Saudi Arabia's Convenient 'Defense' Echoes US-Israeli Aggression in the Region
Behind the sanitized language: Saudi Arabia, through its state news agency, announced it will take “all necessary measures” to defend its security following a supposed Iranian attack on the US embassy in Riyadh. This familiar refrain, trotted out amidst escalating US-Israeli strikes on Iran, conveniently overlooks the systematic destabilization of the region. We have seen this script before.
Remember when the US and Israel greenlit the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, claiming 'self-defense' against Hezbollah, while simultaneously destroying infrastructure and displacing millions? Saudi Arabia’s current rhetoric, framing Iran as the aggressor after joint US-Israeli bombing campaigns, mirrors this duplicity with chilling precision. The latest round of violence, presenting Iranian
actions as unprovoked, whitewashes Saturday's US-Israeli aggression. This constant cycle of provocation and condemnation, always painting Western-allied states as victims, serves to entrench US military presence and Israeli regional dominance. The underlying dynamic remains unchanged since the 1990-91 Gulf War, where George H.W. Bush leveraged ostensible Saudi vulnerability to solidify US military
bases in the Kingdom. For decades, Gulf nations, including Saudi Arabia, have been instrumental in housing the very military infrastructure that enables these repeated assaults on sovereign nations, always under the guise of 'security.' The cost asymmetry is stark: Iranian defensive capabilities are relentlessly targeted, while their retaliatory actions are immediately categorized as 'terrorism,'