IT seems that “Sun Tzu’s Secrets of War” are being unfolded in the Middle East region due to the emergence of new “chessboard”. Escalation of Israel-Hamas war has endangered the regional peace, stability, harmony and extended “war threat” has now become monster. It is crystal clear that prolonged power struggle between Israel and Hamas have “colossal” impact on the lives of innocent Palestinians and till now more than 22,000 people have been martyred. New “holocaust” is being perpetuated and indiscriminately killing small children, women and elderly people. Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations is imminently indulging in “Rebirthing Therapy”. However, it also exposed inbuilt flaws in Israel’s “Iron Dome system” which is one of the key “tactical” victories of Hamas.
Successful infiltration and penetration of its militia forces on the soil of Israel and its system have badly damaged so-called “invisible” myth of its military might. Its economy is on the receiving end and hang-over of further attacks have forced the international investors and businessmen to flee from Israel. The emerging “Iron Triangle” among 3Hs ie Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis has become a new “draconian movie” for the vested interests of Israel and its trans-regional support constantly hitting hard from four different points, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and the Red Sea. The global supply chains have been besieged, causing serious energy and food security issues.
The latest episode of terrorist attack in Iran’s city Kerman on the fourth death anniversary of General Qassem Soleimani killed more than 100 people and wounded 105 has further divided the region. The targeting of Hamas leader in Lebanon through drone has jolted the holy land and “slogans” of revenge are wide spreading in the region and prominent regional security experts are now predicting a new wave of “horrendous” proxies in the region. Since the start of Israel-Hamas war the “Chinese policy makers” have been trying their best to achieve peace through dialogue, diplomacy and development. Its diplomatic efforts have been “compelling” the UN Security Council to play an active role however; “genie of veto” remained the “spoiling” factor.
The most recently-concluded trilateral meeting of China, Iran and Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministers showed the right way of decreasing the heat. Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese Foreign Minister emphasized that the Middle East should no longer be a geopolitical arena of great powers, and the fate of the region should be in the hands of the people. But forces of destruction have the “license” to kill due to which Middle East is going to be a danger zone in near future. On his part, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolences to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi over serious terrorist attacks in Kerman city.
In his message, President Xi said he was shocked to learn of the serious terrorist attacks in Iran’s Kerman, which caused heavy casualties. Xi expressed deep condolences for the deceased on behalf of the Chinese government and people and offered sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured. He said China is firmly opposed to terrorism in all its manifestations, strongly deplores terrorist attacks and firmly supports Iran’s efforts to safeguard security and stability. The Chinese Foreign Office also strongly condemned the attack and voiced support for Iran’s efforts in safeguarding its national security and stability.
It seems that the attack could have been conducted by forces with an anti-government stance within Iran and those with extreme hostility against the country in the region that have a mature capability and technical conditions to launch twin bomb attacks. Supreme Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei issued a message on the martyrdom of dozens of people in the terrorist attack, warning the “criminals” of punishment and a hard response over the tragedy they caused. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said the enemies may believe they can achieve their illegitimate goals through terrorism, but the Iranian nation has proven that such crimes will not disrupt their unity, security and strategy.
The most recent attacks came after a series of incidents, including a Houthi attack against Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea and the airstrike against Hamas senior officials in Beirut. It fears that the ongoing Gaza conflict will further worsen, as more major powers will be forced to become involved. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular news briefing that the US was not involved in any way in the explosions and has no reason to believe Israel was. However, Iranian government blamed the US and Zionist regime for this terrible incident. However, it is not a secret that Israel and the US have been specifically targeting Iranian scientists and senior officials and military commanders through their attacks within Iran and other places in the Middle East, therefore chances of its direct or indirect involvement is very high. The attack against civilians will bring no benefits but only risks and a negative impact on Israel and the US.
In summary, critical analysis reveals that emerging chessboard in the Middle East is trying to trap Iran to get involved in the current conflict and start a direct conflict with USA so it is possible that the bombing was conducted by anti-government forces within Iran cooperating with anti-Iran forces outside the country connected with Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. It is feared that after the attack, Iran might mobilize its regional proxies and allies in the region, such as Hezbollah, Houthis and other armed groups in Iraq to attack Israel, while the US military base in Syria will also be targeted and the Red Sea crisis might be further intensified in the days to come.
The Red Sea has now become new flash point in the regional as well as global trade and supply chains. The attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue to push ocean freight rates higher, triggering warnings of inflation and delayed goods. It has already diverted more than $200 billion in trade over the past several weeks away from the crucial Middle East trade route, which, along with the Suez Canal, connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. The flames of Israel-Hamas war are now getting momentum and the Chinese wisdom acts like a regional equalizer convincing the conflicting parties to avoid further collateral damages.
—The writer is Executive Director, Centre for South Asia & International Studies, Islamabad, regional expert China, BRI & CPEC & senior analyst, world affairs, Pakistan Observer.
Email: mehmoodulhassankhan@yahoo.com
views expressed are writer’s own.
