杏MAP导航

by Roberto Cetera

In February, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travelled to Washington in an effort to persuade former U.S. President Donald Trump of the need for a military strike against Iran. Instead, he was met with a surprising response: the launch of a new round of negotiations between the United States and Iran concerning nuclear weapons development.

By May, while talks for the release of hostages abducted on October 7 had stalled, and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich acknowledged that “the release of hostages is not a priority”, Hamas released American hostage Edan Alexander unconditionally, following direct negotiations with the United States.

In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly called for an end to the war in Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have continued to escalate, often targeting areas already devastated by months of conflict.

In mid-June, Trump visited the Gulf countries, where he met with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa. He extended his congratulations and wished him success in leading a nation he described as liberated from the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. In a further development, Trump recently lifted long-standing sanctions imposed on Syria.

Netanyahu’s response came yesterday in the form of airstrikes targeting both the Syrian army’s General Staff and the presidential palace in Damascus, the residence of President al-Sharaa. The official rationale was to protect Druze communities reportedly under attack by pro-government militias. However, those clashes have taken place in Sweida - approximately 100 kilometres from Damascus - and al-Sharaa had already ordered a withdrawal of government forces from the area.

That the relationship between the United States and Israel is not as aligned as Prime Minister Netanyahu has sought to portray, or had hoped for in past months, is becoming increasingly apparent. Likewise, Israel’s continuous opening of new military fronts appears driven more by strategic posturing in relation to Washington than by pressing security concerns on the ground. It also reflects Netanyahu’s political calculus as he seeks to reinforce his position amid mounting international isolation and ongoing corruption trials.

Caught in the crossfire of these calculated manoeuvres are the people of Gaza, who continue to perish by the hundreds each day.

The Middle East remains a perilous tinderbox. Those who walk through it with a lit match pose a danger not only to the region but to the entire world.