Israel may not even have three weeks left.
Two days later, Sullivan, the assistant for American affairs, visited Israel, and he brought Biden's message to Israel, that is: give Israel three weeks to reduce the scale of the war. Don't see who hits whom, who kills, and who bombs whom, like now, it's too brainless.
Israel should shift its targeting from the entire Gaza Strip to the top of Hamas.
In fact, this is the consistent position of the United States since the beginning of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Although Israel was first violently beaten, the United States immediately expressed its desire to give Israel swift and overwhelming support. But at the same time, the US political and military ** have also been releasing signals on various occasions: Big brothers in the Middle East, don't expand the scale of the war!
The main reason is that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a "sudden" war for the United States, for which the United States is not prepared. On the contrary, the United States is pulling Saudi Arabia and Israel into peace talks, trying to follow our example and let Saudi Arabia and Israel also restore normal relations.
In this fight, the United States has fallen into a dilemma. Israel must be supported, but the Middle East must also be withdrawn.
There's nothing to do.
The United States can only send ammunition to Israel on the one hand, and for this reason, it basically hangs Zesheng there, and Ukraine can't take care of it. On the other hand, the United States wants to use two aircraft carrier battle groups to scare Middle Eastern countries, especially Iran, and deter them from intervening, so as not to expand the conflict, otherwise it will be even more difficult to manage.
The reason why Sullivan went to give Israel a timetable similar to an "ultimatum" this time, and not before, is because Israel can ignore it, but external pressure has made it impossible for the United States to bear it.
In recent times, Yemen's Houthi rebels have been intercepting merchant ships heading for Israel in the Red Sea, and it has not been a petty one.
On December 16, they even launched an anti-ship ballistic missile, which hit a freighter. According to military bloggers, this may be the first real combat record of an anti-ship ballistic missile in the history of mankind.
The logic of the Houthis is very simple, you Israel has surrounded the Gaza Strip, cut off water, electricity and electricity, and whether external humanitarian aid can enter depends on the color of your Israel. Then we will also cut off your external supply to Israel, and everyone will trade fairly, and the children will not be deceived.
Due to frequent attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea region, the world's four major shipping giants (Mediterranean Shipping Company in Switzerland, CMA CGM Group, Maersk Line in Denmark, Hapag-Lloyd in Germany) announced that they have suspended all container ship transportation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.
It is estimated that 12% of the world's ** traffic and 30% of container traffic pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Together, these four shipping giants account for 53% of the world's container volume, and other smaller shipping companies are likely to follow suit.
As a result, the original maritime route through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea will have to be turned into a detour route through the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
The route of the detour, which increases the distance of almost the entire perimeter of Africa. Some transportation companies have calculated that the distance of the route around the Cape of Good Hope will increase, not to mention the increase in time, which will also mean more expensive transportation costs.
Inflation in Europe and the United States will not come down for a while.
Israel is dying, and Europe is not going to be better, because the ships that transport things to them have to make a detour.
But who is more anxious than Israel?
United States. On the 16th local time, the U.S. ** Command announced that the U.S. USS Carney missile destroyer shot down 14 Houthi drones in the Red Sea.
On the same day, British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said that the British destroyer USS Diamond shot down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, which was preparing to attack a merchant ship, but Britain did not say whose drone it was.
The British destroyer Diamond, which was sent at the end of November. Prior to its arrival, Britain had deployed the frigate Lancaster, three minehunters and a Royal Navy logistics fleet support ship in the Persian Gulf-Indian Ocean region.
The USS Carney has been patrolling back and forth in the Red Sea to rescue merchant ships, and as long as it receives a distress signal, it will run quickly.
Also on the 16th, Egypt** reported that its air defense forces shot down a suspected drone target about 120 kilometers from the Red Sea coast, in the Eilat region of southern Israel.
In addition to Britain and the United States, the Red Sea now has France's **. The French Ministry of Defense said a few days ago that the French Navy's multifunctional frigate "Languedoc" shot down two drones in the Red Sea on the 9th.
It can be seen that a Houthi rebel has tossed the Red Sea region to the ground.
The United States has built so many military bases and raised 11 aircraft carriers around the world in order to maintain US hegemony in the world.
The United States is a sea power, and an important support point for its global military hegemony is the so-called freedom of navigation of the United States.
The United States has been flaunting the banner of "freedom of navigation" in order to run around other people's doors and scare people with **. In fact, the United States wants to use military force to hold the world's main shipping lanes and deter the whole world.
As the saying goes, "Whoever controls the oceans controls the world".
In order to practice this, the United States can travel thousands of miles to people's doorsteps to maintain "freedom of navigation."
But now, there is no "freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea, and the face of the United States is a little untenable.
The Houthis in Yemen are not even a proper state power, they are just a separatist armed slippers party, and now they say that they will block the Red Sea, where do you put the old face of the United States, the hegemon of the sea, the world policeman?
The United States has been in a real hurry for the past two days.
In order to maintain its military hegemony as much as possible, the US media reported that the Pentagon is considering striking at the military facilities of the Houthis in Yemen.
If it wants to take the initiative to attack, then the military forces that the United States is now deploying in the Red Sea are insufficient. Therefore, the Pentagon is going to use the big killer weapon again - aircraft carriers.
As a result, the United States is even more embarrassed.
Earlier, in order to deter Iran, the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower sailed into the Persian Gulf. At that time, the US media said that this was a "major signal" from the Pentagon to deter Iran and deter the Houthis.
Well, now no one is deterred, and the Eisenhower is going to "speed" from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea again.
But from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, you have to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
The head snake Iran said, it's not impossible for you to pass, but you have to go under the crotch of the master.
What is the reaction of the United States?
It's over, it's not that it's not unlikely.
On the 15th, Iran released a paragraph **, in which Iran shouted at the US aircraft carrier, the planes on your aircraft carrier cannot take off, and we have many missile boats surrounding, you guys hurry up.
Then, the United States complied.
The reason why the United States "has never been under the crotch" is that the last time the USS Eisenhower came from the Red Sea and entered the Strait of Hormuz, it was also warned by Iranian drones, and the *** that had already taken off had to be lowered back to the deck of the aircraft carrier.
This kind of thing, only 0 times and countless times, more than once it is Xi.
Not to mention that the United States does not dare to fight Iran now, it is unknown whether it can fight with the Houthis.
In order to rush to the Red Sea as soon as possible, the American aircraft carrier ran away, and it was so embarrassed. In our words, it should be "imperialism fled with its tail between its legs."
Previously, the United States, Britain and France were in the Red Sea, only defending against threats from the sea, and did not take the initiative to attack the Houthis. The same is true of US military bases in Iraq and Syria, only beaten.
When the Eisenhower arrives in the Red Sea, will the United States only defend and not attack, as it is doing at present, or will it really "launch a strike" as the Pentagon said?
Let's wait and see.
If the aircraft carriers are all sent over, the United States still can't hold the field, then.
As mentioned earlier, the Houthis have already hit freighters with anti-ship ballistic missiles, and if the US aircraft carrier comes and gets fired again, it will be really lively.
This article was first published on WeChat***Kunpeng**.