A massive new attack on Iran could be Trump’s ultimate betrayal of Gulf allies
An escalation after the Nov 3 US midterm elections is on the cards, and West Asia may pay a heavy price.
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Smoke and flames rising from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Oct 8 after it was attacked by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. The group followed up with another attack on the airport on Oct 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
On Oct 21 and 22, dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew over Iraqi and Syrian airspace to approach Iran, peeling away just shy of Iranian airspace. Consistent with actions resembling an air strike, it was the military equivalent of a knock on Iran’s door.
Meanwhile, the US has asked most of its military families who remain in the Gulf region to go home. A third US aircraft carrier group will soon join the two currently stationed in the north-western Arabian sea. Thousands of marines and other troops heading towards the region suggest that the US is retaining the option to put boots on the Iranian ground, something it has hesitated to do thus far.