Washington Braces for a Broader War in the Middle East

Recent attacks on U.S. troops signal the growing danger of a regional conflict.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant speak during a press conference after their bilateral meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 13, 2023. (Photo by (DoD) Chad J. McNeeley / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

As Hamas rockets continue to pour into Israel on a daily basis, American troops are coming under fire from other Iranian-backed armed groups elsewhere in the Middle East. Over the course of a single week, militias targeted U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq in more than a dozen separate attacks.

The timing is no coincidence. As Israel makes the final preparations for a ground offensive in Gaza and the U.S. bolsters its military presence in the region, Iran and its proxies are keeping the threat of a broader regional conflict alive by targeting Americans. It’s a tactic that could lead to deadly escalation.

Where have American troops come under fire?

Israel’s mobilization of troops and military equipment to the perimeter of northern Gaza last week coincided with a number of strikes against U.S. military personnel in Syria and Iraq, as Iranian-backed groups essentially sought to veto America’s support for Israel’s looming offensive with force. The militants’ opening salvo came last Thursday, with three drone barrages targeting U.S. air bases in Syria and Iraq. By Tuesday, according to U.S. defense officials, 13 drone or rocket attacks had targeted American troops in the two Middle Eastern countries.

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  1. SkyDoc

    Great article. So of course I'm here to nitpick.

    1. Can we please stop citing an unhealthy contractor suffering a heart attack during a FALSE alarm along with casualties from actual attacks? The only discussion that event should spark is FINALLY cracking down on the old, out-of-shape civilians we keep allowing in combat zones that inevitably suck up critical medical resources. (Ask me how I know. Actually...don't ask me.)

    2. Let's be clear in every article--the hospital was not the event that was advertised. The casualty count was at least an order of magnitude smaller, not to mention the actual cause being the Arabs rather than Israel. This was deceitful propaganda, plain and simple. Your larger point stands, in that the propaganda was extremely effective, not least because of the moral failures of our own media.

    Separately, I'm sure there are plenty of other veterans here that are groaning at the idea of ramping up our presence in the sandbox again. We don't have the resources to deter our near-peer threats, but at least we're starting to put our eye on the ball 13 years after the left slammed Mitt for his "80s" foreign policy ideas. But here we are about to go chasing the goat f-- uh...erm..."lovers" again.

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      Lchrisberg

      **FINALLY cracking down on the old, out-of-shape civilians we keep allowing in combat zones that inevitably suck up critical medical resources.**

      Apparently, cruelty and arrogance are not limited to just Hamas.

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      1. SkyDoc

        They don't belong there. In fact, it's usually policy that people in such a state of health aren't allowed in there, but they LIE in order to get that sweet contract from Uncle Sugar.

        Then you find yourself using critical medical and aerovac resources to deal with some fat middle-aged civ that shouldn't be there. Hope you got a resupply before the mass casualty event! And I hope the CCATT team is back and not too tired when it comes time to evacuate them. And I hope nothing on that plane that was pulled off a tasking to move him was important!

        I don't care if it sounds "cruel". You know what's cruel? Putting soldiers' lives at risk so you can make a buck instead of staying home where they have your heart medication and insulin.

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        Eahay19

        Why shouldn’t it be said? Someone with a major existing heart issue has no place in a hot region where combat can reach out and touch you any day

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  2. Renicksmith

    Very well done. I look forward to more from Ms. Lawson, who never fails to efficiently inform. Thanks!

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    Ben Connelly

    I’m just waiting for some commenter to write some diatribe about how the warmongering neocons at the Dispatch and FDD want to nuke Iran and that’s why TD prints articles like this one…

    In other words, great reporting, Charlotte. Keep up the good work!

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    1. SkyDoc

      Those "bagel-snarfing neocons"....

      (I think of that Jonah-ism every time I see or hear "neocon" anywhere now.)

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        Ben Connelly

        Hahahaha, me too!

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    JohnM.

    Excellent reporting as usual. Thank you, Charlotte.

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  5. Chris W

    Thanks for the helpful info - very cool that it’s from someone on the ground, too!

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  6. Owenoofta

    Do you remember Tom Clancy’s Red Storm Rising? Imagine how he might write this story. I imagine such a tale would include a major action by The Sword of St. Michael…
    https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Sword_of_St_Michael.html?id=T6c3acoHBLgC

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    1. SkyDoc

      I was re-examining some classic Clancy the other day. The most outrageous fiction in it all is how serious and competent all of the high-level government officials are, including most of the politicians.

      I was thinking about recommending some of the early stuff like "The Hunt for Red October" or "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" to my kids, but I'm not sure how well they hold up for a generation that is so removed from the Cold War.

