Israel and the United States Prepare for Retaliation from Iran Over Killing Aid Workers and Bombing a Consulate

In a move to conveniently forget how to conduct diplomacy and why Russia invaded Ukraine in the first place, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced that Ukraine will join NATO after the war ends (also incentivizing Russia to never end the invasion). However, elsewhere in the geopolitical mess that the United States government finds itself entangled in, against our founding fathers’ warnings for us to stay out of foreign conflicts and avoid alliances (if they could only see us now), the Israeli military has conducted operations that will certainly lead to more blowback. As Israel’s largest ally and financial backer, the United States can now likely expect some form of retaliation.

As the Israeli military has bombed much of the Gaza Strip, forcing many Palestinians to be relocated into the southern city of Rafah along the Egyptian border (roughly 80% of the population has fled their homes), and caused a starvation crisis there, it has also been targeting foreign aid workers trying to distribute food to the poverty-stricken region (around 575,000 people, which is one-quarter of the population, are believed to be starving in Gaza because of Israel’s war). Thus far, since October, 180 humanitarian workers have been killed, and this disincentivizes Good Samaritans from wanting to feed the people. The Israeli military even open-fired into a crowd of hungry people pulling food off of aid trucks because they looked “suspicious,” and instead of trying to be more careful not to bomb or shoot civilians, the Israeli government just releases statements suggesting that Hamas operatives are hiding among aid workers and that the terrorist organization is stealing food for itself (without proof, of course). Such excuses are desperate attempts to make the aggressor seem like the victim in the eyes of the public, but people (including Americans) are starting to see through the lies that have been going on for many years. It is almost like the goal is to deliberately target civilians and keep them starving and fearing for their lives so that they can be relocated from the land that can then be stolen for resettlement (1.4 million Palestinians have already been displaced, and the Israeli military has killed almost 33,000 people in Gaza since the war began six months ago).

The most recent attack against humanitarian organizations involved the Israeli fixed targeting of a convoy controlled by the nonprofit World Central Kitchen (WCK). The trucks were clearly marked as part of a foreign aid team, and the airstrikes were utilizing precision-guided missiles, thus making it difficult to suggest that it was not done deliberately (WCK founder Jose Andres said that the three vehicles destroyed were targeted one at a time). Of course, the Israeli government simply apologized and said that it had misidentified the targets, which if that were the case, you would think that one of the most sophisticated military and intelligence entities on the planet would have done a better job at confirming this beforehand (especially being that the trucks were clearly marked).

Well, if that were not enough to get people’s blood boiling, one of the seven workers killed was an American (yes, the Israeli military killed an American, but we will just let it go without issue because it is Israel). Although President Joe Biden sort of condemned the attack (saying that he was “outraged and heartbroken”), nothing will actually change. American taxpayers will continue to be forced to shovel over their hard-earned dollars and bear the unconditional support that politicians in the United States regularly hand over.

Killing, starving, and targeting civilians and aid workers is not the only thing that has gotten Iran upset recently. The Israeli military has been bombing Syria for several years, but one of the most recent series of strikes destroyed Iran’s consulate in Damascus, killing commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (including General Mohammad Reza Zahedi of the Quds Force) and an officer of Hezbollah. If you understand how international diplomacy works, you know that embassies and consulates are almost like sacred zones where you do not attack, but yet, the Israeli government broke such global norms and did it anyway. It could be that the Benjamin Netanyahu regime is being deliberately provocative in order to get its big brother, the United States, to eliminate its largest enemy in the Middle East, Iran. Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian (equivalent to Secretary of State Blinken) said that his country wants to hold the United States accountable for the attack on the consulate since the “green light” (the Biden administration did not even condemn the attack) was given to Israel to conduct the strike, and he indicated that Iran will retaliate against both Israel and the United States. This echoes the same type of sentiment as when President Donald Trump almost started a war with Iran when he ordered the drone assassination of General Qassim Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.

Even if Americans think that it is unfair that Iran would target them because of actions committed by Israel, this is another example of how the entangling alliances that our founders advised us against come back to haunt us. It is about perception, and if Iran perceives the United States as having been responsible, guess who is going to get the brunt of the attacks, regardless of actual culpability and if the Biden administration had no foreknowledge of the attack? Just the fact that American taxpayers fund 15% of Israel’s defense budget and 70% of its weapons imports (perhaps even the aircraft and munitions necessary to conduct the attack on the consulate) is enough for Iran to identify the United States as a threat. Since October 7, 2023 (when Hamas attacked and kidnapped Israelis and Israel began its bombing campaign into Gaza), Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria have allegedly conducted 150 attacks against American installations (leading to tit-for-tat strikes), and although there has been a temporary pause on these since February, there are now fears that they could be ramped up again (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Mohammed Hossein Baqeri have suggested this, and American troops have been put on high alert). The United States’ welfare program to Israel (while we struggle to pay for basic necessities) is literally killing Americans, and yet, we collectively (though sentiment among the public has shifted some) cheer on the Israeli government (especially the Israel Lobby-bought-and-paid-for politicians of both parties).

Could it be that the Israeli government is getting nervous? There are now reports showing that it is withdrawing its ground troops from Khan Younis and may decide to stay out of Rafah, as President Joe Biden recently implied that a Rafah invasion or campaign would be a “red line” (especially being that Gazans were specifically moved to Rafah to escape the bombing in the north and were about to be displaced again when Israel decided to bomb the south, almost playing out the relocation of Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula shown in the Israeli government’s “concept paper”).

Alternatively, Iran may have (not confirmed) demanded that the United States get out of the way and let Iran punish Israel for the attacks on its embassy, which could indicate some sort of deal or understanding between the United States and Iran that could avert attacks against Americans. If true (State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller denied that such a compromise was made), it would be good for the United States, as it would not lead to serious escalation in the region, but it would not be a good day for Israel. The reason for the withdrawal from southern Gaza may be a preparation tactic against future attacks and an admission that the Netanyahu regime made a grave miscalculation (or, it could be a ploy to make the world think that Israel is the good guy and is withdrawing out of the goodness of its heart), and the country is increasing its air defenses, recalling reservists, suspending diplomatic missions, and escalating GPS jamming capabilities. Israel has also vowed to retaliate against Iran for any future attacks, including inside of its territory, and since President Biden reiterated, “our commitment to Israel’s security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is ironclad,” we can reasonably conclude that an active attack by Iran would constitute American protection of Israel and the expansion of the war into something much larger. American intelligence has confirmed that an attack by Iranian drones and missiles in the region against Israeli assets is likely.

Because of Israel’s constant bombing of the Golan Heights along the Israeli-Syrian border (part of the territory is claimed by Israel, even though it is originally Syrian land), Russia is now increasing its number of troops in that region (originally there to enforce a ceasefire in the Syrian Civil War) as a potential “message” to Israel to cease its bombing campaigns there. If there is a clash between Russia and Israel, it could spark a larger war, and perhaps the Allied versus Axis alliances being built are leading us toward a global war. Interestingly, Russia has called out the United States for supporting Israel’s conquering and occupation of part of the Golan Heights while simultaneously condemning Russia for ceasing areas within Ukraine (both Russia and the United States could be seen as hypocritical on this issue).

Whatever happens in Israel, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran within the next several weeks is anyone’s guess, but we can know for sure that it is not helpful toward peace or avoiding Americans getting drawn into the conflict. Perhaps tensions will simmer down a bit, but overall, the situation in that region is still fragile. If we can avoid catastrophic conflict this time around, how long can we stay on that path? We need a permanent peaceful solution, but all parties must be on board, including the Netanyahu regime.

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