Will the Israel-Hamas war trigger a wider Middle East conflict?

The Biden administration is making a 'frantic effort' to head off expanded bloodshed

Map of Middle East with holes burned in it
The repercussions of Hamas’ attack on Israel are “unpredictable and difficult to contain.”
(Image credit: Illustrated / Getty Images)

One danger of the war between Israel and Hamas: It could explode into a wider conflict across the Middle East. “The political aftershocks of the attack will reverberate far beyond the sliver of Mediterranean land where it began,” columnist Ned Temko wrote for The Christian Science Monitor. Across Israel’s border with Lebanon, the terror group Hezbollah reportedly might be preparing its own attack. Iran is threatening to wade in. The repercussions of Hamas’ attack on Israel are “unpredictable and difficult to contain.”

American leaders are making a “frantic effort” to head off a wider war, CNN reported, sending two aircraft carrier groups to the region even as Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hopscotches between countries in a furious round of shuttle diplomacy. “No one should do anything that could add fuel to the fire in any other place,” Blinken said this week. Still, the U.S. is also sending an amphibious task force toward Israel, just in case. And a new poll reports that 79% of Americans fear the clash may lead to a broader conflict. 

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Joel Mathis, The Week US

Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.