After the invasion of Israel on the 7th of October 2023 Israel has been in a state of war. The conflict, however, is quickly forming into a struggle defined by proxy combatants like so many others in the Middle East. Iranian arms and support have been flowing into the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip for decades and their lethality and barbarity are on full display. The American state is preparing to be the arsenal for democracy on two fronts in 24 months as 100 billion of funding is winding its way through the broken House of Representatives despite the best efforts of the new Republican house leader Mike Johnson. This core tension is shaping the larger geo-political conflict, as the IDF is preparing to launch their invasion of the strip there are serious concerns from some that the violence might spread.
Iran has spent decades building a support system for militia groups all around the Middle East acting on its international policy with direct training and arms shipments at the art of many a regional conflict in the region. Many of these groups are in direct conflict with the US and an increasingly hostile relationship between the two states had led to an on-the-groundrise in violence with “tit for tat” attacks over the past several years from Iranian proxy forces on American forces and allies. Fears of a full-scale escalation however have never been higher.
The American commitment to Israel's sovereignty has been oneof the nation's longest-held security arrangements and this shows no chance of shifting soon. In its reaction to the invasion the US Navy deployed two carrier strike groups centered around the USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Dwight Eisenhower. The former had been scheduled to end its six-month deployment, but this has now been extended for an indeterminate period. Together, they have nine escorts making this the second-largest American naval concentration outside of the 6th fleet in the South China Sea and the largest in the region since 1983. Most significant of all, however, was the deployment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the area. This is the clear signal yet that any escalation on behalf of Iran or Iranian-backed groups such as Hezbollah to the north in Lebanon could be met with American troops on the ground in 24 hours. The world unfortunately can only wait to see how the Iranian security apparatus will respond.
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