Avoid a spillover of the Israel-Hamas war
Arocket attack in Israel-occupied Golan Heights blamed on Hezbollah and Israel’s retaliatory air strikes on the Iran-aligned militant group’s positions in Lebanon over the weekend have stoked concerns about an escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. Israel has contended that the attack on a football field that killed 12 young people was the work of Hezbollah, which fired a barrage of rockets from Lebanon on Saturday. Hezbollah, however, has denied any involvement in the incident and experts have concluded the strike on the football ground may not have been intentional. Israeli leaders have pledged retaliation like never before and said Hezbollah will pay the price, changing the context from the near-daily exchange of fire between Israeli forces and the Lebanese militant group. Though the US, Israel’s staunchest ally, has said it doesn’t want an escalation of the conflict, it has maintained that it supports Israel’s right to defend itself. On the other hand, Iran has described the strike on the field a “fabricated scenario” aimed at drawing attention from the 39,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, and warned Israel against any “new adventure”.
An expanded war — which very likely could draw in Iran, given its stakes in propping up Hezbollah — would be devastating for West Asia and the rest of the world, especially at a time when the West and its allies have stepped up efforts to finalise a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. The latest developments could also complicate ongoing negotiations for a truce. The West should do more to get Israel to stop its carnage in the Gaza Strip, which continues to feed anger in many parts of West Asia. Any escalation of the conflict will only complicate the policy options available to India, which has almost nine million expatriates spread across the region.