The War Already Started And The Iranians Are About To Get The Bomb

Yemeni military expert and strategic analyst Colonel Mujib Shamsan said on October 31, 2023, on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV that the Houthis will continue to launch missiles and UAVs at Israeli and American targets. He also noted that the Houthis were fully capable of targeting American and Israeli vessels in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandab Strait. The show’s host then commented that the Houthis were implementing their motto "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."

That’s kind of a big deal. The Houthis, who are armed, trained, and largely directed by the Iranians, have effectively declared war on the United States and threatened to close two of the most strategic waterways in the world.

The Houthis also just shot down an American aircraft. A U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone was downed in international airspace near Yemen on Wednesday, according to a U.S. defense official.

"We can confirm that a U.S. military MQ-9 remotely-piloted aircraft was shot down off the coast of Yemen by Houthi forces," the official said.

 

That’s also kind of a big deal. It may have been an unmanned aircraft, but the drone still belonged to the U.S. military and was operating in accordance with international law.

The Biden administration predictably enough has had nothing much to say about any of this or the continuing drone and missile attacks by Iranian surrogates all across the Middle East. American airstrikes were apparently launched on “weapons depots” in Syria yesterday, but there has been no indication that those targets were of any particular significance nor any suggestion that the weak-kneed American response to the targeting of our forces has done anything to dissuade anyone in Tehran from continuing hostilities.

In fact, all indications are very much to the contrary. The smart money says that what is to come will be much more lethal and widespread than what has happened to date.

On November 7, 2023, the Syrian opposition website Euphrates Post reported on a meeting that took place in Syria between leaders of several Iranian-backed Shia militia groups. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the ongoing attacks against American forces and to plan future attacks. Reinforcements from Iranian-backed Shia militia groups in Iraq have also been moved into Syria in preparation for the next stage of attacks on U.S. troops and bases. The reinforcements also apparently brought with them rockets and launchers manufactured in Iraq under the supervision of Hezbollah.

The Houthi declaration of an ability to target vessels in the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb amounts to a threat to close the world’s fourth busiest waterway. Millions of barrels of oil and petroleum products transit the Bab Al Mandeb every day. Vast numbers of merchant vessels, cruise vessels, and fishing trawlers also pass through this bottleneck. Attacks on ships operating here would be of massive strategic significance.

Meanwhile, lurking in the background, unmentioned is what amounts to the elephant in the room – the exact status of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak addressed this directly and succinctly only days ago when he acknowledged that Iran was now a nuclear threshold state. What that means is this.

We have allowed Iran to progress with its nuclear weapons efforts to the point where they can no longer be stopped.

The Iranians will get the bomb, and at this point, there is nothing we can do about it.

Just as we are now forced to live in a world where North Korea has nuclear weapons, we will now be faced with the reality that the ayatollahs can actually wipe Israel from the face of the Earth anytime they want.

The House of Representatives recognized the critical nature of the moment a week ago when it passed a resolution declaring the policy of the United States that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable. 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives declares it is the policy of the United States—

(1) that a nuclear Islamic Republic of Iran is not acceptable;

(2) that Iran must not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon under any circumstances or conditions;

(3) to use all means necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon; and

(4) to recognize and support the freedom of action of partners and allies, including Israel, to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Congress.gov

All exactly right. All unfortunately likely meaningless at this point.

This administration has betrayed the American people and, aided and abetted by a news media that functions as an American version of Pravda, led us to the brink of disaster. War is no longer possible. It already started and any day now we may discover this enemy can not just murder women and children and shoot down drones, it can level entire cities.

Presumably, we will continue to pretend we don’t notice.