Tensions In The Middle East About To Reach Boiling Point

Tensions are escalating in the Middle East as the United States and its allies continue their efforts to support the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinains.

Yemen remains one of the hottest spots in the region. On February 24, the U.S. and the United Kingdom conducted their fourth round of joint airstrikes against the Houthis, who have been targeting Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in support of Gaza. The strikes hit 18 Houthi targets across eight locations.

The attack killed a civilian and injured eight others, making them the first civilian casualties during American and British strikes on Yemen.

On February 26, the German frigate Hessen, which was recently deployed in the Red Sea to counter the Houthis, launched two SM-2 missiles at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone after falsely identifying it as a Houthi drone in an embarrassing friendly fire incident. The missiles missed their target, falling into the sea.

The actions of the U.S. and its allies have failed to deter the Houthis, who reportedly attacked a Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier in the Red Sea on February 27.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, Israel’s repeated strikes have also failed to deter Hezbollah and its allies. On February 26, the group shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone. Later on February 27, it carried out two attacks with rockets and guided missiles against the Mount Meron air traffic control base.

Additionally, on February 28, the Palestinian Hamas Movement fired more than 40 rockets from Lebanon at the headquarters of the 769th Hiram Division in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona and the Airport Barracks near the settlement of Beit Hilal.

In what appears to be an attempt to make up for its failure in Lebanon, Israel intensified its strikes on neighboring Syria.

On February 25, three fighters of Hezbollah were reportedly killed when an Israeli drone strike hit a truck near the western Syrian town of al-Qusayr.

Later on February 28, a series of Israeli strikes hit targets in the southern outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. The targets were allegedly positions of Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed forces in the town of Set Zaynab. No casualties were reported.

Meanwhile in Gaza, Israeli ground operations have very much come to a halt. However, the Israeli military is still preparing to attack the southern area of Rafah near the border with Egypt, where more than one million Palesitnains are taking shelter.

While the forces of the so-called Axis of Resistance remain undeterred, the U.S. and its allies are apparently still determined to support the Israeli war on Gaza at all costs. Tensions in the Middle East could soon reach a boiling point.

Mirrored - South Front