US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s main mission on his fourth mission to the Middle East is to ensure the Israel-Gaza war does not spread into a regional conflict.
Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched repeated missile and drone attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea, bringing traffic through that key international waterway to a near halt. If the rebels persist, and the disruption to global commerce continues, an American military response may be inevitable, which would unnerve some key American Arab allies, points out the BBC.
On Saturday, Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon fired a barrage of rocket attacks on northern Israel in reprisal for what appeared to be an Israeli-planned bomb attack that killed a key Hamas leader in Beirut. Israel responded with air strikes targeting Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Blinken called on regional powers with influence over Hezbollah – in other words Iran and, to a lesser extent, Turkey – to use their influence to „try to keep things in check”.
Meanwhile, US military installations have been hit by rocket and drone attacks from militants in Iraq and Syria, where more than 3,000 American soldiers are stationed. In late October, a drone breached US defences and struck a barracks but did not detonate.
The US has responded with military action, including an air strike in Baghdad last week that killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, an Iran-backed militia leader.
Each of these episodes, taken individually, presents a threat to regional stability. When viewed as a whole, it suggests a Middle East teetering on the brink of wider war.
In Qatar on Sunday, Blinken said the US has a plan to address the growing instability – and it hinges on winding down the Israeli military campaign in Gaza and working with Arab nations and the Israelis to establish a „durable” peace for the Palestinians.
All in all, it becomes apparent that a winder ar is not out of the picture, despite American intervention.
