Israel's wars and their impact on American interests in the region

Dr. Amr Hussein - Researcher in Regional and International Relations

The United States' relations with countries in its policy are based on pragmatism, but it is noticeable in the last ten years, especially after the revolutions of the so-called "Arab Spring", that the United States has reduced its presence in the Middle East, and America has preferred to direct all its attention to the Far East and Southeast Asia, especially after the growth of China's capabilities, which have become disturbing to the United States.

Washington rushed to strengthen its presence in the South China Sea and established a joint defense agreement with the Philippines to undermine China's role in the South China Sea region, where several countries are rushing to the islands there, so the Middle East is no longer a top priority for America, and it left the Middle East, which increased the penetration of other roles in the region, such as the role of Iran, which formed many arms for itself, and this was increased by the material support that reached 120 billion dollars that the mullahs' regime in Iran received after the nuclear agreement with the administration of former US President Barack Obama.

Iran's goal was to threaten navigation and security in the Red Sea through the Houthi militias or to threaten navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. This was exacerbated by the Biden administration removing the Houthi group from the global terrorism lists. This was a grave mistake by the Biden administration, which was the reason for the Houthi attack on ships in the Red Sea after the Al-Aqsa Flood operation carried out by Hamas in Gaza on October 7.

Now, after about a full year has passed since the Israeli war on Gaza and another Israeli war on southern Lebanon, the United States is paying a heavy price for letting Iran’s hand tamper with the Middle East region. Thus, the tables have turned on the magician and Israel’s ally (the United States’ ally) is now facing several fronts of conflict with Iran’s arms, and these arms have even extended to America’s military bases in the region.

Israel's wars on Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen have proven that American interests are at stake if a political solution is not found for the Palestinian issue, which is the basis of all conflicts in the Middle East. Otherwise, the Middle East will remain ablaze with the possibility of the conflict expanding into a comprehensive war, the first reason being Israel's policies in the region.