The Biden administration is facing a “unique moment” because “Russia’s aggressive stance in Europe and China’s attempt for regional hegemony in the Pacific Ocean have overshadowed familiar threats such as threats from Iran and its accomplices or even threats related to terrorism.” According to the analysis of Karon Demirjian, journalist and analyst, defense specialist at the Washington Post.
As the US administration seeks to reset its priorities, key allies in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, are impatient, acutely aware that Washington’s attention and war capital are diverted, the analysis says. .
The analysis quoted Rafael Cohen, a researcher of military strategy and doctrine at the Rand Corporation, as saying: “The biggest question that American policymakers will have to grapple with is what US allies in the region will look for. Ways to deter Iran, if they don’t, they think America will deter Iran.
A flurry of maneuvers by Russia and Iran against US interests in the Middle East has forced the new head of US Middle East operations, Michael Eric Korella, to “make an initial calculation of how to re-establish deterrence without triggering a wider conflict, a perennial problem.” which has taken on new urgency amid global instability sparked by Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
According to this newspaper, this general, who took over the responsibility of the US Central Command this spring, met with dozens of soldiers, special operations forces and foreign trainees stationed at the extensive al-Tanf base in eastern Syria in late June, numbering about 300 people. did
The meeting came just days after Russian warplanes attacked a fighting position manned by Syrian opposition fighters inside the base.
According to a US military official, Russian military officials told the Americans of their intention 35 minutes before the attack, citing an alleged car bomb they claim hit Syrian government forces.
No U.S. personnel were injured in the Russian attack on al-Tanf, but that was of little consolation to Korilla, who described the incident as part of a broader effort by U.S. adversaries to dominate the region while betting that the U.S. would not respond. gave.”
“They will push us to what they think will be our borders and then reestablish our red lines,” he added.
June saw several instances of what US military officials described as “provocative”, “escalating” or “unsafe and unprofessional” actions by Russia and Iran.
In addition to the attack on al-Tanf, US officials said they had documented the intervention of Russian aircraft threatening US military aircraft over Syria through maneuvers that did not adhere to long-established protocols for de-confliction, rather than simply warning any of them. they give. Among other planned operations that could endanger the personnel or interests of either country, the newspaper reported.
Poor relations with Russia have escalated with provocative actions by Iran and its proxies, including a near-surprise incident at sea when speedboats operated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards infiltrated and approached one of the American ships in the Persian Gulf. coincided .
In al-Tanf, Iran attacked with drones last October and there are still signs of this attack.
Officials say the U.S. military has enough firepower at the base to repel any attack, as there are armored vehicles and two high-mobility artillery missile systems to attack anything that violates the demilitarized zone around the base.
But the paper says that most of the time, as with US assets elsewhere in the region, these weapons remain unused because the risks of a forceful response are too great.
William Wechsler, director of Middle East programs at the Atlantic Council and a former Pentagon official, said: “Iran routinely tries to determine where American red lines might be, and goes beyond them.”
He added that they are “trying to create a set of acceptable behaviors that benefit them, and we have largely adopted these destructive standards of behavior in several governments.”
Experts say the drawdown of US forces in the Middle East after decades of war in Afghanistan and Iraq has created opportunities for adversaries to “show they are a force to be reckoned with”.
“There is nothing that President Biden takes more seriously than the security of American personnel stationed abroad,” said the newspaper, citing a spokesman for the US National Security Council, who did not reveal his identity.
He added that after taking office, the Biden government acted quickly to prevent the attacks of Iran-backed groups, and in addition to diplomatic measures, it also used various tools, including military attacks.
“Any response will not be visible or visible, but Iran is fully aware that the United States is ready to respond directly to any threat against American personnel,” the State Department spokesman added.
Source: Lebanon Debate
