This is apropos a letter to the Editor carried by the newspaper recently. To validate his pro-Israeli stand, Donald Trump has been critical of President Biden for not being firm enough in supporting Israel and has indicated that he would provide Israel with more freedom in military actions, refrain from pushing for ceasefires, and maintain a hard stance against groups like Hamas.

His advisors suggest that Trump would support Israel winning any conflict decisively without US micromanagement, and he claims that his previous pressure on Iran had limited funding to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Donald Trump’s re-election will potentially escalate tensions and will increase the risk of broader regional conflicts starting with escalating tension particularly with Iran. Trump has historically taken a hardline stance against Iran, withdrawing from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal and imposing severe sanctions.

If he resumes or intensifies this approach, it could provoke a military response from Iran or encourage Iran to expand its influence through proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and militias in Iraq, escalating the risk of full-fledged war.

Trump’s election will embolden Israel to take more aggressive measures against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, or even Iranian targets in Syria and Iraq.

This could trigger retaliatory attacks, dragging Lebanon, Iraq, and potentially even Egypt into a broader regional conflict.

Trump’s reelection could fuel extremism and militancy across the region spiraling into a broader regional war, sucking the larger powers like Russia, Iran, and China into the war theater. The emerging scenario could be extremely dangerous and destabilizing, with far-reaching implications for regional and global peace.

Qamar Bashir

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024