Will the Israel-Hamas war spiral into a regional conflict?

American troops have faced attacks from militia groups in recent weeks
These attacks represent growing instability in the region
The risk is America itself will be dragged into the war

Updated: Oct 30, 2023 / 04:51 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — As Israel and Hamas continue to do battle in Gaza, there is growing concern the war could expand into a regional conflict.

Those concerns come as there have been more than 20 attacks on U.S. forces in surrounding countries like Syria.

While none of these attacks have resulted in American deaths, the attacks and the U.S. retaliation represent the genuine risk that the Israel-Hamas conflict could expand into a war that drags America into the fighting.

A wider war may also be set off by clashes between the Israeli military and Lebanese militant groups that have been going on for the past few weeks. Both sides have avoided escalating into an all-out war, but the possibility that one arises is very real.