The topic of the Middle East was very open with various opinions shared about many aspects of the current situation. Many areas of the Middle East are going through radical changes, some to the better and some to the worse.
Iran’s influence in the Middle East after the Israeli strikes on military and air defense sites was vastly diminished. The fall of the Bashaar Al-Assad regime in Syria resulted in Iran’s isolation (by land) from Lebanon and the disruption of the delivery of advanced military support to Hezbollah. Nonetheless, Iran continues to be the backbone of its regional partners in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Hamas (Gaza), and Houthis (Yemen), at least politically.
The group debated the U.S. foreign policy in Iran, especially with its potential weaponization of its nuclear program. If we assume that Iran’s authoritarian political system is stable, how long will it remain in power considering that its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, does not have a publicly designated successor? Will the younger generation’s continuous protests eventually succeed in changing the political system to allow Iran to maintain a respectable regional presence while abandoning its support of its regional partners? Or will Iran continue to develop ties with Russia and China? Considering that Iran will continue its nuclear-related activities of enriching enough Uranium, will the U.S. or Israel interfere militarily to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities?
Turning to Gaza, the question is where can the Gazans go considering that its 140 sq mi (25 miles long and 5.6 miles wide) has been completely destroyed and uninhabitable? Will Jordan and Egypt take them temporarily while Gaza is being rebuilt, and will the Gazans be allowed to come back to their land? The group believes that a 2-state solution is no longer viable, and that with the support of the U.S. government (along with Mike Huckabee as its U.S. ambassador to Israel) will enable or allow Israel to annex the West Bank and Gaza, thus eliminating future threat.
How about the Houthis in Yemen (pronounced Al-Houthiiyn) and the current U.S. intense airstrikes against the rebels? Will this slow down the disruption of cargo ships through the Red Sea, Gulf of Eden, and the Suez Canal. The group thinks that the current air strikes are necessary and should continue until the Houthis influence is greatly diminished.