Fareed Zakaria explains why West Asia is facing ‘real moment of danger’

West Asia is witnessing a “real moment of danger” which may escalate into a full-blown regional war if Israel and Iran engage in direct warfare, veteran journalist and geopolitical expert Fareed Zakaria told India Today TV.
Speaking to India Today TV’s Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, Zakaria said the focus has shifted from Israel’s war in Gaza after the Jewish nation decided to go after the Iran-backed militant outfits in the region.
“What Israel is trying to do is to end this dynamic of constant rocket firing into northern Israel (by Iranian proxy outfits). So they’re pushing back and they’re now beginning to ask themselves whether they should push back against Iran itself,” Zakaria said.
“This is why I say it’s the moment of maximum danger, because now you have the real possibility of direct escalation between Israel and Iran. Iran may not be a very powerful country, but it’s not a militia like Hezbollah either. This is an eighty-million strong country and one of the world’s largest petroleum exporters,” Zakaria said, referring to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
Talking about the US’s role in the conflict, which has been Israel’s biggest backer in the region, Zakaria said that Washington is trying to convince Israel to strike Iran but in a way that is not “dangerously escalatory”.
“This means don’t hit the nuclear sites (of Iran) and oil refineries,” he explained.
Zakaria called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one of the “most shrewd players” in the world, saying he would try to act with greater freedom in the region in the next 30 days leveraging the US Presidential elections.
When asked if the US will directly enter the fight if Israel’s growing conflict with Iran escalates into a war, Zakaria said, “My guess is the US will try to stay out except in the sense that it will provide defensive technology and defensive help to Israel. If Iranian rockets rain over Israeli cities, the US will try to interdict them. But I don’t think the US will get directly involved.”