By F.M. Shakil
Despite Washington’s displaced claim of containing “Tel Aviv’s” bloodshed against the defenseless Palestinians, the Combined Task Force, commanded by the United States and stationed in the Gulf of Aden, would expand Israeli atrocities beyond the Gaza Strip and into the Red Sea.
The sole objective behind the formation of Combined Task Force 153 (CTF 153) for Red Sea Maritime Security was to safeguard the “Israel”-bound shipping vessels and the Zionist regime’s cargo in the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab, and the Red Sea. It seems the US is ready to declare the Red Sea a war zone.
The US-led joint forces in the Red Sea will escalate tension in the region and extend this war beyond Gaza. Although the US wants to provide the Zionist merchandise with a safe passage through, in reality, the US has now been fully involved in this aggression.
The US Naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean
In support of its 2,500 personnel stationed in Iraq and an additional 900 troops in Syria, the United States has increased its naval presence in the region. Since the beginning of the aggression on Gaza, the Biden administration sent two aircraft carriers and additional personnel to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Despite increasing international pressure, the Biden administration continues to firmly reject the issuance of a ceasefire. Officials from the United States assert that they have consistently implored the Israeli leadership to limit the damage inflicted on civilians, even though Zionist forces have besieged Gaza’s primary hospitals and denied even the most fundamental medical coverage to the civilian population in need.
Such statements coming from the US administration could not be more hypocritical because Washington has continued to provide unwavering support for the Israeli-led atrocities in Gaza. Not only weapons manufactured in the US but also financial aid amounting to billions of dollars have enabled the Zionist regime to persist in committing war crimes. No longer is the struggle in Gaza solely “Israel’s” but also America’s.
The flames of war are spreading
The Biden administration’s increasing military engagement in the aggression on Gaza, which threatens to encompass the entire region, is readily apparent. In retaliation for attacks on American bases in those nations, the US Air Force has hit several targets in Syria and Iraq.
Ansar Allah, who has proclaimed war on “Israel” for its invasion of Gaza, has additionally executed missile and drone assaults. As Yemeni Armed Forces began hitting Israeli cargo ships following an uptick in the Zionist occupation force’s attacks on civilian targets in Gaza, Washington and its allies stepped up their activities in the Red Sea to provide the necessary protection to the Israeli cargo ships.
No sooner than Ansar Allah operations against “Israel”-bound cargo ships stepped up and the Israeli economy began feeling the heat, the US military kicked off a brand new coalition in the Red Sea known as “Operation Prosperity Guardian,” intending to keep a tight grip on maritime trade routes. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, and the Seychelles joined forces with the Pentagon as part of a united front against Ansar Allah.
In a recent development, it has been reported by Iran’s state-run news agency, IRNA, that Islamabad has denied joining the US-led Combined Task Force 153 in the Red Sea. The agency asserts that all rumors suggesting otherwise are unfounded. According to a recent report by The Washington Post, the US intends to enhance the presence of “Joint Operation Force 153” in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The objective behind this expansion is to “counteract” the Zionist regime’s ongoing military actions in Gaza, thereby safeguarding the region from further escalation.
Ansar Allah laughs off the combined force
During an interview for Al Mayadeen English, Mohammad Abdul Salam, the spokesperson for Ansar Allah, stated that the Yemeni Armed Forces will not exercise restraint considering the US direct involvement in the Palestinian genocide. He further mentioned that the ongoing escalations could potentially increase, depending on the circumstances on the ground. These developments are occurring amid various challenges faced by the Palestinian people.
He said that CTF-153 has set tongues wagging, suggesting that the US had plans to turn the Red Sea into a battleground to safeguard Israeli interests rather than just “keeping strategic waterways safe,” as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin asserted.
“This coalition is all bark and no bite when it comes to international waterways; they’re just putting all their eggs in the Israel protection basket. This can’t be called a coalition; it is a dead duck, a feeble bunch,” Abdul Salam continued to say.
“The international waterways neighboring Yemen are as safe as houses, and they don’t have a single hair out of place when it comes to security or military matters,” declared the Yemeni official. The Yemeni Armed Forces and Navy have made it crystal clear that the waterways neighboring Yemen are safe, and they would not harm a fly unless it’s a ship bound for “Israel” or an Israeli vessel.
The US complicity with ‘Israel’s’ war crimes
The American-made bombs have been unleashed in some of the most devastating Israeli strikes on Gaza, resulting in the loss of countless innocent lives, particularly children, and leaving the Strip in ruins. That puts the Biden administration in the same boat, shoulder to shoulder with the ongoing massacre in the occupied territory.
According to a report that hit the headlines in The Wall Street Journal, Israeli forces unleashed a storm of powerful bombs, courtesy of the US, in their assault on a refugee camp, resulting in the unfortunate demise of over 100 individuals.
It was not the first time Israeli forces in Gaza had pulled out all the stops and used American weapons to the fullest extent. The Biden administration has upped the ante by supplying “Israel” with state-of-the-art weaponry, giving them some serious firepower for their battle against the besieged enclave.
Among the fallen, at least 7,000 innocent children have met their untimely demise. According to the UN chief, the occupied territory has become “a deathtrap for the young ones.”
The Biden administration has supplied “Israel” with the deadliest weapons in its arsenal, and the mayhem is being unleashed with the bombs and other weaponry handed over to the Zionist regime on a silver platter by the US. Reports indicate that Washington has handed over a boatload of big bombs and artillery shells to fuel “Israel’s” war on Gaza.
According to the WSJ report, the United States has been showering “Israel” with arms like there is no tomorrow. They have sent over 15,000 bombs and a staggering 57,000 155mm artillery shells since the war began. The US administration has kept mum on the extent of its backing for “Israel’s” arsenal.
What takes the cake is the US recently handing over “bunker-buster” bombs, along with a whole bunch of other ammunition, to “Israel”, who has turned up the heat with its relentless bombardment of the besieged territory. According to the WSJ report, these bombs are not lightweight, tipping the scales at over 900 kilograms. They have been tried and tested in the battlegrounds of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria by the US.
But while the US dropped those bombs in wide open spaces, “Israel” is unleashing them in densely packed areas in Gaza, resulting in widespread devastation of both property and human lives. According to reports, Israeli forces have dropped some of these bombs in the vicinity of hospitals, putting them out of commission. UNICEF claims that the situation has hit rock bottom, leaving hospital staff in southern Gaza at their wits’ end. They simply cannot soldier on any longer. The world has not witnessed such cruelty in ages.
