Don’t let the Israeli scaling down its footprint in Gaza fool you. There’s still a good chance that the Israeli invasion of Gaza could spark a wider regional war. Several IDF brigades were demobilized in the Gaza Strip, reportedly to lessen the burden on the Israeli economy and to give these troops a rest. They’re also not needed, as the northern part of the strip is under total Israeli control. The low-intensity phase appears to have begun, with Israeli military and intelligence forces conducting targeted strikes against terrorists.
We’re reportedly doing the same, conducting drone strikes on Iran-backed militia leaders in Iraq. Israel’s northern border with Lebanon is rife with Hezbollah terrorists, who have been firing rockets into the Jewish state since the outbreak of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that many more months of war lie ahead, and it could involve the deployment of US troops.
Politico has an interesting piece, though using anonymous sources, concerning a reported scramble at the Pentagon over contingency plans should all-out war break out. Talk about good timing for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to keep his hospitalization in the dark, huh?
Mr. Lloyd underwent an “elective medical procedure” toward the end of the year, which resulted in severe complications, leading to his trip to the ICU on January 1. It wouldn’t be an issue, but he didn’t inform anyone. It took three days for senior White House aides to learn of his condition. We’re planning for a potential war, and the key figure in advising and preparation was out of commission. Meanwhile, I can’t say for certain that Joe Biden even knows he has a secretary of defense at this point. Also, I see we’ve dusted off the terrorist negotiation playbook from the Obama era (via Politico):
U.S. Defense Officials and Members of the Biden Administration have reportedly begun to understand in recent weeks that Negotiations have almost Totally Failed and that a Major Regional War in the Middle East may soon be Imminent, with several “Battle Plans” and Contingencies… pic.twitter.com/YuxQltzIR6
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) January 9, 2024
Biden administration officials are drawing up plans for the U.S. to respond to what they’re increasingly concerned could expand from a war in Gaza to a wider, protracted regional conflict.
Four officials familiar with the matter, including a senior administration official, described internal conversations about scenarios that could potentially draw the U.S. into another Middle East war. All were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive, ongoing national security discussions.
The military is drafting plans to hit back at Iran-backed Houthi militants who have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the discussions. That includes striking Houthi targets in Yemen, according to one of the officials, an option the military has previously presented.
Intelligence officials, meanwhile, are coming up with ways to anticipate and fend off possible attacks on the U.S. by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria, according to one of the officials. They are also working to determine where the Houthi militants may strike next.
The U.S. has for months behind the scenes urged Tehran to persuade the proxies to scale back their attacks. But officials say they have not seen any sign that the groups have begun to decrease their targeting and worry the violence will only surge in the coming days.
It’s an escalation that could result in President Joe Biden becoming more deeply embroiled in the Middle East just as the 2024 campaign season heats up and his campaign pushes to focus on domestic issues.
[…]
Over the weekend, Houthi rebels targeted a commercial freighter, forcing U.S. Navy helicopters to target and sink three of their boats. On Tuesday, Hamas accused Israel of killing a top commander in Beirut. Dozens of people were killed Wednesday during a series of explosions at the tomb of Qassem Soleimani, the late Iranian military commander who was killed in a 2020 U.S. drone strike, in Kerman, Iran. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
Tensions in the region ratcheted up even higher on Thursday after the Biden administration launched a drone strike in Baghdad that killed the Iran-backed militia leader Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, or “Abu Taqwa,” and at least one other militant, according to two Defense Department officials.
[…]
…there are other signs the administration is worried about those threats increasing. In the aftermath of the attack in Iran on Wednesday, officials across the administration from the Pentagon to the State Department to the intelligence agencies began assessing how Iran or its proxy forces in the Middle East could directly target the U.S. or its allies in the region.
Such contingency planning is normal in states of heightened tension in the Middle East, officials said. But the scramble inside the administration to draw up reports on potential points of attacks and possible U.S. responses this week came as a result of orders from the top echelons of the administration over fears that the violence in the region will only continue to grow and that Washington will eventually have to intervene.
I’d love to be a fly on the wall for those talks with Iran: the great Infidel telling the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism to stop attacking Israel and our allies. I’m sure that went over well. We paid off these people, remember, by giving them pallets of francs and cash for hostages under Obama. Biden unfroze billions in assets that were allegedly used to train Hamas in executing their October 7 attacks against Israel.
As for preparation, do we need to answer that question? Of course, we’re not ready. Biden is half brain dead, and our defense secretary opted to keep his hospitalization a secret, saying that his chief of staff was also ill, which prevented full disclosure. Are you kidding me? And we have detailed contingency plans should all hell break loose in the Middle East, which includes how we’re going to evacuate the hundreds of thousands of Americans in Israel and Lebanon.
Please.
***
UPDATE: We learned today that Secretary Austin has prostate cancer.
NEWS
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) January 9, 2024
A statement from Walter Reed Hospital says that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is being treated for prostate cancer and had a urinary tract infection.
“As part of Secretary Austin's routinely recommended health screening, he has undergone regular prostate specific…