Brink of Escalation: War in Middle East Poised to Expand as Ground Assault Looms
Yemen’s Houthi group entered the monthlong war in the Middle East on Saturday, launching two missiles at the Zionist entity, while about 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region, amid reports of looming ground aggression.
The war has already threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Accordingly, the Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes.
There could be limited relief after Iran on Friday agreed to allow humanitarian aid and agricultural shipments through the strait following a United Nations request. U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has given Iran until April 6 to reopen the strait.
Meanwhile, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard warned in a statement on Sunday that Iran would consider “Israeli” universities and branches of American universities in the region “legitimate targets”, as state media reported that Iranian universities were targeted in U.S.-Zionist attacks.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said, adding a demand that the U.S. stop “Israel” from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which have been attacked in recent days.
Against this backdrop, the Trump administration has deployed U.S. Marines to the Middle East as the war stretches into its fifth week, and also has been planning to send thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne to the region, according to Reuters.
On Saturday, the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran.
The plans could involve raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops. according to the Post, citing U.S. officials.
However, whether President Donald Trump would approve any of those plans remains uncertain, the source said.
