Comment by Muhammad Bilal Iftikhar Khan
The legend of a Pyrrhic victory is rooted in ancient Greece, specifically in the deeds of King Pyrrhus of Epirus. Here is how the story goes:
Pyrrhus, a brilliant general and ruler, led his forces to confront the Roman Republic in Magna Graecia, a southern Italian area. The Romans, renowned for their disciplined armies, were a formidable adversary.
Pyrrhus and the Romans had their first major encounter at the Battle of Heraclea. Pyrrhus used novel tactics, including war elephants, that caught the Romans off guard. The battle was ferocious, and Pyrrhus won, but at a high cost. His forces suffered tremendous casualties, including many veteran soldiers and leaders.
Despite his win, Pyrrhus reportedly said, "Another such victory over the Romans, and we are undone." This sentence captures the concept of a Pyrrhic victory, in which the cost of prevailing outweighs the benefits received.
Pyrrhus was undeterred and continued his fight against Rome. The two armies battled once more in 279 BC at the Battle of Asculum. Pyrrhus once again showed military prowess, but the end was the same. He won the battle but at great cost to his own forces.
The word "Pyrrhic victory" has now come to refer to an accomplishment that comes at such tremendous losses or sacrifices that it is ultimately unworthy of celebration. It emphasizes the strategic necessity of thinking about long-term effects and sustainability in conflicts rather than only focusing on immediate benefits.
In modern contexts, the concept of a Pyrrhic victory is sometimes used metaphorically to describe circumstances in which short-term successes result in long-term issues or when the costs of winning outweigh the advantages.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has created a dilemma for the US and the West. I believe the US and the West are supporting Israel to protect their hegemony and version of the World order which is losing due to the West's dual policies which protected only their hegemonic interests.
The US is losing credibility in the Muslim world, especially in MENA. It is blindly supporting Israel and its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. So far more than 35 thousand Palestinians have died in the ongoing conflict in Gaza and West Bank. Due to Israeli brutalities whole world is witnessing unprecedented support and protests in favor of Palestinians but the US, despite world opinion, is stubbornly supporting and arming the Zionist state.
The War which started last October between Hamas and Israel , is joined by Yemen and the Hizbollah of Lebanon. The recent bombing of the Iranian diplomatic enclave in Syria is forcing Iran to get involved militarily. Iran has vowed to strike back with force. Iranian direct involvement in the war has the potential to create a wider war in the Middle East and will be counterproductive to US interests in the region.
Realizing the uncontrolled fanatic actions of the Zionist regime, the US is really worried about the developing situation, according to reports, US authorities continue to fear that a direct Iranian missile or drone strike is probable in the coming days in revenge for the Israeli bombing of an Iranian consulate facility in Damascus on April 1, which killed a top Islamic Revolutionary Guards general and six other Guard officers.
Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State, has spoken by phone with Chinese, Turkish, Saudi, and European colleagues "to make clear that escalation is not in anyone's interest and that countries should urge Iran not to escalate," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Thursday.
If Iran retaliates in response to the Israeli strike on its diplomatic enclave in Syria, it will spark a larger Middle East war and put the US in a difficult position, as it is losing ground to China and Russia, as well as credibility in the Middle East, as a result of its uncritical support for Israel. Pro-US governments in the Gulf will be obliged by popular sentiment to oppose the US in at least diplomatic forums for some time, and the Iranian, Chinese, and Russian narratives will gain support.
The US has realized it's a pyrrhic war in which it is trying to fight for Israel as its fallouts can be felt around the world. For sure US will successfully protect Israel but the losses it will face in minds and perceptions will be more than its gains.