West Asian timebomb
US stepping up bombings in the region won’t help. Instead, it should rein in Israel and stop war in Gaza
Latest American strikes on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria – killing at least 40 people – again inch up threats of a wider regional conflict. They were in retaliation for the killing of three American servicemen on a Jordan base by militias linked to Iran. Raids were carried out by B-1 bombers flown directly from US. There are fears US is slow walking into another prolonged conflict.
Symptoms and problem | But what US is fighting are essentially symptoms. Since the beginning of Israel-Hamas war, Iran-backed militias, part of Tehran’s so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’, have stepped up their attacks in the region. Their single-point agenda is to stop Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
Hydra-headed challenge| These militias are spread across awide geography with decentralised military assets. There’s no way US can take them out at one go. Nor can it deter them as shown by continuing Houthi disruptions in Red Sea. Only option then is for US to engage in prolonged bombing campaign. That’s politically dicey in a US election year.
Mistakes can be catastrophic | Hitherto US and Iran have avoided attacking each other directly. But given the spread of Iran Revolutionary Guards commanders and American personnel in the region, mistakes can happen, politically forcing Tehran and Washington to switch to direct attacks, which would be devastating.
Israel is the issue | All of this can be avoided if there’s a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Biden has given Netanyahu a very long rope. But Israel’s operation is mostly killing civilians in Gaza. Nor is Israel any closer to rescuing the remaining Israeli hostages. True, Biden has started sanctioning Israeli settlers for violence in West Bank. But more needs to be done to rein in Israel. Getting into a wider, prolonged West Asia conflict for the sake of Netanyahu-led Tel Aviv is just not worth it for Washington.
This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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