Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer: Law enforcement agencies in New York have informed me of bomb threats targeting several of my offices.
IOF storm Al-Ahli Hospital, vicinity of Al-Mizan Hospital, and Mohammed Ali Al-Muhtaseb Hospital in al-Khalil.
Iraqi sources told Al Mayadeen that reports that Barrack conveyed warnings to Iraq about an Israeli strike if any Iraqi party supports Hezbollah are false.
Pope Leo XIV: Peacemakers do not flee, but dare to stay even if it costs them some sacrifice.
The Pope to the Lebanese: You are a diverse country and a community made up of communities united by one language, the language of hope, which has allowed you to start anew.
Pope Leo XIV to the Lebanese: You are a people who do not give up, but a people who persevere in the face of difficulties and know how to be reborn.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: Israeli occupation targets bulldozer working to remove rubble of destroyed home in Shebaa.
IRGC sources tell Al Mayadeen that reports of Iranian missile strikes on northern Iraq are false, calling them rumors spread by enemy-linked media.
Trump: Venezuela airspace should be considered 'closed in its entirety'
AFP: Ukraine behind attack on Russian 'shadow fleet' tankers in Black Sea

Vulnerabilities of sprawling US presence in ME are 'glaringly obvious'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: CNN
  • 21 Oct 2023 18:35
  • 2 Shares
5 Min Read

Ben Wedeman writes that the US military presence in the Middle East when paired with Iran's combat capability could mean that the war on Gaza could evolve into a "regional cataclysm".

  • x
  • US 'dangerously close' to war in Middle East: CNN
    US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in "Tel Aviv" on October 18, 2023. (AP)

According to a CNN analysis by Ben Wedeman, recent attacks on the United States military presence in the Middle East indicate that Washington could be dragged into the war on Gaza.

According to CNN, the US warship, USS Carney, an Arleigh-Burke, intercepted four cruise missiles and 15 drones over nine hours as they were heading north along the Red Sea on Saturday.

Meanwhile, two attacks against US military presence in Iraq took place on Friday, US and Iraqi security sources informed on the matter told AFP.

Sources told Al Mayadeen that two US occupation military bases in Syria were targeted early Thursday.

Biden landed in "Tel Aviv" on Wednesday, at the head of an envoy of diplomats, declaring his support for "Israel" against the Palestinian Resistance.

During a meeting with Netanyahu, Biden played along to the Israeli narrative of the massacre in al-Ahli Baptist Hospital accusing the Palestinian Resistance of the massacre.

On Friday, Biden claimed both Hamas and Russia were out to "annihilate democracies", in a speech from the Oval Office where he dubbed the assistance to Ukraine and "Israel" as a vital US interest.

While the US continues to offer aid to "Israel', along with stationing aircraft carriers nearby for "support", Wedeman believes that this could mean a direct involvement in a war.

More importantly, Wedeman notes that whereas in past wars like the invasion of Iraq, the US now is being forced to respond to "events largely out of its control" and does not have the luxury of deciding the "time, place, and scale of attack."

He emphasizes that this exposes the US presence as extremely vulnerable, like in Syria and Iraq.

And in this dangerous terrain, according to the author, the vulnerabilities of the sprawling American military presence across the Middle East are glaringly obvious.

Iran; a real threat

Wedeman expresses that Iran, in particular, has managed to successfully develop "sophisticated weaponry" and gain valuable experience in Syria and Iraq.
 
After the US assassinated IRGC Commander Qassem Soleimani, Tehran fired numerous rockets at US bases in Iraq, warning that the deployment of Iranian troops across the region is far less expensive than the deployment of US troops overseas.

In addition, the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has warned on numerous occasions that new fronts will not be ruled out if "Israel" continues its aggression on Gaza.

Wedeman further notes that the entire Middle East is seething with anger against not only "Israel" but also its "most generous backer," the US.

After the tragic bombing at Gaza's al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, Jordan's King Abdullah, Washington's most cooperative Arab ally, canceled a planned conference with Biden that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas were also scheduled to attend. 

The Israeli aggression led to the martyrdom of 44 medical personnel and the injury of 70 others and put four hospitals and 14 primary care centers out of service, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Ashraf al-Qudra

Wedeman also remarks when considering Hezbollah's daily targeting of Israeli army positions, and Hamas and Islamic Jihad's continuous targeting of "Israel," the decades-old "quarrel with the Palestinians" has the real capability to evolve into a "regional cataclysm" that the US will be right in between.

US warns 'Israel' to avoid escalation with Hezbollah

US and Israeli officials relay that US President Joe Biden and his top aides have been cornering "Israel" to refrain from executing a major strike against the Lebanese Resistance, Hezbollah, that could draw it into the war.

The warning comes amid concern that members of the Israeli war cabinet want to challenge Hezbollah after the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on October 7, since US officials see that "Israel" cannot handle a two-front war, which would potentially bring in both the United States and Iran.

This would potentially become inevitable if the US and "Israel" carry out a ground invasion in Gaza. 

Biden replied: "Not true" when asked about a report that his aides have told Israeli occupation officials that if Hezbollah starts a war against "Israel", the US military will join the confrontation.

The effort by top US officials to stop an Israeli attack on Hezbollah is reported in detail here for the first time, highlighting the US' fear over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision-making as both entities strive to present a united front.

trump: "Hezbollah's very smart. They're all very smart."

President Biden: "Our nation’s support for Israel is resolute and unwavering. And the right time to praise the terrorists who seek to destroy them is never."#bbtvi#Israel #อิสราเอล #غزة_تحت_القصف #Debate2023… pic.twitter.com/I1fdH3r7Vj

— Rashid Raheem (@rashidraheem531) October 12, 2023

  • United States
  • aircraft carrier
  • Palestine
  • Israel
  • yeme
  • middle

Most Read

13 elite Israeli troops were wounded in a confrontations in Beit Jinn, Syria.

13 elite Israeli troops wounded in confrontations in southern Syria

  • West Asia
  • 28 Nov 2025
Russia and China are not part of the Resistance Front, but they are playing an important role in building structures to bypass US power and thus facilitate a multipolar and freer world. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

The Resistance Front and BRICS

  • Opinion
  • 29 Nov 2025
Four killed, ten wounded in targeted California shooting in Stockton

Four killed, 10 wounded in 'targeted' California shooting

  • US & Canada
  • 30 Nov 2025
Point-blank killings: 'Israel' executes 2 Palestinian youths in Jenin

Graphic footage: IOF execute 2 Palestinians from point blank in Jenin

  • Politics
  • 27 Nov 2025

Coverage

All
In Five

Read Next

All
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack speaks during the Concordia Annual Summit in New York, Wednesday, September 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iraqi sources deny US warning of Israeli attack on Lebanon: Exclusive

People walk through a street in the old city of Homs, Syria, Friday, November 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US cautions Israeli occupation against escalation in Syria

Members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrive at the site where Hamas militants are searching for the remains of captives in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, December 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Gaza death toll surpasses 70,000 as victims remain under rubble

Pope Leo XIV meets the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch John X Yazigi, left, and spiritual leader of Lebanon's Druze community Sheikh Sami Abi al-Mona in the Martyrs' Square, in Beirut, Monday, December 1, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Pope Leo XIV calls for unity, coexistence during Lebanon visit

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS