by Michael Snyder, The Economic Collapse Blog:
Most people have no idea what is about to happen in the Middle East. The mainstream media is treating this crisis as simply a temporary conflict between Israel and Hamas that will eventually pass. But that isn’t what this is. This is the final conflict between Israel and Hamas, and it is going to spark a much wider war. Sadly, after the atrocities that Hamas has just committed, the Israelis have no choice. If U.S. women were raped and U.S. babies were ruthlessly slaughtered most Americans would feel the exact same way. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is telling us that “every member of Hamas is a dead man”, and the only way to accomplish that is to go into Gaza and kill them…
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Announcing the formation of a unity government in a late night TV appearance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep fighting Hamas. “Every member of Hamas is a dead man,” he said.
“Hamas is Daesh [Islamic State group] and we will crush them and destroy them as the world has destroyed Daesh,” he said in a brief televised statement, the first delivered jointly with his war cabinet.
Netanyahu also detailed some of the atrocities that took place during the Hamas attack. He said boys and girls were shot in the head and that people had been burned alive.
If Israel moves into Gaza, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Hezbollah has warned “that it is prepared to open a second front”…
If Hezbollah—which is designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and is closely linked to Iran—enters the conflict in a concerted way, it would stretch Israel’s army and strain the country’s air defenses, given Hezbollah’s arsenal of missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah has privately warned Israel that it is prepared to open a second front if Israeli forces launch a ground assault in Gaza, according to Arab officials and diplomats. But whether Hezbollah follows through with the threat is a central topic of debate for Israeli leaders.
The Biden administration seems to think that Hezbollah is probably bluffing.
But they aren’t bluffing.
And if Hezbollah officially enters the war, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is pledging to “return Lebanon to the Stone Age”…
Israeli leaders are trying to deter Hezbollah from joining the fight. “Do not make a mistake,” Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said while visiting troops in northern Israel on Tuesday. “If, God forbid, an escalation or confrontation erupts here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age.”
In addition, as I discussed yesterday, there have been reports that Israel has also threatened to destroy Damascus.
Needless to say, such a move would bring Syria into the war.
And actually Israel is already conducting air strikes in Syria.
On Thursday, the IDF bombed the major airports in Damascus and Aleppo…
But it seems Israel is indeed holding the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad responsible, as on Thursday the IDF has struck back against Syrian targets. Syrian state television is now confirming that Israel has launched attacks on the country’s two main international airports, in the capital of Damascus and Aleppo in the north. It happened while an Iranian plane was inbound.
According to Reuters, “Local media channel Sham FM said Syrian air defenses were launched in response to both attacks. It said here had been damage but no casualties at the Aleppo airport, but did not give any information on the impact of the strike on Damascus Airport.”
State media has confirmed that the Israeli strikes hit runways and have left both airports out of commission. It’s not the first time Israel has attacked these airports, but them being both hit in a simultaneous operation appears a first. The Israeli army spokesman has also announced, “We bombed Damascus and Aleppo airports in response to the firing of mortar shells from Syria.”
On top of everything else, the Wall Street Journal is also reporting that the U.S. is promising to defend Israel if Hezbollah “launches a major attack”…
The U.S. has in turn warned Hezbollah and Iran that it will defend Israel if the Lebanese militant group launches a major attack. Israel’s defense minister vowed to send Lebanon back to “the Stone Age” if Hezbollah attacked. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel, where he said the U.S. had sent an aircraft carrier to the region to deter Hezbollah from entering the fight.
“We’re on the sword’s edge,” said one former Israeli defense official. “Brinkmanship is a dangerous way of life.”
If the U.S. starts bombing Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, Hezbollah units in Syria and Iraq will consider U.S. forces in those two countries to be fair game.
Of course if everything that I have discussed above actually happens, it will only be a matter of time before Iran is directly involved in the conflict.
Can you see how this war could spiral out of control very quickly?
But at this point there is no turning back.
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