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Israel and the United States have escalated significantly against the Iran-led Axis of Resistance, bringing the Middle East to the brink of an all-out war. The escalation began on July 20, when Israel launched its first ever attack against Yemen. A series of strikes hit the Red Sea port of al-Hodieda, which is held by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), destroying fuel storage facilities and other infrastructure. The attack claimed the lives of six people and left more than 87 others wounded. The attack was a response to a drone strike that hit the Israeli city of Tel Aviv a day earlier, killing a man and wounding eight others. The strike was claimed by the Houthis, who have been launching operations against Israel and ships linked to the country in response to the bloody war on the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip. On July 30, Israel escalated further, this time against Hezbollah in Lebanon. An Israeli strike hit Dahieh, a suburb south of the capital Beirut and a stronghold of the group. The target of the strike was Fouad Shukr, also known as Hajj Mohsen, a senior military commander of the group and a top advisor to its leader Hassan Nasrallah. Three civilians were killed, a woman and two children, and 74 other people were wounded in the Israeli strike, which sparked calls for revenge. The deadly strike was Israel’s response to a blast that killed 12 civilians in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights on July 28. The IDF alleged that a rocket fired by Hezbollah was behind the blast. However, the group denied targeting the Syrian town. Also on July 30, the U.S. carried out a strike on the Iraqi province of Babil, killing four drone specialists of Kata’ib Hezbollah and wounding several other fighters. The group is a key faction of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, who has been also launching attacks against Israel in support of Gaza. The Israeli escalation didn’t stop there. On July 31, the political leader of the Hamas Movement, which rules Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran’s capital. The group held Israel responsible. Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were killed after the building where they were staying was struck, Hamas said in a statement, noting that Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian. The recent moves by Israel and the U.S. indicate that they are both attempting to provoke a full-on regional war. The targeted factions of the Axis of Resistance have already vowed that there will be a response.
