Middle East At The Brink Of War: Iran Signals Retaliation (image - twitter/@jacksonhinklle)
The April 1 strike launched by Israel which killed several members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (ISRGC), including senior commanders, at the Iranian consulate in Damascus, has resulted in the halt of the year-long shadow war between Israel and Iran. Will this escalate into a massively destructive war is a question hanging in the air?
However, US President Joe Biden has given a stern warning to Iran as it promised to retaliate against Israel for a deadly air raid on its consulate in Damascus.
Analysts say that Iran is likely to launch its own attack raising fears of a regional war, showing the limits of US deterrence efforts in the Middle East. US, unlike some of its Arab and Western allies has not condemned the Israeli strike on the Iranian diplomatic facility in Syria. The strike has killed six members of the ISRGC. However, the US was too quick to distance themselves from the strike announcing its non-involvement.
Moreover, just like the stance the US has taken supporting Israel committing genocide in Gaza, President Biden has pledged “iron-clad” support for Israel in the event of an Iranian assault too.
Experts say that the shadow war prolonged so far is due to the realization that any war against Iran is a very serious war. The Israeli military has been targeting Iran-lined sites in Syria for years. And now Tehran has considered the bombing of the diplomatic facility as a brazen act that should not go unanswered. “The Zionist regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished,” says Tehran.
But it remains unclear where the setback is to be expected. But if happens, it will be a crucial turning point in the ongoing Gaza war. Several countries have come warning their citizens this week against traveling to the region. The war on Gaza has already expanded beyond the narrow enclave.
Iran-allied group Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces daily. On the other side, the Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea, demanding an end to the war.
As the region is once again staring at the prospect of a widened conflict, rather than Iran, the pressure is now on the US and Israel. Biden does not opt to get pulled into a war with Iran, with the forthcoming election in November. But Washington’s default policy has long been to support Israel.
Republican Senator Tom Cotton has called on a “joint American-Israeli retaliation” on Iran. But if the US decides to join hands with Israel in the imminent war, the result could be catastrophic. And the only remedy to the simmering tensions across the Middle East is ending the war in Gaza.
