The Pasdaran Are Expanding the Scope of Their Nuisance Value

Day after day, the radical wing of the Iranian regime – at least as it is characterized by certain Western circles – is working to demonstrate its capacity to gradually extend its reach into new areas of the Middle East.

Following the reactivation of their Yemeni militia, the Houthis, aimed at holding hostage the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the corresponding Red Sea shipping lane (after the Strait of Hormuz), the Revolutionary Guards were keen to show that they have "a long arm" when it comes to missile range.

They attacked the port of Damietta in Egypt using an explosive-laden drone, striking two gas storage vessels – one of which was American.

A fire broke out on both vessels. The Egyptian government held Iran responsible for the attack, which was strongly condemned by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, who described it as an "unacceptable" act of aggression against Cairo.

At the same time, the Revolutionary Guards fired five missiles at Jordan – an act of aggression sharply denounced by Qatar – and once again attacked Kuwait, where a building belonging to a Chinese company took a direct hit and was severely damaged in the explosion, killing one worker.

In response, China called on all parties to immediately halt the military escalation.

As a sign that the conflict is spreading to new actors, the Saudi Ministry of Defense organized an expanded meeting in Riyadh bringing together the chiefs of staff (or their representatives) of 43 countries.

The aim of the summit was to launch the establishment of a broad "Maritime Defense Alliance." The Saudi ministry stated that this is an international initiative designed to ensure the security and freedom of navigation on maritime routes.

It is worth noting in this context that the Saudi air force, in collaboration with US air forces, carried out strikes at the beginning of this week against Houthi positions in Yemen, in retaliation for the (failed) missile launches that the pro-Iranian Yemeni militia had attempted against Saudi Aramco facilities.

It should be noted that, according to sources cited by the Arabic-language channel al-Hadath, the Houthis launched the missiles toward Saudi territory from Iraqi soil, with the complicity of pro-Iranian Iraqi militias. This is the first time since the conflict began that the Saudi military has been directly involved in military operations against Iran's allies.

At the beginning of July, Kuwait and Bahrain had bombed positions inside Iran, with support and air cover provided by the United Arab Emirates – marking the first indication of an active Gulf state involvement in the war against Iran.

This tendency of the Revolutionary Guards to seek to expand the armed conflict to as many new areas of the Middle East as possible prompted President Donald Trump to give the green light, overnight Wednesday into Thursday, for a new wave of airstrikes against Revolutionary Guard positions, infrastructure, and ammunition depots across several regions of Iran.

The US Central Command was expected to announce on Thursday that "dozens of Revolutionary Guard positions were successfully targeted in these strikes." According to information from Israel, Washington reportedly informed Israeli authorities on Thursday evening that new, large-scale airstrikes targeting Revolutionary Guard headquarters and centers were expected to be launched overnight Thursday.

Selon des informations en provenance d’Israël, Washington aurait informé jeudi soir les autorités israéliennes que de nouveaux bombardements aériens massifs contre les quartiers généraux et les centres des Pasdaran devraient être lancés dans la nuit de jeudi.

The only bright spot in this bleak regional picture: Thursday's announcement of an agreement, endorsed by Hamas, aimed at handing over heavy weapons to an international committee that will be responsible for collecting and storing Hamas's weapons, in line with the Gaza solution process that had been devised by President Trump.

Aoun's Visit to Ankara

It is against this backdrop of a rapidly shifting regional landscape that President Joseph Aoun made a lightning visit to Ankara on Thursday, where he held a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who stressed on this occasion that his country is ready to contribute to strengthening security in Lebanon.

The head of state returned to Beirut on Thursday evening, and the Presidency of the Republic indicated in a press release that cooperation between the two countries will focus, in particular, on support for the army, the provision of prefabricated housing for displaced people from the South, as well as assistance in the areas of electrical energy, air transport, and the development of basic infrastructure. President Aoun extended an invitation to President Erdogan to visit Lebanon.