In Yemen, far from sight and mind, a vicious war is raging, the results of which will have regional ramifications that necessitate strategic attention. Iran has given its proxy in the country funds, training (with the help of Hezbollah), and strategic weapons, the objective consequences of which reach far beyond Yemen's borders by implementing Iran's hegemonic status, due to the fragility of Arab countries, and largely contributing to the collapse of countries where Iran operates its proxies. In addition to the historic damage to regional stability, the United States' misunderstanding of the situation and the foolishness of its policies in the Middle East have amplified the problem. All of this needs to worry Israel.
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Hegemony, of course, doesn't necessarily mean Iranian missiles stationed in regional capitals or that its proxies are completely beholden to the mullahs in Tehran. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is obviously constrained by affairs inside Lebanon, and will not heed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' orders without question and solely based on Iran's desired timeline. Although Iran presently wants to project an image of improved relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, Houthi rebels very recently unleashed missile attacks on Abu Dhabi and the airport in the UAE, have hit its oil tankers at sea and seized control of another ship sailing under its flag. This was the Houthis' response to the UAE's ongoing funding of a 50,000-strong militia impeding the Houthis' efforts to conquer Yemen's oil-rich regions.
Iranian hegemony is essentially attained when Hezbollah, the Houthis and the pro-Iranian militia in Iraq and Syria hurt, deter, appropriate natural resources, and embarrass Iran's enemies – the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain. These proxies harm Iran's enemies on a significant strategic scale, at relatively negligible cost to Iran, not to mention the damage caused by extremists in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and elsewhere, to whom Iran is apathetic and can comfortably deny. Imposing this type of hegemony – which costs very little while being extremely beneficial – in other key countries in the region will heavily influence the balance of power, place Israel in existential danger, demolish the status of the US in the Middle East, and put Europe at great peril.
The collapse of Arab states is accelerated due to Iranian interference, even in places that were troubled regardless. Despite the historical tensions, it is doubtful Lebanon would be collapsing right now sans Hezbollah's negative role. Yemen has known civil wars before, but the level of suffering and devastation this time is beyond the pale. In light of the deep involvement of foreign powers, it's doubtful even the downfall of the government in the north will end the war with a stable agreement between the Houthis and separatists. In Iraq, where pro-Iranian militias aren't just striving to overturn the recent election results by trying to assassinate the elected prime minister, they are also divided on the question of obedience to Iran. In Syria, which is trying to rebuild, a potentially devastating clash with Israel due to Iranian entrenchment is just one of the challenges Iran faces.
And above all else looms the foolishness of the United States, which is trying to appease its enemies at the expense of its regional allies with its pathetic courtship of Iran, by removing the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations, by ceasing the supply of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, and by coming to terms with an Iranian militia attack on a US army base, in response to an Israeli strike. If the US doesn't sober up at the last minute by massively reinforcing NATO forces in Eastern Europe against Russia's brazen threats, it will also pay the price in the Middle East (against China) for the loss of American deterrence due to its pathetic response in helping Ukraine.
The problem is that all these factors are an extension of American, and "European" at its roots, refusal to understand the Middle-eastern challenge, out of concern that action will eventually be necessary. Ergo the blind eye the Americans have turned to the danger of Iranian hegemony and the undermining of their allies – the Israelis, Saudis, Emiratis, and others – who are trying to cope with their snail-paced progress. In Washington, officials are partaking in the self-deception that renewing the 2015 nuclear deal will stop Iran from becoming a nuclear state, while essentially allowing Iran to fund its ongoing and destructive hegemonic aspirations with hundreds of billions of dollars in lifted sanctions.
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