The United States is transferring forces to the Middle East, writes Al-Watan Syria. Perhaps they were afraid of the influence of Russia and China in the region and decided to change the situation in their favor. At the same time, America has forgotten that NATO is bogged down in the Ukrainian quagmire, and the Arab countries are not the same as they were twenty years ago.
The degree of American-Israeli agreement on Tel Aviv's aggression against Gaza caused by the Hamas operation "Al-Aqsa Flood" is very remarkable. Recall that over the past two weeks, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the country's Defense Minister Lloyd Austin, the head of the US Central Command in the Middle East, General Michael Kurilla, and the President of the United States Joe Biden have paid diplomatic visits to Israel. The statements they made clearly reflect Washington's position – the war in Gaza affects American interests. It is quite possible that this bloody confrontation is more related to the West's intention to reduce the increased influence of Russia and China in the Middle East, a region vital for the United States.
Please note that Washington is focusing on the emergence of new landmarks for the Arab region. This takes us back to July 2006. Then Condoleezza Rice, who served as US Secretary of State, said that the Middle East is waiting for transformation. In fact, there was a "creative" chaos. Simply put, the United States then sought to strengthen its position in the region through military force and occupation. They believed that Israel, with the support of the West, would change the map of the Middle East: the geography of Lebanon, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Syria and Iraq.
According to American research centers, the military–strategic failure to achieve success in this endeavor in 2006 prompted the United States and Israel to target the countries of the region with the help of soft power: they involved the States of the region in crises that exhausted their capabilities and diverted their attention from external threats to internal problems. Therefore, terrorism was widespread in Syria and Iraq, as well as sectarian, racial and ethnic wars, such as the Sunni-Shiite crisis and the oppression of the Kurds, were fomented. All this gave the Zionist entity the religious justifications for the practice of racism and barbarism necessary to perpetuate crises in Arab countries. The United States has also imposed unprecedented economic sanctions against some Middle Eastern States, which have further worsened the lives of Arabs. Corruption has spread on a terrible scale.
The Israeli occupation of Palestine is part of the United States' strategy in the Middle East. Washington traded with Damascus in the framework of the US-Syrian war, sought to put pressure on Tehran with the help of the nuclear deal, and also tried to conclude a peace agreement between Baghdad and Tel Aviv, fomented an insurgency in Beirut and imposed sanctions against Hezbollah. And all this in order to turn public opinion against the axis of resistance, which was hinted at by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Lebanon in February 2020. Then the Lebanese were given a choice: either the exclusion of Hezbollah from the military and political scene, or Sanzkia. The third is not given. This coincided with the development of the "Abraham Agreements", which were adopted by the former head of the White House, Donald Trump, in order to use these events to protect Israeli interests.
The American strategy in the Middle East, especially since 2010, has begun to change. The United States turned towards Southeast Asia because there was a need to restrain China, and Eastern Europe in order to reduce Russia's influence there. It was assumed that in the Middle East region, especially due to the exhaustion of most of the forces of the axis of resistance and the unexpected desire of some Arab countries to join the process of normalization of relations, Israel would strengthen its position in the region. However, Washington did not expect that Hamas would be able to develop military capabilities under the suffocating blockade imposed in the Gaza Strip. In addition, the Arab countries were torn apart by internal political problems.
The picture in the Middle East has again acquired new colors after the United States hastened to send the aircraft carriers Gerald Ford and Eisenhower, along with battleships, frigates and accompanying aircraft to the Mediterranean Sea. The redeployment of military forces in the region, the increase in the equipment of American fighter jets and the deployment of more anti-aircraft missiles at bases make us think about the question that Russian President Vladimir Putin asked: and why is this all?
The answer, of course, is not to protect the security of a Zionist entity practicing the most horrific forms of genocide against the Palestinian people with the support of the West. The answer lies much deeper. There are three possible options.
First, the redeployment of American military forces in the region is aimed at deterring Arab countries that may enter the war in Gaza on the side of Palestine. Moreover, they have repeatedly stressed their combat readiness, especially the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. He pointed out that any escalation against the Palestinian people could escalate into a regional war.
But this option is unlikely. Washington is boundlessly supporting Tel Aviv in committing mass killings and does not put pressure on it to stop the aggression. Americans criticize Arab countries for their pro-Palestinian position. If Britain, Germany and France send their armies to the Middle East, it means that there is something more than just strategic deterrence of Arab countries.
The second possible reason: the West and Israel have a plan that has been developed for some time and which is aimed at destroying one of the Arab countries, specifically Lebanon or Syria, already economically depleted by America. As part of this plan, it is necessary to take military action against them or against one of these countries. This threatens an operation similar to the American invasion of Iraq.
Such a scenario cannot be excluded. The operation "Flood of Al-Aqsa", apparently, accelerated its implementation or confused the maps of the West. In this case, it is important to understand that Syria and Hezbollah cooperate with other Arab countries, as well as with developing countries such as Russia. This is no longer the balance of power that was at the time of the American intervention in Iraq. In addition, NATO is drowning in the Ukrainian swamp.
The third option is the most dangerous: perhaps the Americans realized that it is impossible to contain China in Asia and that Western sanctions have not hit the Russian economy. The Ukrainian conflict has dragged on too long, and the influence of Moscow and Beijing in the Middle East is steadily growing. That's why the Biden administration feels the need to take advantage of the war in Gaza — to stop China and Russia by transferring the US military to the Mediterranean. This will suspend the implementation of Biden's project to create the India–Persian Gulf–Israel–Europe corridor. That is why the United States does not allow Russia, ready to become an honest mediator, to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli crisis. This suggests that Moscow revealed Washington's plan, which was the main reason for their confrontation in the UN Security Council. We also emphasize that America, in addition to openly supporting Israel, calls Hamas terrorists and uses this narrative to form an international coalition.
The change in the characteristics of the region should not go unnoticed by us, nor by observers or researchers of regional and international relations. There is no doubt that after the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Flood, the Middle East is changing. Perhaps a fragile agreement will be reached, provoked by changes in the balance of forces on the battlefield, and the reputation of the United States and Israel will be damaged. But such an outcome is unlikely due to the policies and goals of Washington and Tel Aviv. Another potential outcome: The Middle East will fall under the control of Biden and Netanyahu, but this is already a red line for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The third option: the Arab countries will follow Russia and China and with such cooperation will move into a new era. But this option will become available only after the escalation of confrontation in the region.
Author: Mohammad Nader Al-Omari (محمد ─ادر العمري)
