Anyone who believes the actions of the militias in our region, which see themselves as part of the "Axis of Resistance," constitute “resistance,” or defense of Gaza - be it in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, or even Iraq - is deluded. Indeed, these Iranian militias are not defending Gaza in as much as they are destroying the region’s economy and security.
More alarmingly, these militias, under the leadership of Iran's Quds Force, are undermining the very notion of statehood. And for its part, the Quds Force has not fired a single bullet for Jerusalem. Thus, what we are seeing in our region today is destruction for its own sake, with the militias’ actions giving rise to an absurd and unfathomable state of affairs.
As Israel continues its rampage in Gaza, killing massive numbers of Palestinians and destroying Gaza’s infrastructure, even targeting institutions doing humanitarian work, Iranian militias have responded by destroying some of the countries in our region.
For example, as Israel wreaks havoc in Gaza, the Houthis retaliate by undermining the security and economy of global maritime navigation, as well as the Yemeni economy. Just yesterday, it was announced that the cargo ship "Rubymar" had sunk in the Red Sea, 16 miles from the Yemeni port of Mokha, after being targeted by the Houthis.
Beyond the harm to the globe and the Arab world’s economies, with Egypt's Suez Canal being hit particularly hard, the sinking of the ship will lead to an environmental disaster, as it contained “approximately 22,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer (hazardous materials) and 120 tons of diesel and fuel oil."
This will harm hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who make a living from fishing, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that the escalation of Houthi activities in the Red Sea would lead to food shortages in Yemen, disrupt or close ports, disrupt supplies, and increase prices.
Have the actions of the Houthis helped Gaza? Certainly not. The truth is that the Houthis have uniquely misguided notions of politics and conflict. They hit a ship that supplies Yemen with food and another headed for Iran. On top of that, their political ignorance has led to Western strikes on their positions.
We can see something similar happening in Lebanon. Despite Hezbollah's elaborate propaganda campaign and its claims of standing up for Gaza, the truth is that the party has never done anything for Gaza. Instead, it exploits the slogan "no voice is louder than the voice of the battle" to consolidate its power. It seeks to avoid a war because its interests align with those of Iran.
As a result, Lebanon's presidential vacuum continues amid fears that Lebanon could be Israel's next target. All the while, Hezbollah is undercutting the Lebanese interior, socially, economically, politically, and with regard to security.
Iraq's situation is not very different from Lebanon's. It is also plagued by assassinations and violence. And there too, Iranian militias claim to be seeking to defend Gaza, and their attacks have led to US strikes on Iraqi sites.
Of course, the situation in Syria is not different. We see the same absurdity and empty claims of supporting Gaza. Syria has become an open arena for Israeli operations targeting the leadership of both Iran and Hezbollah, and the state has bizarrely been silent since October 12.
In summary, as Israel strikes Gaza, Iranian militias strike the countries of the region, undermining their security and economy. We have reached a stage in which destruction is being met with destruction. Could our state of affairs be more insane?
