On the brink in the Middle East – Buckle up

Lufthansa just canceled all its flights to and from Tel Aviv due to concerns that an all-out Middle Eastern war is about to break out. They were not the first to do so. United Airlines, Delta, British Airways, Fly Dubai, and Brussels Airlines preceded them.

The Houthis have all but closed the Red Sea to international shipping. The Israelis are already engaged in one war in Gaza and are now rapidly moving into a state of hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran is threatening direct attacks against Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas official in Tehran and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Lurking somewhere in the background is the critical issue of the exact status of the Iranian nuclear weapons program. Tehran either already has the bomb or is about to acquire it. It has the delivery vehicles to which to mate nuclear weapons already.

After viewing a new classified report from the Director of National Intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program, Senator Lindsay Graham called publicly for American military action against Iran.

“I just read the director of national intelligence report regarding the status of the Iran nuclear program, and I would urge every member of the House and the Senate to read it,” Graham said during a press conference at the Capitol.

“Iran will keep going until somebody tells them to stop. It’s time to put red lines on their nuclear program and enforce them. The idea of ambiguity is not working. As we talk about their program, their program gets larger and more lethal. After viewing the ODNI report, I believe that if we do not change course, Iran will possess a nuclear weapon very soon,” he continued.

The regional conventional war that is about to break out may go nuclear in almost no time at all.

A whole host of countries have issued security alerts for anyone traveling to Lebanon. The U.S. Embassy-Beirut issued a statement saying, “Do Not Travel to Lebanon due to rising tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, be prepared to shelter in place should the situation deteriorate.”

Israel has called on its citizens to exercise extra caution abroad, citing threats from Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah. A statement from Israel’s National Security Agency said that Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah may target Israeli, and Jewish institutions abroad.

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