US Neocons 'Slow-Walking Into War' Amid Palestine-Israel Conflict

As Islamic resistance continues to grow amid the ongoing bombardment and siege of Gaza by Tel Aviv, and especially if the Israeli military proceeds with a ground assault on the enclave, the world could witness a regional escalation “the likes of which we haven't seen in quite a long time,” Christopher Helali, an independent investigative journalist, told Sputnik.

Furthermore, as hawkish politicians in the US sign off on covert attempts to use the latest Palestine-Israel conflagration to “put the squeeze on Iran”, the pundit added, this further “raises the specter” that Tehran, for Israel – a US non-NATO ally – “remains the main target, even though they talk about Hamas.”

Chris Helali pointed to the recent Israeli incursion, using tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other military vehicles, into northern Gaza as signaling that there are preparations for a larger ground assault. Taking stock of the spiraling death toll in Gaza, pounded by Israeli retaliatory strikes since Hamas' surprise attack earlier in October, the analyst said:

“I think that the longer this goes on, the more Palestinians are arrested, killed, and wounded, and the more families are affected by this, I think we could definitely see an escalation in the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem.”

The Israeli military, which has so far held off from a much-touted ground offensive on Gaza, recently said it had conducted a raid with tanks into the northern part of the enclave in preparation for the next stage of fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed that a ground incursion was coming, reiterating that the goal is to destroy Hamas' military and governance capabilities. Chris Helali mentioned Netanyahu's speech, which echoed the rhetoric of other Israeli officials, trying to liken Hamas to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda* and Daesh** to justify the pummeling that Gaza was receiving. Emphasizing that Israel was doing so to try to “rebuild the international coalition that helped to defeat the Islamic State in Syria, in Iraq and elsewhere,” the analyst nevertheless voiced the opinion that Tel Aviv would need to “tread very carefully, given all the destruction they've brought.”

“It looks like Armageddon,” Chris Helali said, referring to the current situation in Gaza.

According to the Gazan Health Ministry, more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip and more than 18,000 wounded. Weighing in on attempts to discredit the information coming out of Gaza regarding the death toll, the pundit slammed them as "reprehensible."

President Joe Biden, who rushed to dramatically beef up the US presence in the Middle East after the situation escalated by sending two carrier strike groups along with thousands of Marines and more warplanes to the region, responded to a reporter’s question about the Palestinian death count, saying that at the White House: "What they say to me is I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed... I have no confidence in the number that the Palestinians are using."

“How reprehensible it is that the ppresident would say something like this, and that many so-called independent media personalities and mainstream media outlets are toeing this line, that somehow these numbers are inflated. This is as reprehensible as when people deny the numbers of the Holocaust… the fact that somehow one Israeli life is worth more than a Palestinian life - an ongoing theme that we've seen throughout the decades – is horrific for me… It shows this double standard, this level of hypocrisy," Helali said.

“Anyone with eyes can look at what the Israelis have done to Gaza. They have flattened it... Hospitals are blown up, churches… I mean, the idea that they're lying about these deaths, when you can see it very clearly with your own eyes, it's the height of cynicism,” agreed Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. The hypocrisy is “astonishing,” he said, adding:

“This is always astonishing in every administration. But this one, I think, should get a gold star for its most hypocritical reasoning in history.”

World

Reports of Flooding Hamas Tunnels With Nerve Gas or Water Bogus - Israeli Expert

26 October 2023, 13:13 GMT

Fears of 'Wider War'

Weighing in on warnings that Lebanon's Hezbollah is threatening to open a full-blown second front if Tel Aviv proceeds with its announced ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Chris Helali noted that “nobody knows the full extent of the US military operations in areas like Lebanon,” where American forces have been "playing a role on the ground with foreign militaries in operations against the various groups.”

The pundit was referencing a US media report that surfaced earlier this week, speculating on how the United States has spent decades pouring billions of dollars in security assistance into Lebanon and conducting counterterrorism efforts there against Hezbollah, which it has long designated as a terrorist organization. Furthermore, citing recent missile and drone attacks on US forces at bases in the Middle East, such as in Iraq and Syria, the report warned that the US could find itself embroiled in a "wider war in the Middle East."

