This is apropos several letters to the Editor headlined “The ME conflict” carried by the newspaper in recent days. For years, Israel has sought to weaken regional adversaries, particularly Iran and its network of allies. This conflict has provided the conditions to do precisely that.
Iranian capabilities are being systematically degraded. Regional actors are destabilized. The geopolitical focus has shifted away from Israel’s own actions, allowing it greater operational freedom.
In Gaza, military operations continue with reduced international scrutiny. In the West Bank, territorial encroachments are accelerating. In southern Lebanon, intensified strikes are being justified under the pretext of countering militant threats.
With global attention diverted to the broader war, Israel is pursuing multiple objectives simultaneously—military, territorial, and political. Perhaps most significantly, Israel has succeeded in shifting the burden of the conflict onto the United States.
Washington is now the face of the war, absorbing the financial costs, diplomatic backlash, and strategic risks. Israel, while deeply involved, operates with a degree of insulation that allows it to reap benefits without bearing proportional costs.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
The writer is a former Press Secretary to the President, An ex-Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France, a former MD, SRBC Macomb, Detroit, Michigan
Comments