America and Iran step closer to the brink of war
“axis of resistance" and Israel and America engage in ever more dangerous strikes on each other, including assassinations. Iranian allies in Iraq and Syria have launched about 140 rocket and drone attacks against American troops since the start of the Gaza war. Perhaps the most severe came on January 20th, with a volley of “multiple ballistic missiles and rockets" fired at the Al Asad base in western Iraq, according to America’s Central Command.
Reports say Patriot air-defence batteries intercepted most of them, but some hit the base, concussing or otherwise wounding an unknown number of Americans and Iraqis. Hitherto America has retaliated against local proxies. Mr Biden will now face growing pressure to take stronger action against Iran itself.
It is a dilemma: do nothing and America looks weak; retaliate and the president risks a new war in an election year. In Yemen, meanwhile, America launched its seventh raid on a different Iranian ally, the Houthi militia that runs much of the country, in an attempt to stem its missile shots at ships passing the Bab al-Mandab strait. The Houthis claim to be acting in support of Palestinians, against ships sailing to Israel or Western warships.
But their targeting is haphazard, despite reports that it is receiving help from members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the clerical regime’s praetorian guard, to identify ships and operate weapons. Mr Biden himself admits that America’s strikes will not stop the Houthis. Yet the Washington Post reports that the Biden administration is drafting plans for a “sustained military campaign" in Yemen despite the misgivings of some officials.
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