Henry Kissinger flew to Moscow on October 21, 1973, during the Yom Kippur War. Because Adolph Dubs, the Charge d’Affaires for the US Embassy, was in Kissinger’s Moscow workplace when he went straight to the Kremlin, I can clearly recall his entrance there. & nbsp,
Dubs wasn’t briefed or invited. ( Dubs later served as the US ambassador to Afghanistan, where he was abducted and killed in 1979. ) Before the Soviets took any military action in support of Egypt, Kissinger’s goal was to speak with them. Washington was concerned that the Russians might attack Israel’s makes in the Sinai with nuclear arms. & nbsp,
A few days afterwards, I boarded a commercial flight from the Soviet Union to Kiev. I got off the plane, which was parked a ways from the terminal, along with the other people, and the aircraft officials told us to rush on the tarmac. For us to see, the Russians put on a military show to demonstrate how the Soviet Union was preparing for military action. I informed the British embassy in Kiev of that right away.
On the eastern part of the Suez Canal, on 100 kilometers from Cairo, Israel had surrounded Egypt’s Third Army by October 24. I discovered this by listening to the VOA on my portable radio radio. While American broadcasts were hampered, Communist clogging at the time was not very effective.
US troops were stationed at DEFCON 3 on October 25, including the Sixth Fleet, Continental Air Defense Command, European Command. Between January and May 1974, Kissinger continued his” bird geopolitics,” putting an end to the conflict.
Will the major power therefore participate seriously in the ongoing Gaza conflict? Anthony Blinken, the secretary of state, has previously visited Israel, and Lloyd Austin has also visited Jerusalem once more. Since no British leader has ever visited Israel during preceding wars and conflicts, President Joe Biden is scheduled to arrive in Israel this year. & nbsp,
Both the Russians and the Chinese have now requested a cease-fire. A & nbsp, a second carrier task force( USS Eisenhower ) is en route, and the US has deployed an aircraft carrier mission( the USS Ford ) in the eastern Mediterranean. & nbsp,
Although Washington is silent about where they will be based, the US is also increasing its airpower in the area by committing A-10 surface attack aircraft and F-15Es. & nbsp,
If the US needs to act against Hezbollah in Lebanon, its stand in Jordan, Iraq, and Syria would be useful. According to news reports reportedly from trustworthy sources, the US persuaded Israel to refrain from attacking Hezbollah after it attacked Israel, telling Israel that the United States had stand up for Israel in its defense.
The US Air Force is sending the A-10, a powerful ground invasion aircraft, to the boneyard on the grounds that it is no longer important. Unfortunately, if the task is to clean out Hezbollah weapon foundations, it is the ideal aircraft.
One major problem is that Russia and the US are at odds over Ukraine, and neither country is really discussing the Ukraine problem with the other. It is more challenging for both major powers to intervene to quiet the Middle East before the war breaks out because neither atomic power is actively involved. & nbsp,
This is unfortunate for Russia in particular because, should the war break out, Syria— where the Russians have naval and air outposts— will serve as a battlefield. To prevent Egyptian rockets from entering Syria from Hezbollah, the Israelis have now half bombed the airport runways in Damascus and Aleppo. Israel thinks Iran is attempting to provide long-range precision missiles that will be fired at Israel’s defence facilities and important government buildings. & nbsp,
Israel has made it clear that it intends to eliminate Hamas in Gaza. Perhaps because Israel second wants to try and save as many hostages as it can, it has yet to start a earth operation in support of that goal. ( The number of victims that are still alive and under Hamas’ control is unsure. ) & nbsp,
The US is supporting Israel’s effort to free Gaza from Hamas’ rule. Although the launch of at least 40 US residents who were taken prisoner in Gaza is the US’s top priority, it is unclear how long it will help the Israeli operation. Hamas has no supported Iran’s state that the victims will be released if Israel stops bombing Gaza.
The world is waiting to see how Israel handles the prisoner situation and whether it launches an offensive against Gaza on the ground.
There is no chance of conversations with Hamas by the major powers, unlike in 1973. Some, like Egypt, have attempted to design humanitarian corridors for Gazan non-combatants, but it is difficult to tell soldiers apart from civilians. & nbsp,
Since starting a war may give Israel the justification it needs to destroy Iran’s nuclear services and its long-range missile sites, the Iranians appear to want to lower their profile. Local stress against Hezbollah is increasing in Lebanon as a result of the potential for war, which may ultimately lead to the demise of an already shaky Palestinian state.
It is difficult to say whether the war will continue or no. If Russia chooses to do so, it is quiet down the Iranians. As it may have done with Hezbollah, the US does preserve Israel’s attention on the Gaza issue. It’s a rush and observe circumstance.
The Near East Subcommittee of the United States’ team director was Stephen Bryen.
As a lieutenant director of security, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and nbsp
is currently a senior fellow at Yorktown Institute and the & nbsp, Center for Security Policy.
His Substack, Weapons, and Strategy was the original subject of this article & nbsp. & nbsp, Asia Times is republishing it with their consent.