Tel Aviv decides, Washington follows
UNLESS Donald Trump has a public humiliation fetish, there was no reason for him to speak to several journalists on Sunday to tell them that he, and not Benjamin Netanyahu, is in charge of American foreign policy in the Middle East. “I call the shots,” Trump insisted, as the fragile ceasefire teetered on the brink following Iran’s retaliatory strikes against Israel. “I call the shots,” he repeated for added emphasis. “I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots.”
Mere hours after Trump’s declarations, the Israelis mopped the floor with the American president — as they have done for several decades — and launched a series of strikes across several Iranian provinces. It was as clear an indication as any that Tel Aviv, and not Washington, is calling the shots, no matter what pronouncements the White House incumbent makes.
Unlike the last couple of times when the Americans were in pseudo talks with Iran, in the midst of which they launched coordinated strikes with the Israelis, this time, Trump has no fig leaf. His announcements were unambiguous, and Israeli defiance has exposed his bravado.
The Israeli attack on Beirut earlier in the day further exposed the fact that the ceasefire holds only as long as the Israelis want it to. The day they decide to restart the next round of all-out war against Iran, they will do so with or without American approval. Tel Aviv decides. Washington follows.
This dynamic is not new. The Israelis have never wanted peace. They have only ever caused wars in the region since their “founding,” and they certainly are not changing their spots now. The next phase in this unprovoked, illegal war on Iran has been inevitable ever since the start of the ceasefire in April, and it appears to have moved another step closer to the brink.
I had written on Sunday that Iran’s move beyond the “unity of the fronts” rhetoric to acting on that promise “would reassure Ansarallah when it coordinates with Iran in the blockade of the Bab al-Mandab strait in the Red Sea in the inevitable next phase of the war.” That prediction came to fruition within hours.
Ansarallah, which immediately joined the war against Israel in support of the Palestinian resistance in 2023, had sat out the Ramadan War for nearly a month before launching attacks on the genocidal Jewish state. In this round, however, Ansarallah fired missiles at Israel within hours of the conflagration and declared that it would block the Red Sea for Israel again.
In announcing the Yemeni attack, Yahya Saree, the spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces, made a series of declarations on the Yemeni army’s Telegram channel:
First: We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our Armed Forces from the moment this statement is issued.
Second: We affirm that we will respond to escalation with escalation, and our military operations will intensify in accordance with the field developments, the battle, and in conjunction with the axis of Jihad and resistance.
Third: We affirm the right of our people and the peoples of our free nation to confront the American-Israeli aggression.
Emphasising the “unity of the fronts,” Saree said that the Yemeni forces have joined the war against the Jewish state in support of the resistance factions across the region.
We will not stand idly by in the face of the unjust siege imposed on our people and the peoples of the axis of jihad and resistance in Palestine, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq. All the enemy’s attempts will fail, Allah willing, and our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege against us and the axis of jihad and resistance persist.
Yemen occupies a strategically important position along the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. While Iran has restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, any renewed disruption at Bab al-Mandab would deepen the fuel crisis and send further shockwaves through global energy markets. During its previous blockade of vessels linked to Israel in support of Gaza, Ansarallah demonstrated its ability to exert significant control over these waters.
While the Red Sea blockade exclusively targets Israel for now, Ansarallah may tighten its chokehold on all shipping in the event of further escalation.
Palestinian Factions Laud Intervention
Hamas, in a statement, lauded the Iranian and Yemeni intervention as the Israelis continued to slaughter civilians by the dozens every day in Gaza and Lebanon.
The leading Palestinian resistance faction said that the Israelis remain incapable of peace and that it is important for Muslim nations to unite to fight the Israeli scourge ravaging their lands.
The occupation has proven, through its continuous aggression against Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, and through its treachery and repeated reneging on its commitments and violation of agreements it signs, that it is an entity that respects no covenant and adheres to no understanding. It continues its violations and breaches of all international agreements and obligations, confirming that its aggressive policies represent a permanent threat to the security and stability of the region.
The Zionist aggression against Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran does not target these parties alone but constitutes an assault on the entire nation and its capabilities. This compels all components of the nation to stand as one rank in the face of these continuous attacks, and to strengthen all forms of solidarity and support to contribute to deterring the occupation and curbing its escalating aggression.
Iran has announced the cessation of its retaliatory strikes. Israel has also declared its intention to cease attacking Iran (it has, however, continued its barbaric assault on southern Lebanon). This posture is unlikely to hold for long. — Palestine Will Be Free
