U.S. AND ALLIES FACE CONSEQUENSES IN MIDDLE EAST

The United States and its allies have begun to face the consequences of their unconditional support to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and recent provocations against the so-called Axis of Resistance, which is led by Iran. On January 15, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched fifteen ballistic missiles at targets in Iraq and Syria, declaring it a retaliatory attack in response to the Kerman bombings and the recent assassinations of “resistance elements,” including senior Quds Force commander Razi Mousavi. The strikes on Iraq targeted Erbil city, the capital of the northern autonomous region of Kurdistan and a key hub of U.S. influence in the Middle East. An alleged base of the Israeli intelligence and gatherings of anti-Iran “terrorist groups” was hit, according to the IRGC. Kurdish businessman Peshraw Dizayee, who was allegedly responsible for the illicit export of Iraqi oil to Israel, was killed in the strikes along with another businessman who was identified as British-Iraqi Karam Mikhail. Although the U.S. said that no American facilities were attacked, it admitted that three drones were shot down over Erbil International Airport which hosts U.S. troops. There were also reports of impacts in al-Harir Air Base which is located to the northeast of Erbil. In Syria, the IRGC attacked targets of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkistan Islamic Party in the northwestern region of Greater Idlib. Several impacts were reported in the town of Talteta, a stronghold of both terrorist groups. There were also reports of casualties. On January 16, the IRGC launched another wave of strikes, this time targeting positions of the terrorist-designated Jaish al-Adl in the southwestern Pakistani province of Balochistan. Pakistan condemned the attack calling it an “unprovoked violation of its airspace.” However, Iran said that the strikes were carried out in self-defense. Iran’s retaliatory strikes coincided with a new wave of attacks by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen, another member of the Axis of Resistance. The January 12 American-British strikes in Yemen failed to deter the group, who responded on January 15 by attacking a ship, the MV Gibraltar Eagle, in the Red Sea with an anti-ship missile. Another ship, the MV Zografia, was attacked on January 16. The MV Zografia was reportedly sailing to Israel. A wave of U.S. strikes hit Yemen prior to the attack on the ship. Also on January 16, the U.S. military reported that the Navy confiscated components of Iranian-made missiles intended for the Houthis. The missiles were found on a ship in the Arabian Sea, which was detained on January 11. During the operation, two Navy SEALs went missing. Their fate remains unknown. Overall, it appears that Iran and its allies have made the decision to escalate their retaliatory strikes. This will mount more pressure on the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East, including Israel. If the war on Gaza drags on, an all-out war could break out in the region.