A report by Responsible Statecraft detailed on Saturday that the Biden administration continues to sideline any links between the war on Gaza and the panoply of crises that have engulfed the Middle Eastern region, including in Iraq and Syria where multiple US bases have been subjected to attacks by resistance groups. 

It also continues to deny the fact that the Yemeni resistance group  Ansarallah has initiated attacks in the Red Sea over the war on Gaza and the complicity of Israeli allies in the genocide.

Instead, the White House posits that these conflicts are all distinct from one another and happen to be emerging coincidentally, contradicting evidence indicating that US support for "Israel" in the Gaza genocide has contributed to regional instability and violence in West Asia.

This includes a recent operation carried out by Iraqi resistance forces on a US base in Jordan which resulted in the deaths of three American soldiers earlier in the week.  

As obvious as it may seem, the conflict has inevitably spread to other parts of the region, yet sidelining this fact has done more of a disservice to US interests than proactively recognizing the interconnected relations of regional conflicts.

Delusional Kirby

This position echoes statements issued by National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday, wherein he dismissed the nature of the Yemeni operations as being linked to the war on Gaza. 

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"I absolutely don’t agree with your description of the same, larger conflict. There’s a conflict going on between Israel and Hamas…and we’re going to make sure that we continue to get Israel the support that they need to defend themselves against this still viable threat," Kirby said.

"There were attacks on our troops and facilities in Iraq and Syria well before the seventh of October, certainly in the last administration as well. As for the Houthis, they can claim all they want that this is linked to Gaza, but two-thirds of the ships that they’re hitting have no connection to Israel whatsoever. So it’s just not true, it’s a falsehood."

Read more: Source: US strikes to have 'grave consequences on US forces in region'

These remarks were delivered even though resistance groups in both Iraq and Yemen have incessantly stated that their operations were tied to the war on Gaza, and the refusal to acknowledge these truths guarantees that the US will persist in pursuing ineffective and counterproductive policies, with the potential of further exacerbating regional instability. 

Political Motives

The Biden administration has strong political motives to deny connections between various conflicts, as acknowledging them could complicate justifying unconditional support for "Israel's" aggression on Gaza and undermine arguments for military action in Yemen.

To maintain public perception of lower costs for supporting the war and to distance strikes on Yemen from opposition to a Gaza ceasefire, the administration attempts to compartmentalize each conflict. However, this approach has led to escalation against the Yemeni resistance, while further jeopardizing security without achieving any tangible benefits.

Insisting on preventing a regional war while denying links with Gaza has resulted in the escalation against the Yemeni resistance, drawing the US into unnecessary conflicts. The administration risks making a similar error in responding to the drone attack in Jordan.

The US can either deepen its involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts or recognize the futility of repeating past mistakes. To avoid new conflicts, Washington must reject escalation, cease fueling the Gaza war, and consider reducing its military presence in the region.

Read more: Iraqi consensus post-attack: US causing instability in Iraq