Will the War in Gaza Ignite the Middle East?..Israel and Iran On a Collision Course

Do you really think that only the "other" side uses propaganda / disinformation to sway public opinion in their favor?

To our severe detriment, Americans have been saturated with Western media's pro Israel bias for decades. (1)

It is just my opinion that it is especially helpful to spend time in the region, meet its people, learn its history and try to keep an objective view in order to get an accurate grasp of regional realities.

Thanks,


(1) “Studies continually show strong pro-Israel bias in western media”

http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/studies-continually-show-strong-pro-israel-bias-western-media-881718416

EXCERPT “Mainstream western media outlets are, by and large, infused with a pro-Israeli ideological bias that colors nearly all mainstream Western reporting on Israel-Palestine.

Israel is assumed to be good, peaceful, and like ‘us’. The Palestinians, meanwhile, are backwards, violent, and foreign. These are the assumptions that most western news outlets start with, and questions like Tapper’s follow naturally. One can easily imagine the media uproar if it were Hamas that struck a disabled center with a rocket, or killed 18 members of the same family, or four kids on a beach.

Studies show that when Israel does commit atrocities, they are often justified by western news outlets, and sometimes altogether suppressed. As journalist Amena Saleem reported last August, BBC News instructed its reporters to positively spin stories about Israeli violence in Gaza during a November 2012 operation that killed about 200 Palestinians after Israel broke a ceasefire with Hamas.”CONTINUED

 

I really think you are missing the plot, or you are deliberately trying to miss it. The reason that Iran is funding these groups is because each one is a benefit to Iran, in that they share similar foreign policy goals. Hamas of course is interested in fighting Israel and probably little else of Iran's agenda, but that is worthy of support. These are not allies, which is what I think the article gets wrong. Allies presumes independent actors coming together for similar goals. Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis are groups that are financially dependent on Iran to carry out their interlocking agendas. There are a lot of other terrorist groups (or just groups you might say) that Iran is not funding because they provide no benefit to Iran's perceived larger goals.

 

Who ever suggested Iran is supporting them for any other reason than to advance its agenda? In fact, because Iran's support is important to advance Iran's own agenda, these groups enjoy even more (not less) independence. They know Iran's assistance isn't some charity that Iran would be willing to turn down if they happened to have some tactical disagreements with Iran. And Iran takes no interest in how they manage many issues not pivotal to the main reasons Iran supports them in the first place. Even if you hire someone in your business, if they know your business would sink if they leave, they won't be listening to you as much as you like.

 

I have never said that nor do I believe that. I said his propaganda is weak. Apparently you disagree.

 

Lets try these description for some of America's relationships:
Israel: America's Pivotal Partner
Saudi Arabia: United Against Iran
Ukraine: Strategic Ally Against Russia

I think it works. But when you are in the mood to irritate them, and engage in propaganda, I assume you can call them America's "proxies" too.

 

OK, so as I said, the Houthis are proxies of Iran.

 

We aren't going to commit to an ongoing war in that region and that makes our threats a bit hollow. I remember the Marine barracks bombing and the reaction to it. Reagan packed up and got the hell out of there. I was disappointed at the time but he got it right. That region is total all in or don't f*** with it. Biden is in a pickle with no good options.

 

Sooner or later . . .



1st U.S. deaths after months of strikes across Mideast

 

It was inevitable that the 30,000 deaths inflicted on the Gaza population by the USA backed Israeli state was going to bring in regional militias to the conflict.

 

There will be a price.


Deadly attack on U.S. troops opens perilous new phase in Mideast

 

Will we finally step it up and take control of the situation, I wonder? I'm kind of shocked that this type of attack succeeded against our forces and managed to kill and wound so many.

Our enemies want us out of the region. What will we do?

 

I doubt we could control the situation through anything short of a full commitment to war, and I think that's not in the cards. What we do is stand by our allies and make sure those who attack us pay a high price.

 

Do we finally take it to Iran?