Indeed, since October 18, Kataib Hezbollah has repeatedly claimed credit for drone attacks on the Ain al-Assad and Al-Harir US military bases in Iraq, as well as the US Al-Tanf and Conoco bases in Syria. The movement’s spokesperson, Jaafar al-Husseini, stated that the attacks were conducted because “The Americans are essential partners in killing the Gaza Strip residences, and therefore, they must bear the consequences.” Earlier, a Russian military analyst, Rustem Klupov, told Sputnik that whether or not Hezbollah enters the current conflagration largely depends on Iran. To date, Tehran has not confirmed whether the Islamic Republic sponsors the organization. Furthermore, from the moment when Hamas launched its attack on October 7, the Islamic Republic has rejected allegations that it played a role in it as baseless.

“You've seen many, many Israeli politicians now making the link to Iran. So the fact that US forces are in Lebanon attacking an 'Iranian proxy' as Hezbollah is oftentimes labeled… shows the level by which we are on the cusp of a regional escalation,” Chris Helali said.

Analysis

Netanyahu Dragging US Into War With Iran to Save His Political Career - Security Expert

26 October 2023, 15:01 GMT

At this point, the analyst reiterated that Washington’s “architecture of domination, and control, and operations is really making... the region less safe... because of the ongoing instability and ongoing crises that it creates around the world." As in the case of the US presence maintained in Iraq against the wishes of the Iraqi government, it is obvious that Washington seeks to have “eyes on the ground,” the analyst stressed, “watching these various groups that are, quote unquote, ‘backed by Iran,’ and to be a presence on the border with Iran. And so they have now become a tremendous liability."

Voicing his fears about the US presence in the Middle East, the pundit accentuated:

“And... it's not ultimately in our… interest in terms of the citizens of United States… but it is in the interests of those neocons and those hawkish politicians and think tank analysts who really want to see the United States continue to remain the main player in the Middle East, and not to cede that ground to Russia and China, who, by the way, are playing a much more active role.”

World

Israeli-Hamas Conflict Turns Into 'Perfect Storm' for Ukraine

17 October 2023, 16:15 GMT

'Slow-Walking Us Into War'

There are currently some “very implicit calls for US military involvement in the region,” executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, Daniel McAdams, told Sputnik, adding that “this is how they sort of slow-walk us into a war.”

The pundit made reference to Mike Johnson’s first act as US House speaker – a resolution reaffirming US support for Israel and condemning Hamas.

“Yeah, it's a little bit ironic because as he was accepting the gavel… the first thing he says is that we've got to help rein in federal spending and bring down inflation. And almost his next sentence was ‘The first bill I'm going to bring to the floor will be support of Israel.’ So it just shows… the disconnect in Washington. The bill starts out saying Israel has the right to defend itself, but… when you get down to the meat of the bill, it talks about sanctions on Iran. And sanctions are an act of war,” McAdams said.

As for members of Congress, McAdams believes they are “terrified of doing anything that might be remotely perceived as not completely 1,000% pro-Israel.”

“And that's despite a recent CBS YouGov poll, I think it was last week, that showed that less than half of America is in favor of US military support for Israel. So clearly, as with Ukraine, Congress is out of touch with the American people, with the electorate,” said the pundit.

Summing up the US policy in the Middle East, McAdams stated that while the Israelis “may think that they've got this great ally in the US backstopping everything they do, but they don't realize they're playing a role, sort of like Ukraine played."

"They're the proxy for the neocons' real war, which is against Iran, which will be a regional conflagration that could go beyond anything imaginable," said Daniel McAdams.

World

Biden Inches Towards Military Disaster in Middle East

27 October 2023, 14:13 GMT

*Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization banned in Russia and many other countries.

**Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states.

US Neocons 'Slow-Walking America Into War' Amid Palestine-Israel Conflict - Analyst

Fears of 'Wider War'

'Slow-Walking Us Into War'