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      1. Michael S

        “The Hunt for Red October” … nearly made me repeat 10th grade French Class ‘cause I couldn't put it down. That and “Red Storm Rising.”

        Those books led to some interesting discussions in my home. My father is a retired Cold Warrior/Naval Aviator who spent his career hunting for Soviet Subs. He wouldn’t/couldn’t talk much of course … but there were reactions to Clancy questions (usually irritation) that an intrigued HS kid could interpret.

        And here we are so many years later.

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        Michael Berkowitz

        I loved The West Wing, but I always told people its proper genre was Science Fiction.

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      3. Owenoofta

        Very good point about the talent and courage of the politicians in some of Clancy’s books, though there was often enough more realistic political ineptitude - think Clear and Present Danger. With respect to helping kids get a feel for the Cold War, Clancy could serve. I think John le Clarre would be my choice depending on the age and reading skill of the kids…

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    CynthiaW

    ** “Hamas uses its media, the images that come out of Gaza as a rallying cry for the Arab world, especially their allies,” said Truzman. “One bad incident can throw the region into this death spiral.” **

    This is what happened last week when there was no "bad incident," just an errant Palestinian rocket landing in, whoops, a Palestinian parking lot. Given that the outcome is going to happen anyway, why should the Israelis be particularly concerned about it as they make their tactical decisions?

    Israel has consistently demonstrated far more concern for civilian populations than any of its antagonists. I think it's safe to assume they will continue to make reasonable efforts to avoid harming noncombatants independently of the threat of the New York Times's triggering another global anti-Semitic freakout.

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      Michael Berkowitz

      Whether it's because of some inherent goodness or because it knows how the foreign press and foreign governments will react, Israel has consistently demonstrated far more concern for civilian populations than *anybody*.

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        CynthiaW

        Yes, several people have told me that. I regret my understatement!

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          Michael Berkowitz

          Not at all. I wanted to make the point, but it wasn't meant as a rebuke.

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            CynthiaW

            Understood. I am nonetheless happy to accept the correction and have the better point made!

            Best wishes to you and all your family, and the State of Israel, as the new week of the war gets underway.

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    2. Acre00

      Not only more concern than their antagonists - more concern than any other nation on earth. What other military tells the enemy where they are going to strike so civilians can get out?

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        Ben Connelly

        I was going to say the same thing. Israel gets held to an impossible standard that no other nation on Earth adheres to. Honestly a majority of nations on Earth would just level Gaza right now, like Russia did with Grozny. That would be wrong, but it’s how most nations behave.

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        CynthiaW

        Good point.

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    The Bell Tower

    “It’s a tactic that could lead to deadly escalation.”

    A deadly de-escalation should be of far greater concern.

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  9. Mirabelle

    “They thought they could deter Israel from going after Hamas, but they didn’t count on the U.S. coming in so heavily as a counter-deterrent."

    I'm not so sure about that assessment.

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    1. SkyDoc

      Why? There's a good case to be made that this is one of several current conflicts that were at least partially invited by the lack of credible American deterrence. I doubt Hamas would be deterred since they are ethno-religious zealots first and foremost, but Iran certainly considers the U.S. response in its risk calculations.

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      1. Rune485

        Because it’s Israel.

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  10. R. James

    "[Iran] didn't count on the U.S. coming in so heavily as a counter deterrent."

    I wonder why...

    Fruits of the Obama-Biden Iran policy.

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    1. CB76

      Looks like you and Iran were both wrong.

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      1. R. James

        You really don't understand how this works, huh?

        You project weakness towards Iran like the Obama-Biden policy has done for a decade and then Iran thinks your weak and tells their proxies to push the envelope. Obama-Biden detente invited these attacks despite their intention. The Iranian miscalculation is due to the policy signals that Obama-Biden have been sending for over a decade.

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          Jeff Younger

          Same thing could be said of the “minor incursion” statement Biden made WRT Russia & Ukraine. Every bad actor on the planet has seen the Biden administration as an opportunity to go on the offensive. By no means am I yearning for a return of Trump, but a serious, no-nonsense foreign policy that makes clear the cost of aggression will be far greater than any temporary gain from said aggression. And follow through is absolutely essential.

          I will give Biden credit for the administration’s response thus far to Hamas’ terrorist atrocities of Oct. 7. While I’d have preferred a stance that deterred Hamas in the first place, the administration has been solidly behind Israel, after spending most of the past 2 years attacking the Netanyahu government. There will be time for politics later, right now, defeating Hamas - and most likely Hezbollah as well - is the task at hand.

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