The rocket fire from Iran represents one of the most violent attacks on Israel in recent history. While Israel’s air defense systems, supported by US naval units, were able to intercept a large proportion of the incoming rockets, Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, called Iran’s attack a “serious escalation”. However, it is not yet clear what the consequences will be. Joe Biden would hold several direct discussions with the Israeli government.
Translated, this means: The American president will once again try to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from hitting back even harder. In recent days, the US government has already examined possible scenarios for an escalation between Iran and Israel.
The most optimistic response would mirror the April incident, when the United States, Israel, Jordan and European allies successfully intercepted almost all of Iran’s missiles and drones. Even then, Biden had advised the Israeli Prime Minister to “take advantage of this success.” That’s probably why the Israeli reaction at the time was rather cautious.
A momentous scenario that Washington now fears would be an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, where some of the uranium is processed in such a way that it could be converted into weapons-grade material within days or weeks. There is great concern that Israel will not be content with a harmless answer this time. The White House fears a conflagration in the Middle East in the middle of the election campaign.
The current situation in the Middle East shows how regional conflicts between Israel, Iran and Tehran’s allies in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon and Yemen can have far-reaching effects on US foreign policy and domestic politics. It is a critical moment not only for Israel and the entire Middle East, but also for the political climate in the United States.
Trump claimed in a press release also distributed during the ongoing Iranian attack: “We have no leadership, no one running the country. We have a non-existent President in Joe Biden and a completely absent Vice President, Kamala Harris, who is too busy to “To collect donations for the election campaign in San Francisco.” The aim of such criticism is to rally Americans beyond his loyal supporters. Trump wants to reinforce the image of himself as a strong leader capable of keeping global adversaries, including Iran, at bay.
