- Iran launched missiles after key Hezbollah deaths
- U.S. military aids Israel in defense efforts
- U.S. is a key player in the conflict
Iran launched a missile barrage at Israel yesterday in revenge for Israel’s death of Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week and of Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
United States President Joe Biden directed the US military to assist Israel in neutralizing the missiles – not that Israel does not already have multiple layers of ultra-sophisticated protection against incoming projectiles, allowing it to slaughter people left and right while suffering minimal damage in return.
During a press briefing at the White House, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that US naval destroyers had “joined Israeli air defence units in firing interceptors to shoot down inbound missiles.” Sullivan praised the Israeli military’s “professionalism,” as well as the “skilled work of the US military and meticulous joint planning in anticipation of the attack.
Of course, the Biden administration has never considered systematically thwarting Israel’s ongoing slaughter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where officially, more than 41,000 people have been dead in less than a year, even though the exact death toll is unquestionably much higher. Nor has the oh-so-skilled US military deemed it necessary to intervene in the wanton butchery currently taking place in Lebanon, where Israel has killed more than 700 people in less than one week.
And, while many foreign observers have warned that the US might now be “dragged” into a regional war, concerns that will only grow following the Iranian missile launch, the US is not being “dragged” anywhere.
Instead, the United States is in an entirely different situation. The United States is already at war.
To be sure, even before the genocide began, the US’s habit of throwing billions of money at the Israeli military on an annual basis made it involved in Israel’s efforts to eradicate Palestine. Despite Biden’s occasional squawks about cutting off Israel’s supply of select military weapons, the billions have only increased since October 7.
In August, the Biden administration approved a $20 billion weapons deal for its criminal partner in Israel. On September 26, Reuters reported Israel’s claim that “it had secured a $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a qualitative military edge in the region.
The package allegedly contained “$3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement… and $5.2 billion designated for air defence systems including the Iron Dome anti-missile system, David’s Sling and an advanced laser system.
In other words, Israel will become increasingly prepared to “defend” itself against justified responses to its activities, which qualify as terrorism.
Finally, it is hardly rocket science: the US’s persistent financial and military backing for Israel does not indicate that the country is being “dragged” into a fight. It denotes a country that is effectively an active belligerent in the conflict.
In April, the United States provided military assistance to Israel after Iran deployed hundreds of drones and missiles in reaction to a devastating Israeli raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. Iran was also widely seen as the terrorist aggressor on this occasion, even though its actions were reactive.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that the US has for decades done an excellent job of “dragging” itself into regional conflict – the 2003 US destruction of Iraq comes to mind – thus, it should come as no surprise that the USA is once again at the forefront of mass death. From American drone assaults on weddings in Yemen to rushed bomb shipments to the Israeli military in 2006 to aid in the destruction of Lebanon, it appears that the United States has never met a Middle Eastern crisis that it did not enjoy.
And, while the Biden administration continues to say ad nauseam that it wants a ceasefire in Gaza, the path to a truce in a case of genocide does not involve handing over billions of dollars in weapons to the homicidal party.
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At Tuesday’s briefing, Sullivan warned: “There will be severe consequences for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that case.” Translation: The US will continue to do its bit to exacerbate regional devastation in tandem with Israel, resulting in more, hmm, “consequences”.
Sullivan also stated that this was a “fog of war” situation in which he reserved the right to “amend and adjust as necessary” his initial evaluation.
But, despite the murk of the latest battle, one thing is clear: the United States is already a principal belligerent.
