly.”
These exchanged strikes come in light of the non-stop Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, which as of Sunday left 25,105 martyrs, injured 62,681, and caused the displacement of about 1.9 million, or more than 85% of the population, in There was massive destruction of homes and infrastructure, according to Gaza authorities and the United Nations.
The intense Israeli bombing of Gaza quickly sparked clashes on the Lebanese border between Hezbollah and Israel.
Attacks and counterattacks
Over the past three months, Israel has repeatedly struck Iranian targets in Syria as well, while groups allied with Iran in Syria and Iraq have fired on American targets in those countries.
The conflict in Gaza has had broader international repercussions after the Houthis began targeting ships crossing the Red Sea that they say are heading to or connected to Israel. Some major shipping companies are now avoiding the passage of their ships through this waterway, which is harming global trade.
For a week, American and British strikes have been targeting Houthi forces in Yemen.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan expressed his concern that the tension in the Red Sea region due to Houthi attacks and American counter-strikes would lead to the situation getting out of control in the Middle East.
Amid escalating regional tension, the Iranian News and Television Agency reported that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed to punish Israel for the attack in Syria, describing it as a “crime” that will not go unanswered. There was no comment from Israel, which does not usually comment on these attacks publicly.