Expanding conflicts in the Middle East between Israel and Lebanon-Hezbollah and the prolonged standoff in the Gaza Strip causing a humanitarian crisis for the Palestinian civilian population are testing US-Israeli relations. The two close allies have been on deadlock since Hamas invaded a year ago, with Washington on the one hand supporting Israel militarily and defending its right to self-defense but on the other warning Benjamin Netanyahu that it will not to tolerate “blind” strikes against the civilian population.
The developments of the last few hours confirm the above. The US, seeing Israel’s air defense showing gaps and Hizbollah achieving significant blows, rushes to help by sending the advanced US THAAD anti-missile system to the region. A Financial Times report says Israel is facing a possible shortage of missiles and interceptors in its anti-aircraft array amid the war in Gaza and Lebanon and as it prepares for a possible escalation of conflict with Iran.
Why did the Iron Dome “bend”.
Hezbollah managed to penetrate the Iron Dome by launching a three-stage attack. First there was a short-range missile attack near the border, then three larger missiles were launched against Haifa as well as three drones. One was shot down by a warship, the other by the Iron Dome while the third was pursued by fighter jets and helicopters that opened fire. When the third drone disappeared from radar, the Israelis believed it had crashed, but it flew very low to the target and was detected when it was too late.
30-day assignment to Gaza
The strike at the Golani Brigade training center in Binyamina, south of Haifa in northern Israel, which killed four young soldiers and wounded seven others, angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I want to be clear: we will continue to hit Hezbollah mercilessly in all parts of Lebanon, including Beirut,” Netanyahu said on Monday.
A few hours later, however, from the other side of the Atlantic, the messages sent by the American leadership were clear. American military assistance should not be taken for granted indefinitely and unconditionally. More specifically, the US elegantly threatened an arms embargo if the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has not improved in a month.
“US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel must take urgent steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza to avoid legal action over US military aid”US news website Axios reported.
“We are writing to you now to underscore the US administration’s deep concern about the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and to seek urgent and decisive action from your administration this month to reverse this course,” they wrote in an Oct. 13 letter. to their Israeli counterparts Blinken and Austin.
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