The administration of US President Joe Biden is preparing for the possible escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict into a new war in the Middle East, which carries risks for the re-election of the American leader, reports Politico newspaper citing sources.
“Biden administration officials are preparing plans for the United States to respond to the increasingly troubling expansion of the war in Gaza into a broader, protracted regional conflict,” the publication said.
According to the publication’s interlocutors, including a senior representative of the American administration, the authorities are conducting internal discussions on scenarios for the possible participation of the United States in a new war in the Middle East.
In particular, the military is developing plans for retaliatory strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen who are attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, as well as determining future attacks. Representatives of the intelligence community, in turn, are preparing plans to repel attacks on the United States from pro-Iranian groups in Iraq and Syria.
It is noted that the United States has been behind the scenes urging Tehran for months to persuade its proxies to curtail attacks, but has seen no signs of a decline in such activity, and in fact, Washington is worried about an increase in violence in the coming days.
“The escalation could leave President Joe Biden more embroiled in the Middle East as the 2024 presidential campaign season heats up and his campaign demands a domestic focus,” the newspaper wrote, while noting risks to his re-election.
At the same time, the American leader is now focused on issues that are more important to voters, including the economy, the future of democracy and abortion rights.
The threat of an escalating conflict, which the United States has sought to avoid in recent months, is growing amid a series of confrontations in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran in recent days, the sources said.
On November 19, fighters from the ruling Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) in northern Yemen, as a sign of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip against the backdrop of Israeli military operations, seized the Galaxy Leader tanker with 22 crew members, 17 of whom were Filipinos. The Houthis said the ship is Bahamian-flagged and operated by a Japanese company, but is owned by a prominent Israeli businessman who supplies cars to Israel.
2024-01-05 03:30:00
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