NJ Spotlight News spoke with Michael Boyle, associate professor of political science at Rutgers-Camden, about the latest developments in the Middle East and prospects for a widening conflict.
Boyle said the increased violence in the Middle East since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel from Hamas has caused a growing concern from the U.S. and beyond of an escalation in the conflict that could stretch to other parts of the Middle East.
“We’ve started to see increasing cross-border tensions on the southern border with Lebanon and with Israel,” said Boyle in an interview with NJ Spotlight News.
“We’ve seen in the last week Israel has struck within Beirut to kill Hamas operatives they thought were responsible for the October 7th attacks,” he said. “And that puts Hezbollah in the position if they do escalate the attacks along the border, do they conduct deeper attacks into Israel itself? . . . If that happens, then the Israeli government says it will respond with force.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to the region for the fourth time in three months on a tour expected to focus on calming the fears that the Israel-Hamas war could erupt into a broader conflict.
