Gaza
Misery on the journey south
Page 14 →
Europe
Antisemitism on the rise
Page 15 →
Analysis
Israel’s missing ‘victory’ vision
Page 16 →
Last Thursday morning, the USS Carney, a US Navy guided missile destroyer, was in the northern Red Sea when its radar detected three cruise missiles apparently launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The missiles’ target was unclear but they were heading north, so it was “potentially” Israel. Within a very short time, the Carney had destroyed them all.
These were the first shots fired by the US in defence of Israel in the current conflict. The Pentagon press secretary, Brig Gen Pat Ryder, later told reporters the intervention was “to send a strong message intended to deter a wider conflict” and “regional escalation”.
The crew of the USS Carney are not alone in having this objective. Since terrorist attacks by Hamas on 7 October that killed 1,400 Israelis and prompted retaliation that has so far led to the deaths of more than 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local authorities, many people have been working very hard to contain the hostilities. The motives
