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The war in the Gaza Strip has caused high tensions across the Middle East, with multiple fronts engaging in attacks against Israel and the United States in support of the Palestinian people. An unprecedented surprise attack against Israel, codenamed Operation al-Aqsa Flood, that was launched by the Hamas Movement on October 7 led to the war. More than 1,400 Israelis were killed in the attack. In Lebanon, Hezbollah and its allies, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have carried out more than 20 operations against the Israeli military since October 8. The operations targeted military positions in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms and settlements in the Galilee. They included raids, guided missile strikes as well as mortar and rocket attacks. As of October 20, clashes on the Lebanon front have claimed the lives of six Israelis, including a civilian, 13 fighters of Hezbollah, five Palestinian fighters and four Lebanese civilians, one of whom was a journalist. In Iraq, the Islamic Resistance, a coalition of armed factions backed by Iran, announced the formation of the al-Aqsa Flood Support Operations Room on October 18, a day after nearly 500 Palestinains were killed in the bombing of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Hours after its formation, the operations room attacked Ayn al-Assad Air Base in the western province of al-Anbar and al-Harir Air Base in the northern Kurdistan Region with suicide drones. Both bases host U.S. troops. Initially, the U.S. Central Command said that the attack on Ayn al-Assad resulted in minor losses. However, it was later revealed a military contractor was killed during the attack. U.S. sources alleged that he suffered from a heart attack while running to a bomb shelter. On October 19, the al-Aqsa Flood Support Operations Room brought the war to U.S. troops in Syria, attacking a base in the Conoco gas field in the eastern governorate of Deir Ezzor with rockets and a garrison in the southeastern area of al-Tanf with drones. U.S. officials said that some troops were lightly wounded in al-Tanf. On the same day, the Islamic Resistance launched an attack with rockets at Ayn al-Assad in Iraq. There were also reports of attacks against Conoco and another base located in the nearby al-Omar oil fields in Syria. Yemen also joined the fight on October 19. The Pentagon announced that USS Carney Arleigh Burke-class destroyer intercepted three land attack cruise missiles, and several drones that were launched by the Houthis (Ansar Allah) from Yemen while operating in the northern Red Sea. According to preliminary information, the missiles and drones were on their way to hit targets in Israel. More escalation is expected if Israel launches a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip. Iran has already warned against changing the status quo in Gaza. Even some of the U.S. key allies in the Middle East, like Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, took a strict stance against Israel’s military plans for the Strip.
