Tensions Set Middle East Ablaze

The tensions created by the United States-backed Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip continue to generate tensions all over the Middle East.

In Yemen, the Houthis (Ansar Allah) escalated attacks against vessels affiliated with Israel, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden after violent American strikes hit the country’s capital, Sanaa, on March 22.

On March 26, the Houthis announced that they had attacked the Maersk Saratoga, APL Detroit, and the Huang Pu merchant vessels after identifying them as either American or British, in addition to the Pretty Lady vessel which they claimed was heading to Israel.

The group also said that they had attacked two U.S destroyers in the Red Sea as well as the southernmost Israeli city Eilat.

The Houthis have been attacking vessels affiliated with Israel, the U.S. and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.

Meanwhile in Lebanon, clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military over the war in Gaza continue.

On March 24, Israel escalated by bombing the outskirts of the northeastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, a known stronghold of Hezbollah.

The Israeli military escalated airstrikes on the group’s heartland, southern Lebanon, in the following days. On March 26, at least seven first responders were killed when a medical center in the town of Habbariyeh was attacked. Hezbollah responded on March 27 by firing dozens of rockets at the northern Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shemona, killing an Israeli and causing significant damage.

In Syria, tensions have been also mounting. On March 26, a series of airstrikes hit the government-held part of the eastern governorate of Deir Ezzor. The airstrikes hit the city of Deir Ezzor and its outskirts, as well as some sites in the southern countryside.

Syrian state-media said that the airstrikes claimed the lives of seven military personnel and a civilian. 19 other troops and 13 civilians were wounded. Syrian military officials blamed the airstrikes on the U.S. However, Pentagon officials denied any involvement, leaving Israel as the main suspect.

Following the deadly airstrikes, there were reports of a drone attack on a U.S. base at the Conoco gas facility in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside. This was the first such attack against U.S. forces in the country in over a month.

Despite causing serious tensions all over the Middle East, Israel is yet to achieve any of the objectives of its ongoing war on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 32,000 Palestinains and left over 74,000 others wounded.

The U.S. attempts to set the Middle East ablaze are similar to how Washington has been using Ukraine to destabilize Eastern Europe for the last two years. In fact, the last wave of escalation in the region by the U.S. and its allies came amid attempts to destabilize Russia, from Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory during the presidential elections to the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack.

Mirrored - South Front