Israel started fighting on the seventh front, the US military increased its troops in the Middle East, and at the critical moment, China announced its assistance to Lebanon. What is the reality behind the start of Israel's "seven-front battle" and the increase of US troops in the Middle East? And what is China's position in announcing its assistance to Lebanon at a critical moment?
On October 5, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear in a video speech that after nearly a year of the current round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israel is currently fighting on seven fronts at the same time, and the "seven-front battle" has officially begun. In addition, Netanyahu stressed that Israel will fight until victory. Of course, Israel does not just talk about it, but does intend to do so, as evidenced by its recent actions.
On 7 October, Israel bombarded Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip again, and Hamas and Lebanon Allah quickly countered. It can be said that Israel and other countries in the Middle East have completely torn their skins, and this also indicates that the conflict situation has further escalated. At the same time, a wave of protests has also been set off in many parts of the world.
From Washington to Paris, from Cape Town in South Africa to Jakarta in Indonesia, thousands of protesters took to the streets, chanting peace slogans and demanding an immediate ceasefire, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called for an end to the conflict via video. However, the current situation in the Middle East remains tense and Israel does not seem interested in a ceasefire. More importantly, the United States, which stands behind Israel, has repeatedly claimed to "support a ceasefire," but in practice it always seems to support Israel.
United States has long claimed that its increased military presence in the Middle East is aimed at de-escalating, but as the U.S. military's deterrence escalates, Israel has expanded its conflict with Lebanon and Iran. In particular, United States President Joe Biden issued a statement on the first anniversary of the conflict saying that United States would work to protect the security of Israel and that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas, Iran and other countries, which has raised questions about United States's position on the Middle East.
You must know that since October last year, the situation in the Middle East has continued to be tense, and the Pentagon has continued to deploy troops to the region in the past nearly a year, including aircraft carriers, missile destroyers, amphibious assault ships and other weapons and equipment, as well as a large number of troops. Pentagon officials in charge of Middle East policy have said that the U.S. military's posture in the region is sufficient to support Israel's defenses. However, several anonymous Pentagon officials recently revealed that they are concerned that Israel will launch more aggressive actions against Lebanon's Allah Party after receiving the support of the US military.
It is reported that there is a heated debate within the Pentagon about the effect of increasing troops in the Middle East, questioning whether the move will contain the war or on the contrary exacerbate the conflict. It has been pointed out that the main concern of the US side is that the US military presence in the Middle East may further intensify the contradictions, and this move may also affect the US military's overall combat preparations.
In other words, on the one hand, the United States is worried that Israel is "bullying others" and brazenly provoking countries in the Middle East with the support of United States, and ultimately putting United States on the opposite side of all Middle Eastern countries, but United States cannot stop it at all. On the other hand, as the US military throws more and more military power into the "quagmire" in the Middle East, its competition with China in the Asia-Pacific region and the deterrence of Russia around Northern Europe and Ukraine will be relatively weakened, which is obviously not the result that the US side wants to see.
It is worth noting that at a critical moment when the situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly tense and even at risk of getting out of control, China has extended a helping hand to Lebanon. On October 8, Li Ming, spokesman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, announced that in view of the recent escalation of tensions between Lebanon and Israel, communications equipment explosions and air strikes occurred in many parts of Lebanon, resulting in a large number of casualties. In response to the urgent request of the Lebanon Government, the Chinese Government has decided to promptly provide Lebanon with a batch of emergency humanitarian medical supplies to assist the Lebanese side in carrying out medical relief operations.
It cannot be ignored that although China has provided humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, the signal sent is not simple. This not only shows China's sympathy for Lebanon's suffering, but also reflects China's responsibility and responsibility as a world power. At the same time, China is also stepping up its efforts with the international community to call for a speedy resolution of the Middle East issue and the restoration of regional peace and stability.