Will US troops be drawn into the Israel-Gaza war?
Responsible StatecraftOct 15, 2023
According to the Pentagon, a US Navy warship intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen that it said were potentially headed toward Israel on Thursday.
USS Carney, the destroyer that brought down the projectiles, was reportedly patrolling the Red Sea in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The risk of direct US involvement in the Israel-Hamas war is higher than most people may think. Though Washington claims to want to avoid direct involvement in the region, miscalculations, missed signals, and a change in events on the ground could see US forces become directly involved.
Biden's support for Israel and its military response to Hamas in Gaza shouldn't be misinterpreted as US intentions to join a war in the Middle East. Washington is simply attempting to avoid escalation in the region and is making efforts to stop the conflict from spiraling into a full-blown war.
There's a 50% chance that the US will give at least $3.12B in aid to Israel in 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.