The foremost concern of western governments as the Israel-Hamas war enters a murderous second week is not the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. It is the alarming prospect of a swiftly spreading conflict pitting Israeli and US forces against Iran and its militia proxies. Recent, ominous signs suggest a rapid deterioration. Iran holds the key.
The two issues are intimately connected. Arab leaders told Antony Blinken, the visiting US secretary of state, that unless Israel’s mass casualty attacks on Gaza cease, the war may escalate uncontrollably. “If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger,” warned Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
