By Al-Fassel | 2023-11-08

One of the primary goals of the United States amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war is to deter any state or non-state actors from escalating the crisis beyond Gaza, via both military and diplomatic efforts.

In the Middle East, the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) aims to protect US forces and its allies in the region, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said during a November 6 briefing.

The United States aims to provide security assistance to Israel as it defends against further Hamas terrorist attacks and coordinate with Israel to help secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, Ryder said.

It also seeks to strengthen force posture across the region to deter any state or non-state actors from escalating the crisis beyond Gaza, he said.

Strengthened force posture includes the deployment of an Ohio-class submarine and the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike groups.

The presence of both groups in the region "broadly enhances the capabilities and the capacity to support a wide range of contingencies," Ryder said, "as part of our efforts to deter broader conflict, as well as provide force protection."

The recent deployment of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which is now aboard the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship in the region, adds to US deterrence efforts.

In a conversation on November 5 with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin also reaffirmed the US commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate the conflict.

Attacks on US forces

In recent weeks, Iranian proxies have carried out drone and missile attacks targeting US forces at Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq and al-Tanf garrison in Syria.

Since October 17, there have been "20 attacks in Iraq, 18 in Syria, a total of 38 of these," Ryder said.

Since he gave this figure, there have been additional attacks.

Three drones on November 7 targeted a military base at Erbil airport in Iraq that hosts troops from the US-led international coalition against the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS), AFP reported.

A US military official said the attack had led to "no casualties or damage to infrastructure."

The attack was claimed by a group known as "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" on Telegram channels affiliated with Iraqi factions close to Tehran. The same group has claimed most of the recent attacks.

In a visit to Baghdad on November 5, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the attacks, which Washington has linked back to Iran, were "totally unacceptable."

Preventing spread of war

A primary goal of Blinken's diplomacy has been to prevent the spread of the war to additional fronts -- particularly Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hizbullah is far better armed than Hamas, AFP reported.

While US officials have not claimed a win, some observers saw a long-awaited speech Friday by Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah as holding off on more direct confrontation.

James Jeffrey, a veteran US diplomat who previously led efforts against ISIS, said Blinken set out with a mission to prevent escalation by pro-Iranian forces.

The ferocious Israeli response to Hamas in Gaza in itself served as a deterrent to Hizbullah and Iran, telling them "we will do the same and worse to you" if there is escalation, said Jeffrey, now chair of the Wilson Center's Middle East program.

"The region will face a catastrophic scenario if Iran's armed networks go with the option of escalation and war on more than one front," Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies director Ghazi Faisal Hussein told Al-Fassel.

He said the continued bombardment of bases hosting international coalition forces in Iraq and Syria is "a dangerous indicator of the potential deterioration of the regional situation at any moment."

The continuation of attacks may put these Iran-allied factions, their leaders and their headquarters "at risk of being targeted," he added.

Hussein said the United States has made it clear to the Iranians and their allies that "the consequences of escalation and the widening of fronts will be dire, and any transgression or violation will be met with a firm response."

Iranian regime's proxies in the region

Tehran is spreading false and misleading propaganda about "resistance" and portraying itself "as the leader of resistance movements, and is putting forward these slogans for purposes that serve its agenda," Hussein told Al-Fassel.

The regime seeks to expand its hegemony and impose its tutelage over the region, he said.

"In order to achieve these goals, it is not at all inclined to enter into a direct war with the international community, the cost of which would be very high," he said.

Iran "is well aware of its impotence and the extent of the damage and defeat that it may suffer if it decides to intervene directly, he added.

But at the same time, it has pushed the more than 30 groups affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to the forefront, "so it can ultimately evade responsibility and not bear any burdens and costs," he said.

These armed groups undermine the sovereignty of the countries where they operate, he said, and do not uphold "the principle of loyalty to the homeland and defense of national interests" in their actions.

"Ultimately, they take orders from Iran," he said, and the instructions they implement come from Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

-- Anas al-Bar contributed to this report