Sunday’s attack on a US base in Jordan could lead to escalation of military tensions in the Middle East. The condition is necessary, but Washington’s reaction seems inevitable. Three US soldiers lost their lives in the attack claimed by the Islamic Resistance group in Iraq, which consists of Shiite militias. Iran denies any involvement, but the group is considered part of a galaxy of Tehran-financed militias. President Joe Biden announced that the United States would respond “in the time and ways we choose.” And there are those who read in these words a possible direct conflict between the USA and Iran.
Of course, after the raids on the Houthis in Yemen, who are responsible for attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea, the USA, with the support of Britain, needs to open a new front in the increasingly warming Middle East. Moreover, for the first time since the beginning of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, American military personnel were killed by enemy fire in the region. It is true that two members of the US Navy drowned off the coast of Somalia last January 11 during an operation against military supplies supplied by Iran to the Houthi rebels, but the dynamics of the accident have never been fully elucidated.
The hypothesis of a direct conflict with Iran is not the only one on the table: Washington could green-light raids targeting only the Islamic Resistance group in Iraq, which also has consequences in Syria and is using the conflict in Gaza to its own interests. To further the goal of removing US troops from these two countries. Washington claims it has about 900 soldiers in Syria working with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces to defeat the Islamic State. However, 4 thousand soldiers stationed in Jordan, who were targeted in the drone attack on Sunday, also support them. In addition to 3 deaths, at least 34 people were injured in the raid, most of them in serious condition.
As we said before, Iran denied direct intervention, but after Israel killed five of its members in Syria on January 20, Tehran’s Revolutionary Guard announced that it would retaliate harshly. Jordan has also long been reluctant to report the incident for fear it could lead to US military intervention on its territory. The Amman government is currently conducting intensive mediation activities to stop the conflict in Gaza. But these efforts are now in danger of going in vain.
Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, argued to Qatar broadcaster Al Jazeera that without a strong US response, “the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps will feel even more emboldened.” “This is the 180th attack since October 18: We need to react in a revolutionary way,” he added. Biden, who has been trying to control the tension in the Middle East as much as possible since the beginning of the war in Gaza, is under pressure from Republicans who describe the attack in Jordan as evidence of his administration’s failure in the region. “The only response to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iranian terrorist forces. Failure to do so will confirm that Joe Biden is a coward,” Republican Senator Tom Cotton said in a statement. said. The accusations are demoralizing for Donald Trump, who is increasingly confident he will challenge Biden to retake the White House in next November’s election.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
