CIA Director William Burns traveled to Mogadishu, Somalia. An official visit highlighting one of the points of an extensive war front. It begins in the Mediterranean and reaches the Indian Ocean.
Israel is at war with the Palestinians from Hamas in Gaza, the Lebanese Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militias and the Syrian regime. The duel with Tehran continues: directly or through a “proxy fight”.
Syria is open to a thousand wars: the civil war, the Turkish incursions against the Kurds, the Jordanian operations against drug smugglers, the attacks on US bases by pro-Tehran groups and the American response with bombings, then the hundreds of Israeli attacks, finally the deadly presence of the Islamic State. A similar situation exists in neighboring Iraq, where the factions supported by the ayatollahs represent a countervailing power that can operate even further afield.
The Red Sea, so strategically important to the global economy, is being held hostage. The caliph's jihadists are active in Sinai, Sudan is rocked by the fight between governments and special militias with interference from external actors, Egypt is in dispute with Ethiopia over the dam on the Nile and the Ethiopians are always looking for space by the sea, causing harm to Somalia. Who has to deal with the Al-Qaeda Shebab guerrillas and the influences of regional protagonists? The Horn of Africa is more unstable than ever.
And now the big challenge of the Houthis from Yemen, in the dual role as allies of Iran and as an autonomous movement on the rise: merchant ships that are “affiliated” with Israel are in their sights. An operation was preceded by similar operations against the Saudis. The development is obvious: the Shiite movement has grown, armed itself through collaboration with the mullahs, expanded its ambitions and triggered an Anglo-American military retaliation. According to experts, these bombings are “wanted” by the Houthis in order to portray themselves as true antagonists of the superpowers and to tighten their grip on their “subjects” who are harshly repressed.
There are also dangers for maritime traffic in the Gulf of Oman and a little further south: the Iranians have attacked Israeli ships and provoked similar actions by the Jewish state. It is not uncommon for these to be actions without taking responsibility. Anyone who needs to know knows it.
Tehran’s “restart” in recent days. Attacks with missiles and drones in Syria, Iraqi Kurdistan and Pakistan: a message aimed at adversaries and traditional enemies (Americans and Israelis), demonstration of long-range systems from its arsenal but also ready for export.
The Pakistani episode that follows Islamabad's response involves Balochistan, a separatist arena on the borders between the two countries. The insurgents' ambushes, which have never been tamed, become an excuse to flex their muscles. It's the “perfect” plot: ancient history grafted onto current events with possible international implications. Among the targets of rebels operating in Pakistan are Chinese workers involved in huge economic projects.
Washington has deployed the fleet, strikes according to the script when necessary, seeks containment, protects Israel and seeks to protect the Red Sea waterway. In the area they cross paths with many units from other states. The European Union evaluates as usual. Russia and China hope to benefit from this. People are rightly hoping for political solutions, but research is being made more difficult by too many crises and a lack of will on the part of some.