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The South China Sea has been highly-contested for a long time due to overlapping claims made by surrounding countries over parts of the waters. But with tensions between China and the other countries over the body of water that could trigger World war 3, reports have surfaced that China may have a vulnerable spot.
China continues to claim control over a large portion of the South China Sea, which has resulted in disputes with surrounding countries that have led to regional conflicts. The communist nation has since tried to exert control by setting up military bases in unoccupied islands all over the waters while also patrolling the seas with its war vessels. However, according to a report by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation, those island bases may prove to be vulnerable should an all-out conflict rise. The report stated that even as the island bases increase the country’s military presence, their distances also make them naturally vulnerable and unable to defend themselves.
The militarization of the islands by Chinese forces has led the surrounding countries to blast Beijing. The United States has also echoed the condemnation of the surrounding countries against China. This has also resulted in Washington increasing its military presence on the contested waters in order to deter any exertion of force by the Chinese military, thus further fraying the already rocky relationship between the US and China. The communist nation declared sovereignty over the waters citing history but international law has refuted their claim. Nevertheless, even as China tries to defend its claim over the waters, finding allies to support its cause may be far too few.
Aside from tensions brewing with China, conflicts surrounding Iran may also lead to world war 3 being triggered. The Iranian-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah has revealed that it has doubled its missile stockpile, threatening to target Israel’s military bases with these weapons.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that he would be exacting revenge on Iran’s adversaries for the killing of the country’s top commander Qassem Soleimani almost a year ago. Soleimani was killed during a US drone strike in Iraq. “That revenge is coming no matter how long it takes,” said Nasrallah.
