The US-planned proxy naval and ground war against Iran, combined with the martyrdom of Hamas deputy political bureau chief Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon, will make the Israeli aggression against the Gazan population a regional threat.

Washington and "Tel Aviv" are working together to escalate the conflict in Gaza, and even Israeli supporters realized that the consequences of the Israeli strike in Lebanon—which claimed the life of a senior Hamas leader—will be far-reaching.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday that the US was unaware of the horrific incident in Lebanon that directly targeted the Hamas activists, a move that may be seen as part of the US deceiving tactics. He revealed, at a news conference, that the US had not provided any prior notification before executing the drone strike that killed Hamas' commander. When asked if there had been any previous information, Miller became irate, claiming that the US had not been informed about the strike that killed al-Arouri.

Following Miller's news conference last week, US defense officials were cited by the media as claiming that the drone hit that killed Hamas deputy head in the southern suburbs of Beirut was executed by Israeli occupation troops. The official, who wished to remain anonymous, declared it to be an Israeli strike.

Even the French President, Emmanuel Macron, asked the Israelis to use caution and refrain from escalating the situation further, particularly in Lebanon. He voiced alarm over the recent Israeli strike that martyred Hamas Deputy Chief Saleh al-Arouri. Speaking over the phone with Israeli military cabinet member Benny Gantz, Macron stressed the need to avoid taking any steps that would heighten tensions, particularly in Lebanon. The president of France promised that, whether directly or indirectly, France will keep communicating these sentiments to all parties engaged in the region.

US, "Israel" wargame 

The US in support of "Israel" has unleashed a wide range of proxy wars against Iran and its allies in the West Asian region, particularly in Lebanon and Yemen where "Israel" is going to face tough resistance against its aggression in Gaza. Yemen has been threatened by the US and the UK to permit safe passage across the Red Sea or "face the consequences."

The martyrdom of Hamas deputy political bureau chief Saleh al-Arouri in Lebanon and subsequent bomb expositions in Iran point to a pre-planned strategy of Washington and "Tel Aviv" to make the Gaza war a regional conflict.

According to the Iranian media, on the eve of the martyrdom anniversary of renowned military commander Qassem Soleimani, two remotely detonated explosives in the Kerman province of Iran last week caused dozens of fatalities and numerous injuries. The two explosions caused massive destruction during a ceremony close to Soleimani's grave in Kerman, his home province. Hundreds of people gathered to pay homage to Soleimani who was killed by a US drone strike on Baghdad's airport road In 2020. ISIS later claimed responsibility but Iran did not buy the ISIS statement, claiming that the Zionist spy agency was behind the terrorist attack.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency published some new information regarding the alleged “ISIS” terrorist attack in Kerman. It says that the ISIS statement to claim the attack was issued under the guidance of the Zionists because this terror outfit has never used the word "Iran" in their statements; they always call Iran "Persian Province" or "Khorasan Province.".

Secondly, it is noteworthy that there is no history of ISIS releasing images of its terrorist operatives with a censored face, and it never delays taking responsibility for its operations by 30 hours. Instead, they prepare pictures of the pledge of allegiance and the declaration of responsibility before each operation and publish them immediately after the execution of the operation.

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Essentially, ISIS's method for conducting operations involves initial threats, followed by fatwas, and then the execution of operations accompanied by the release of responsibility statements. However, in this operation, a terrorist act took place first, and then there were delayed fatwas, threats, and the delayed release of a responsibility statement.

The news agency claimed that the ISIS statement claiming responsibility is markedly different from ISIS's usual literature, indicating that the statement's author was by no means associated with ISIS. It went on to add that the statement that ISIS released belatedly in accepting responsibility for the terrorist attack in Kerman was orchestrated by the Zionist regime's intelligence service. ISIS merely took charge of disseminating it through its official media channels."

To further pressure Tehran, Washington has launched an extensive naval operation across the Greater Middle East, spanning from Crete in the Eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea, Bab el Mandeb, Gulf of Aden, and Gulf of Oman. This display has the potential to shake things up on a grand scale, intending to reshape the geopolitical landscape and reignite old rivalries in the Gulf region.

Blinken off to the Israelis/ Middle East

In the backdrop of growing International condemnation of "Israel's" military activities in Gaza, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has started an emergency visit to "Israel" in response to the terrorist attack in Iran that killed a score of citizens and the drone strike that killed six people in a southern suburb of Beirut, including the leader of the Palestinian Resistance, Saleh al-Arouri. Blinken arrived in Turkey on Friday to begin his tour of the region.

At a time when the situation in Gaza points to a wider war, Washington seeks a resolution to the conflict before it goes out of control. The US Secretary of State's fourth trip to the Middle East in as many months is primarily focused on allaying concerns that the Israeli atrocities in Gaza may spark a larger regional confrontation.

Keeping in view the latest developments in the region, the focus of discussions will certainly be on de-escalating tension in the region. Washington tries to exert more control over the progressively unstable and stressful circumstances over there.

Considering the recent events in Iran and Lebanon, some think Blinken has a challenging agenda. It is anticipated that the main goal of the visit will be to allay concerns that the Israeli war on Gaza will escalate into a larger regional confrontation. However, Blinken is given a mission that gets harder and harder. The US is becoming increasingly concerned about a potential endgame as a result of recent attacks in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and Kuwait.

Why did Israelis target Al-Arouri?

Before his martyrdom, Al-Arouri, in an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, confidently foretold that if Palestinians were to engage in a full-scale confrontation, "Israel" would suffer a historic and unparalleled defeat. This prediction was made just a few months before his martyrdom.

Al-Arouri referred to the strong commitment expressed by Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his interview. Nasrallah had delivered a powerful speech tackling the liberation of Al-Jalil, claiming that it was clear that any attack on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Quds would not go unanswered and could potentially escalate into a regional conflict.

“We are gearing up for a major battle, and we are in deep discussions with all the key players about the potential outcomes of this conflict." He predicted that "Israel" would face a resounding defeat in a full-scale war. “It is clear that traditional wars have transformed, as exemplified by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” he added.

The timing of the Tuesday drone strike against a Hamas leader in Beirut caught everyone off guard. Saleh al-Arouri has long been a target for Israel due to his prominent role within Hamas and his command over operations in the occupied West Bank.

Why did "Israel" decide to eliminate Arouri at this particular time, even though they have not publicly acknowledged their involvement? Is it possible to consider targeted assassinations as a potential alternative to the ongoing full-scale conflict that "Israel" has been engaging in within the Gaza Strip? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration have already declared following Operation Al Aqsa Flood on October 7 to eliminate the Hamas leadership, who have been in control of the Gaza Strip since 2007.

According to Western media, al-Arouri was not accused of organizing or carrying out the attack by Hamas resistance fighters on October 7. Nonetheless, he was spotted in Qatar that same day praying on their knees in celebration of the attack alongside Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas. The pro-Israeli media views al-Arouri's demise as a "small part" of "Israel's" retaliation for October 7, but who knows who is going to pay back what the US and "Israel" collusion did or are doing in Gaza and elsewhere in the region?