Over the past few months, tension has increased throughout the Middle East; some incidents include Houthi rebels hijacking cargo ships and attacking U.S. Navy ships, an Israeli airstrike that killed a top Hezbollah commander and a bombing in Iran by ISIS.
The Israel-Hamas war continued to be very active in recent months. The staggering death toll steadily increased, and Israel had attacked many Hamas officials and began a ground invasion of Gaza. It has been over three months since the war started and still many hostages remain in Gaza, resulting in many families of the hostages calling for a deal. With this, the United States’ involvement in the conflict has increased.
“Before Oct. 7, Biden had not done anything either way, and now he is being forced to act,” Beth Vaknin, AP Gov and U.S. History teacher, said. “He’s being pushed to pressure Israel for a ceasefire. But, if the conflict expands past Israel and Gaza, the U.S. will have to [increase their involvement].”
Over the past months, there have also been numerous encounters with the Houthi Rebels, which is an Iranian backed rebel group, and the U.S. Navy. Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational military operation to respond to Houthi-led attacks, is bringing together multiple countries to address security challenges in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, according to a Jan. 11 CNN article. They have pledged to protect commerce and shipping after the Houthis hijacked many vessels. The conflict turned fatal when the United States sunk a Houthi ship, killing all of the crew members.
Unexpectedly, Israel also killed Wissam Tawil, a top Hezbollah commander, in a strike in south Lebanon on Jan. 8. Tawil played a major role in Hezbollah’s operations in attacking Israel from southern Lebanon, according to a Jan. 8 Reuters article. This was the deadliest confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah (a Lebanese terrorist organization) since 2006.
In addition, ISIS claimed responsibility for Iran’s deadliest attack since 1979. Over 100 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in Iran due to bomb blasts near Kerman on Jan. 3 according to a Jan. 5 CNN article. The United States denies involvement in the bombing, but Iran is not convinced and threatens to retaliate on the U.S. Iran and America have a hostile relationship as Iranian-backed rebels have been attacking the U.S. and cargo ships in the Red Sea.
These Middle Eastern conflicts have serious effects throughout the world, causing heightened security. Many wonder if America will draw itself into a large war.
