Global War Status: Middle East Front
News from the Middle East is equally, perhaps even more, unsettling than news from the Russia front of the American Empire’s war on the world. Israel continues its efforts to instigate a big enough war to drag the US into the conflict in a major way. The reasoning is simple and logical. Israel knows it cannot continue its existence in its present form indefinitely, absent massive intervention of a power far greater than its own. The massive US military support for the current Israeli genocide is proof of that fact, if any proof were needed. Absent US support, Israel’s genocide would have to stop virtually overnight. Thus, the apocalyptic reasoning runs: the American Empire must be induced to utterly annihilate Israel’s designated enemies—Middle Eastern regimes that recognize Israel as an outpost of Western Globalist empire, and also recognize globalist intent to subjugate the Middle East long term for its energy resources. It’s one helluva gamble, and Israeli gambles have tended—at least since 1967—to end up in shambles.
So far Israell has been unsuccessful in provoking the war it needs, and which the US military certainly dreads—for multiple reasons, both reasons limited to its current capabilities and preparedness as well as reasons related to larger geostrategic realities (i.e., Russia, China). Nevertheless, Israel continues down this path.
At the near term level, the Netanyahu government needs a victory of some sort. It’s genocide in Gaza is failing in its goal of forcing Hamas into a ceasefire on Israel’s terms. It is also failing militarily—Hamas has not been destroyed as a military force, and Israeli lies are being exposed:
Aaron Maté @aaronjmate
In the most neutered language possible, the Post concludes what was obvious from the start: Israel's claim of a Hamas "command and control center" under al-Shifa hospital was a lie.
The Biden admin, US intel, and always-reliable US media stenographers promoted this monstrous fabrication. They helped the Israeli gov't cross an unprecedented line in modern warfare: systemically attacking and destroying civilian hospitals.
Their target wasn't Hamas: it was Palestinian existence in Gaza, and the basic institutions that protect it.
Quote
The Washington Post @washingtonpost
Dec 21, 2023
The evidence presented by the Israeli government falls short of showing that Hamas had been using the al-Shifa Hospital as a command and control center, a Post analysis shows. https://wapo.st/3RSabYz
1:25 PM · Dec 21, 2023
The IDF says 9,000 terrorists have been killed since the Gaza war began. Defense officials and soldiers, however, tell Haaretz that these are often civilians whose only crime was to cross an invisible line drawn by the IDF / @yanivkub
Israel created 'kill zones' in Gaza. Anyone who crosses into them is shot
Interestingly, in connection with reports of possible Israeli involvement in support of the UK/US connection to the Crocus terror attack, Israeli support of jihadist militias (long known) cropped up once again in Syria. About a week ago Israeli planes launched a deadly attack in Aleppo that was coordinated with al Qaeda affiliated groups on the ground.
Today brought two items of news, both significant. Iraqi based groups that had been attacking US bases in the Syraq - Jordan - Palestine region resumed their attacks, striking an Israeli naval base at Eilat. Zerohedge has a full report, quoting multiple sources:
Drone Launched From Iraq Slams Into Israeli Base For First Time Of War
More sensational, however, was the Israeli attack on an annex to the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. I’ll quote MoA first, because he provides what I believe is the big picture rationale:
Zionist Entity Assassinates Iranian General In Syria
Today, at 17:00 local time, Israel bombed the Iranian embassy area in Damascus, Syria. It hit a building next to the embassy which is used for consular services as well as for accommodations for embassy staff.
The target of the attack was General Mohammad Reza Zahedi (Abou Mahdi Zahedi) of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp. He as well as other IRGC personnel were killed.
Zahedi was stationed in Damascus on invitation of the Syrian government. His responsibilities included the IRGC relations with friendly forces in Lebanon as well as Syria.
The attack can be seen as another attempt by the Israeli government to incite a war with Hizbullah on its northern border. The idea behind such a war is to escalate far enough to draw U.S. forces into the fight (and to leave it to them to clean up the mess).
I doubt that the IRGC or its allies will fall for this. Zahedi will be replaced and the resistance against Israel will continue as planned.
Israeli officials in embassies around the world will now be forced to limit their movements in the general public as they are the most likely targets of revenge strikes.
Zerohedge provides further details and updates:
Multiple IRGC Generals Reported Killed In Israeli Attack On Iranian Embassy In Syria
While Iran is vowing a “harsh response” the suspicion continues to be that that response will not be the one Israel is seeking to provoke, based on this:
Megatron @Megatron_ron
Iranian Foreign Minister after the attack on the Iranian embassy:
Netanyahu has lost his mental balance due to successive losses in Gaza and failure to achieve the goals of the war
12:28 PM · Apr 1, 2024
The bigger picture is that Israel’s support continues to drop in the West and, more particularly, in the US—most notably among key Dem demographics.
At any rate, in connection with the preceding, I want to highly recommend this half hour video:
I already quoted, earlier this morning, Crooke’s views regarding the war on Russia, from this video. Later in the video the discussion turns to Palestine. Crooke explains that the American Empire and Israel keep repeating the same mistake: believing that, as in WW2, an enemy can be bombed into submission. This appears to be the idea that’s motivating the Israeli strategy to draw the American Empire into a regional Middle East conflict that could expand globally. The failure of the US to deter the Houthi blockade of the Red Sea, the enormous possibilities for escalations—some foreseeable and others predictably unpredictable—the alarming low level of US military preparedness, all should be warnings of looming disaster.
Crooke concludes by warning that Netanyahu believes that he understands US politics—and how to pull its levers of power—better than anyone else. Crooke suggests that Netanyahu just may be right. All this is happening with little to no public debate.
‘…little to no public debate.’ Great write up Mark. The last sentence is a great comment on the state of the Republic or (insert regime type here) and reflects the habits of mind of the ruling class. There is no need to involve the peasants/kulaks in these discussions. We would ask too many questions. What, exactly, have hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians died for? What is it that you expect our children to die for?
I imagine that Iran will nuance its response as Russia has done in the wake of Crocus: launch counter-attacks that are significant and impactful but which aren't enough to trigger a US response.