A Look at Israel’s Actions that Have Caused Us to Once Again Have to Anticipate Another Iranian Retaliation

The Middle East is once again up in flames, as the Israeli government has expanded its war against Lebanon and assassinated Hamas’ top political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. In response, the newly-sworn-in Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has promised revenge. Is the Benjamin Netanyahu regime intentionally stoking tensions in the region for political purposes and self-preservation, and will we see a broader war (perhaps World War III) break out where the United States military engages with Iran (and perhaps Russia) directly?

Although Israel and Hezbollah (based in southern Lebanon) have been bombing each other for the last several months, what makes this time more concerning is the fact that the Israeli military struck deep inside of Lebanese territory and into the capital city of Beirut (to kill Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr), while simultaneously detonating a bomb (placed weeks prior by a covert team) in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) compound guesthouse in the Iranian capital city of Tehran (or, shooting a “short-range projectile,” as the Iranian government may now be suggesting). Israel has committed overt acts of war against both Lebanon and Iran, even though it pretends that it is simply defending itself (offensive military campaigns are not self-defense). Yes, Hezbollah has launched many missiles at Israeli territory and military bases, but the Israeli military has also attacked villages and bases located throughout southern Lebanon, including using American-supplied white phosphorous munitions (considered a chemical weapon) against the village of Dheira. Both sides have engaged in violent actions that have taken the lives of civilians, and neither should be absolved from responsibility for the bloodshed.

At a time when Prime Minister Netanyahu is facing corruption charges and protests against his governance domestically, is expanding wars across the Middle East a tactic to delay his political downfall? The timing is strange, as United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Israel and Hamas were close to reaching a ceasefire deal and a prisoner swap. Since Israel engaged in offensive bombing campaigns and is now somehow considered a victim of multiple countries’ plans for retaliation, Netanyahu does not have to worry about losing power and can continue gaining strength as a war-time leader. Israel is engaged in offensive operations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, as well as genocidal actions against Palestinians and indirect attacks against Iran, and we are supposed to have sympathy that the country has so many enemies. If you want to avoid scrutiny and condemnation, stop bombing those countries. You are not hated because you have Jewish populations. You are hated because you kill civilians and try to maintain power over the Middle East.

The whole world is patiently waiting for Iran’s response to see if tensions escalate into a hot war between the two countries or a World War III-type of scenario where the global superpowers are forced to choose sides, and the last time that Israel attacked Iran (destroying its consulate in Syria), Iran simply retaliated by lobbing over several missiles that it knew would be intercepted by the United States and its allies and the Iron Dome air defense system, thus giving the country a chance to save face but also deescalate the crisis.

We can only hope that Iran will match Israel’s actions and resort to assassinating Israeli political leaders or generals (or, better yet, turn the other cheek and show superior morality), however, President Pezeshkian, who originally campaigned on mending relations with the West after the former president died in a helicopter crash, has indicated that officials in Iran do not care if his country’s response brings about a regional war. “Serious and deterrent action” against Israel is necessary in the opinion of Iranian officials. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “The criminal and terrorist Zionist regime martyred our beloved guest inside our house and made us mournful, but it paved the way for a harsh punishment to be imposed,” and he suggested that the United States was partially responsible for the assassination by enabling Israel.

The Biden administration tried to calm Iran down and beg the country to show “restraint,” but if it really wants Iran to back down, the best way to do that would be to cut Israel loose and let it face the consequences of its aggressive military campaigns across the Middle East. However, neither Republicans nor Democrats are willing to put Americans’ interests first and would rather cave to the Israeli lobby. Our politicians will risk American soldiers’ and civilians’ lives in order to push the agenda of the Israeli government. Israel will put the United States in jeopardy because it selfishly wants its big brother to attack and take out its largest rival in the region. None of this is to say that Iran retaliating against Israel is the moral or correct course of action, and diplomacy would be preferrable, but Israel’s behavior does not help the situation.

Ultra war hawk South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham has already introduced a joint resolution (Senate Joint Resolution 106) to authorize American troops to use military force against Iran, stating that the Persian nation obtaining nuclear weapons is a threat to the United States’ national security (Blinken has stated that Iran is only within a week or two of obtaining the materials necessary to upgrade its systems to become nuclear capable, and of course, Israel, the United States in Europe, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China, Pakistan, and India all have nuclear weapons, so why would Iran not want a deterrent against Western aggression?). If Congress ends up passing this resolution when it comes back from vacation, it could mean a hot war with Iran, and this would certainly not be good for American citizens.

While we wait, the Biden administration is sending the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt (meaning that two will be in the region for a period of time), as well as additional warships and a jet squadron, in anticipation of the Iranian retaliation (the chessboard is being set for the upcoming conflict), and this is on top of the troops and ships already present (including the USS Wasp). Additionally, the United States government has issued warnings for Americans in Lebanon to leave the region as soon as possible, as they may have no escape after an attack begins and may have to remain locked down.

As Hezbollah continues its missile and drone attacks against Israel (and vice versa) and Israel keeps killing people in Gaza (eighteen in the most recent strike), the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have destroyed an American drone. In Iraq, the United States military has been engaged with alleged Iran proxies, which are lumped together under the Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella, and five American troops were injured in an attack on a base in that country (why do we still have 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria?). Before that, the Biden administration launched a “defensive” airstrike (how is it defensive if you are striking an opponent in an offensive or preemptive manner?).

On the geopolitical front, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have forbidden Iran from utilizing their airspaces to attack Israel, while Egypt has told Israel that it will not defend it in the case of an Iranian retaliation (it is on its own). What further complicates the matter is that North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member Turkey (now called Turkiye because it does not want to be associated with a bird and food in its English translation) has threatened to invade Israel over its actions in Gaza. Since the United States is both an ally of Israel and Turkey, which country would it assist? Article 5 of the NATO charter would require all countries within the alliance to come to the aid of Turkey, but do you really think that the United States and its allies would turn their weapons against Israel?

Israel has really messed up the chances of peace in the Middle East by engaging in military operations across multiple countries; and it seems unlikely that the world will escape this unscathed. Even if Iran were to show restraint this time around, it is only a matter of time before the loose cannon that is the Israeli government drags the United States into a war against Iran (which would also potentially cause direct conflict between the United States and Iran’s ally of Russia). The only real way to assure that tensions decrease is for the United States to cut off its aid of Israel and let the Netanyahu regime face the consequences of its actions. Without American support, Israel would have to think twice about engaging in military conflicts, and there would be less of a chance of angering countries in the region. Even if Israel continued on its aggressive path, our hands would be clean of the bloodshed. We should take the advice of our founding fathers and withdraw from the entangling alliances and stop meddling in foreign affairs. However, there is no profit or power involved in doing so, so we will continue down the status quo path until Americans stand up and say that we have had enough. We can continue to pretend that the modern Rothschild-initiated Zionist state of Israel is a nation chosen by God, or we can see the secular government in Jerusalem for what it really is: a genocidal regime looking to be the dominant force in the Middle East. In the meantime, we all sit here in anticipation to see if Iran will retaliate against Israel and cause additional tit for tat responses that may escalate tensions into a hot war between the two countries. If Israel decides to attack Iran first as a “preemptive” strike, things could escalate even quicker. Good luck out there!

Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.