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On September 16, Israeli authorities announced that they had closed airspace in the 6km-deep area on the contact line with Lebanon. The airspace will be closed until September 17 morning.
The announcement came following two days of warmongering by mainstream media and top US officials that were blaming Iran for a drone strike carried out by Yemen’s Houthis on Saudi oil infrastructure on September 14.
The US as well as Israel and Saudi Arabia blame Iran for the inability of the Saudi-led coalition to achieve a military victory in its war on Yemen. US President Donald Trump even threatened to carry out strikes on Iran in response to the supposed ‘Iranian agression’ against Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia oil supply was attacked. There is reason to believe that we know the culprit, are locked and loaded depending on verification, but are waiting to hear from the Kingdom as to who they believe was the cause of this attack, and under what terms we would proceed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2019
Earlier, similar idea was promoted by hawkish US senator Lindey Graham.
Iran will not stop their misbehavior until the consequences become more real, like attacking their refineries, which will break the regime’s back.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 14, 2019
Another factor playing to the growth of tensions in the Middle East is agressive policy of Israel supported by a large-scale propaganda campaign in Israeli and US mainstream media.
On the one hand, the Israeli leadership blames Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas for threatening Israeli interests on a daliy basis. On the other hand, Tel Aviv continues its expansionist policy in the region declaring plans to annex more Palestinian areas, launch a ground military operation in the Gaza Strip, and even indirectly claiming responsibility for a series of explosions at positions of Iran-alled militias in Iraq and Iran.
The Israeli actions and attitude are even further sharpened by the ongoing election campaign to Israel’s parliament. Therefore, top Israeli politicians and political parties are competing in war-likey rhetoric and promises to defeat all ‘Israeli enemies’.
In the current conditions, the Middle East looks like a powder keg that is ready to exploit at any moment. And there are powers sides that could be interested in such an explosion to achieve own political and geoeconomic interests.
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