More than 100 days after Israel launched its devastating bombing campaign on Gaza following the deadly attacks by Hamas fighters on its territory, the war is increasingly spreading far beyond the borders of the besieged Palestinian enclave. Israel has been striking targets in Lebanon since early in the war; a drone attack that killed Hamas officials in Beirut this month raised temperatures further. Then, amidst continuing attacks on Red Sea ships by the Houthi group that controls much of Yemen and is backed by Iran, a coalition led by the United States of America has targeted Yemeni land thrice in three nights in recent days. The US and Iraqi militia have also each targeted the other with missiles while Iran has bombed parts of northern Iraq and Syria where it claims it struck facilities of terror groups. Still grappling with the shock of the terrorist bombings in Kerman on January 3 in which nearly a hundred people were killed, Iran also targeted alleged terrorist bases in Pakistan on Tuesday night, prompting a terse protest statement from Islamabad. The broader Middle East and its extended neighbourhood appear to be exploding. But none of this is surprising, and much of the crisis can be calmed with a ceasefire in Gaza.
Yet, many of the key actors involved appear to be willing to inflame the situation further. Tensions in the Red Sea have already forced many of the world’s biggest shipping companies to send their vessels around South Africa instead, lengthening routes, increasing rates, and sparking fears of inflation. Early reports from Bangladesh and India, for instance, suggest a sharp increase in the costs of their exports, which, in turn, could affect their sales. Those worries were also evident in the visit to Tehran by the external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, this week during which he is believed to have communicated India’s concerns on the safety of ships and the impact on the economy to Iran’s leadership. To be clear, it is still not too late for the major players to pull back. The US must make clear to Israel that it will not support an indefinite and brutal war on Gaza. Iran must put pressure on the Houthis to dial down their attacks in the Red Sea. The US, Iran, Israel and others must desist from violating the territorial sovereignty of other countries. The region and the world are standing on a knife’s edge. Diplomacy, not missiles, is the urgent need of the hour.