Fears of All Out War Brewing

 Tensions between Israel and Lebanon based terrorist organization Hezbollah are rapidly growing days after the Pager and Walkie talkie explosions that took the lives of at least 40 people have been killed with thousands more being injured. In response to these attacks Hezbollah launched their own rocket barrage and vowed to start an "open-ended battle of reckoning". As of now Israels government has stated that they are ready to take new steps against Hezbollah, as the rest of the world watches anxiously. 

President Biden released an official statement saying “We’re going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out.”. This comes on top of the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin making his formal statement that diplomatic solutions are being negotiated between the two parties. As this conflict is evolving everyday there is no real telling what direction it is headed in, but one thing is for sure this will be a burning question for the presidential candidates as election season approaches. 

There are several factors that play into why the US is so conflicted and divided on what needs to be done with this growing conflict between Israel and the surrounding countries. A more right leaning factor that comes into play is the US has a long-standing relationship with Israel, rooted in shared democratic values and strategic interests. This relationship is the cause for why the US has been such a heavy supporter of Israel both with their military and finances. The second and more left leaning consideration is the humanitarian factor. Americans are increasingly becoming aware of the humanitarian impact of the conflict on Palestinians and now the Lebanese, leading to calls for a more balanced US approach that considers human rights. The media coverage of the attacks on both sides always makes note on how many women and children where killed/ wounded. I believe that the American people will not be able to stomach much more of this conflict and one way or another there will be a call for US intervention.

 https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4893425-biden-says-us-is-doing-everything-we-can-to-prevent-wider-war-in-the-middle-east/

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hezbollah-rocket-attack-mideast-tensions-0584727974096d98d1b5b132dfd1d218