Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out an unprovoked invasion of Syria with the support of the U.S. The goals are clear: take strategic land, render Syria defenseless for the future, and redraw the political map of the Middle East. 

As Israel expands its war to Lebanon and is threatening Iran as well, there are important signs that Arab states in the region are finally stepping in to prevent a broader regional war. Will the Biden administration listen?

The mood in Washington today is similar to 2003 when the neocons of the Bush administration sought to remake the Middle East. This time, a joint vision shared by Israel and the Biden administration seeks to remake the region in the West’s vision.

Mondoweiss spoke to analyst Mouin Rabbani about U.S. motivations in the Middle East and why the Biden administration fully supports Israel’s escalations against Lebanon and Iran.

In the wake of Iran’s missile attack, the Israeli army has escalated its massacres in Gaza’s displacement centers, killing 99 people in two days.

In Gaza and Lebanon, Israel is projecting its force while burrowing itself deeper into a quagmire. While it may achieve brief operational successes, it fails to extinguish the spirit of the resistance or coerce it into submission.

Israel has killed 150 people across Gaza since Iran launched its retaliatory ballistic missile attack against Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue across Lebanon, with the death toll reaching into the thousands.

The “special relationship” has been on full display following Iran’s attack on Israel. Biden’s instruction to Israel to avoid escalation shows the U.S. could apply pressure to end the Gaza slaughter at any time. They just choose not to.

Israel considers a strike against Iran “that would not lead to a war” as it continues to restrict aid access to Gaza. Settlers in the West Bank escalated attacks, killing two Palestinians.

Germany, France and the UK called upon Israel “not to escalate” after Iran’s strike on Saturday. Israel killed 43 Palestinians attempting to return home to north Gaza as Hamas presents a new counter-proposal for a ceasefire.