Israel warns of mounting conflict-risk as tensions with Iran increase

Israel’s defence minister has warned of a growing risk of a regional conflict in the Middle East as tensions with Iran increased.

Yoav Gallant on Tuesday told a parliamentary committee that Israel was being attacked in a “multi-arena war” from seven areas, which he identified as Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.

“We have already responded and acted in six of these arenas and I say here in the most explicit way – anyone who acts against us is a potential target, there is no immunity for anyone,” he said.

Israel declared war against Hamas in Gaza following the Palestinian militant group’s surprise cross-border attack on October 7th and quickly launched a comprehensive military operation in the occupied West Bank against Hamas and other elements.

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Israel has also exchanged daily fire with the Iran-backed Hizbullah militia in Lebanon across their shared frontier, with the episodes intensifying in recent weeks.

A senior Iranian general based in Syria, Reza Mousavi, was killed in an air strike on Monday that Iranian officials attributed to Israel. Tehran said Israel would “pay” for his death.

Yet it remained unclear whether Israel had actually targeted Iran, Yemen or Iraq directly.

Mr Gallant’s comments come after the US announced late on Christmas Day that it had struck three facilities used by the Iran-backed Kataib Hizbullah militia and others affiliated to the so-called axis of resistance in Iraq.

That strike was ordered as retaliation for a drone attack earlier in the day on a military base hosting US troops in Erbil, northern Iraq, that critically injured one US service member. Iraqi officials said that the US strikes had killed one militant and injured 18 others.

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin said that he and President Joe Biden would “not hesitate to take necessary action to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests”. There are 2,500 US troops in Iraq assisting local forces fighting the Islamic State militant group.

“While we do not seek to escalate conflict in the region, we are committed and fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” added Mr Austin.

Also on Tuesday, Egyptian authorities confirmed that a drone, likely to have been launched from Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, had been intercepted over the Red Sea resort town of Dahab.

The Houthis have launched ballistic missiles and drones at Israel since the start of the Gaza invasion, some of which have been intercepted by Israel’s regional allies and the US military.

The Houthis in recent weeks have also escalated attacks against global shipping transiting the Red Sea, forcing merchant vessels to divert around the Horn of Africa. The US last week announced the formation of an international naval task force to protect shipping through the critical Red Sea chokepoints located offshore to Yemen.

Amid mounting Israeli military losses and growing international condemnation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Israeli officials in recent days have emphasised that the war against Hamas will take time. They are also, as of yet, unwilling to relent on the ambitious goals set at the outset of the campaign.

In an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the “prerequisite for peace” with Gaza was “destruction” of Hamas, “demilitarisation” of the shattered enclave and “deradicalisation” of Palestinian society, including schools and civil society.

“For the foreseeable future Israel will have to retain overriding security responsibility over Gaza,” Mr Netanyahu wrote, rejecting any future role for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

Mr Gallant, in his remarks to the parliamentary committee on Tuesday, added that it would be a “long, hard war” but that it was justified.

“We must make it clear that whoever makes a move of this kind [like the October 7th attack] will be punished. Whether it takes months or whether it takes years, this matter must be finished,” said Mr Gallant.

— Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023