While international focus has largely remained fixed on the invasion of Iran, the US-Israel duo is actively bringing or seeking to bring conflict to several other countries and peoples around the world. Israel’s occupation of the Palestinians and the concurrent genocide in Gaza continue and it has now launched yet another attack on its northern neighbour Lebanon earlier this month, reportedly in response to rocket attacks from Hezbollah. Overall the Israeli ground and air attacks across Lebanon have killed at least 1,116 people. The Zionist state has never been short of excuses to justify its wars, genocides and occupations and does not seem content to limit its assaults to just the Palestinians and Iranians. As such, the Israeli military is now sending troops into southern Lebanon with the aim of creating a so-called ‘buffer zone’. This is ominous as the Israelis are not exactly known for vacating territory they seize for ‘security purposes’. Parallel to this invasion of Lebanon, a similar US campaign in Cuba also seems to be drawing closer. The island nation is already suffering from a punishing US oil blockade, one that has only intensified since Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, an ally of Cuba, was abducted and imprisoned by the US.
Cuba has reportedly not received any fuel shipments for three months, leading to prolonged power outages, straining access to basic necessities like food and healthcare and generally causing a paralysis of economic and social life. Through it all, US President Trump is anticipating ‘having the honour of taking Cuba’. While Netanyahu and the Israelis seem to be driven by an urge to eradicate and occupy, Trump often comes across as if wars, abductions and interventions are all just a game to him – not too different from the reality shows he used to star in. International bodies like the UN and the WHO have sounded the alarm over what is happening in Lebanon and Cuba, with many Western nations also chiming in about how concerned they are. However, when has this ever been enough to stop the US and Israel? Never – and will not be now either.
Despite the differing motivations of the US and its Zionist partner, they do share broad similarities. The most striking one is the utter contempt both countries seem to have for international laws and norms. When the leaders and other top officials of these countries make statements, concerns about legality, morality and humanity are not just after thoughts, they are treated like they simply do not exist. Take for instance how Israeli officials always talk about eliminating terrorists and terrorist infrastructure while failing to even engage with claims that their attacks are killing and displacing civilians. Then there is the US defence secretary who has characterised rules of engagement as ‘stupid’. The Israelis have never apologised for their atrocities, but this can be seen as somewhat of a departure from business-as-usual for the US, which has always sought to cover its imperial manoeuvres with a fig-leaf of promoting democracy or the ‘rules based order’. That fig-leaf is now gone and they now appear much more aligned with Israel in their approach. There is no order and there are no rules, at least not ones that others can make powerful, nuclear armed countries like the US and Israel follow. In the emerging world, force appears to be everything. However, as Iran is now showing, that does not always work to the advantage of the mighty.
