Overextended U.S. Weighs Its Options in the Mideast
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration, having overlooked warnings to pay closer attention to the worsening situation in the Middle East, is suddenly confronting a dramatic flare-up of fighting that threatens not only to swamp Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts but also to inflame the entire region.
The administration has stood mostly on the sidelines and stuck with its policy of watching from a distance as Israel battled Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.
But with the eruption of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that approach no longer appears to be workable for the White House -- if it ever was.
The emergency comes at a time when the administration is overstretched on every diplomatic front, including Iraq, Iran and North Korea. It also threatens to draw in other dangerous adversaries, such as Syria, and could further destabilize Lebanon and sharpen conflicts with Syria over its Iraq border.
Critics at home and abroad have prodded the administration to engage more deeply, and officials now are grappling with their options.
"The worsening conflict in the Middle East is a blatant reflection of the weakness of the American partner," Yossi Beilin, a legislator and former Israeli Cabinet member, wrote this month in the Haaretz newspaper.
The capture of two Israeli soldiers Wednesday by Hezbollah militants triggered an Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon, starting what could become a two-front war. Faced with that prospect, U.S. officials have to worry about spillover effects that could begin almost immediately, especially if Israel escalates its use of force.
For more than a year, U.S. officials have pointed to what they see as signs that Lebanon could be moving away from Syrian control toward greater autonomy and stability. But the new fighting underscores the weakness of the Lebanese government, and it could lead to a strengthening of Syria's influence.
If Israel strikes Syrian locations in an effort to target Hezbollah militants, Damascus could retaliate by allowing a greater flow of militants across its border into Iraq. U.S. officials have recently praised Syria for exerting firmer control over its eastern desert region, but the long border could again become a major headache for U.S. forces in western Iraq.
And Hezbollah's longtime supporter, Iran, which is facing growing international pressure over its nuclear ambitions, may see the new confrontation as a way to remind Washington of Tehran's power to strike back at U.S. interests and allies.