 

Perhaps some targeted strikes, but a full scale war with Iran would require full mobilization.

 

You and the retired colonel here seem to be on the same page.

 

Those in the US who are advocating attacks on Iran or clearly identifiable Iranian assets in response to the drone attack on a US base in Jordan can be divided into the following categories:

1. Pro-War: those who actually would like to see a war between Iran and the US. These are primarily those allied specifically with Netanyahu and certain (usually ignorant or clueless figures) within the neocon camp in the United States and their base.
2. Pro-Implosion: those who believe Iran is too weakened internally to be willing to risk an actual war, pushing for actions that in their minds Iran will not respond to but which will further erode the authority of the regime and further pave the implosion in Iran they have been craving. They are the panoply that represent the pro Israel lobby in cahoots with Iranian "dissidents".
   
3. Pro-Deterrence: those who believe US deterrence has been eroded and needs to be established by going up the ladder of escalation to help establish deterrence dominance for the United States. They want a response sufficient to reestablish deterrence without leading to either war or a situation that carries a substantial risk of war. Differences between them are differences in analysis. These are primarily US military and national security officials and experts who do not necessarily belong to #1 and #2 above but operate within the mindset that has formed in recent years by those groups.

In this mix, you also have a large number of political figures and Americans whose primary focus is the implications of various types of potential US reprisals on the dynamics of the Biden-Trump, Democratic-Republican contests in America.

I think Biden will up the ante somewhat. He will probably order large scale attacks on both certain Iraqi militias with perceived ties to Iran and also go after some specifically Iranian target such as one of Iran's ships in the Red Sea.

 

I didn't mean to imply that you felt that only the "other" side used propaganda. It was just a question.

I was only in Iran briefly but based on what I have read, seen and experienced, what @Iranian Monitor writes is reasonable, rational and well supported.

When one has been conditioned over decades to believe Western propaganda / bias, it's difficult to accept an alternative viewpoint unless you've spent time in the region and listened to its residents.

Finally, I try to remain objective, listen to both sides of the issue and support what I write. I do not claim to be omniscient but have had the benefit of meeting the people vilified by pro Israel Western media and do not accept that they are the sole villains in an East vs West conflict.

Thanks,

 

The death toll in Gaza is easily twice the figure you cited because of the rotting bodies buried under tons of rubble and by the time you add deaths due to disease, starvation, exposure and lack of medical care, the death toll from Netanyahu's genocide is even higher.

Over 90% of Gaza's residents are homeless and exposed to winter's cold and rainy weather. Can you imagine the front page Western media outrage and rally to support Israelis if 90% of them were suddenly rendered homeless.

Why should we expect the world's Muslims, including Iran, to be any less outraged and violently opposed to Netanyahu's genocidal land grab?

Thanks,

 

Isn't this what Hamas wanted?

Makes the outrage mockable, when all this was planned.

 

Yes hamas are mind readers and can fire Lazer beams from their butts

 

US troops killed: America will ‘launch attacks’ to ‘shock Iran’ | Michael Clarke

 

As far as Iran is concerned, I remember the wise words of Prince Talleyrand: "Do not attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity."

 

The Mullahs are sweating now:

Iran denies involvement in deadly attack on US base, ministry says
"The groups in the region do not take orders from Iran," an official said.
By Somayeh Malekian and Kevin Shalvey
January 29, 2024, 4:37 AM

The Iranian Foreign Ministry denied on Monday that the country was behind an attack that killed three American service members at a U.S. base in Jordan on Sunday.

Thirty-four American service members were also injured in the drone attack near the Syrian border, according to U.S. officials.

The U.S. was collecting information on Sunday, but officials "know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq," President Joe Biden said Sunday.

... https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ly-attack-us-base-ministry/story?id=106755596​

 

I suggest you try to be objective. Like almost every human on the planet, I oppose terrorism vehemently. That you support it is your problem.

 

Iran has stated the facts I had alluded to already. It doesn't sound like "sweating" to me. Just the standard response.