The Guardian view on escalation in the Middle East: the danger of a regional war is growing | Editorial

The assassination of a Hamas leader in Beirut and Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea increase the risks

From the moment that the full extent of the 7 October atrocities by Hamas in southern Israel became evident, the spectre of an ensuing regional conflict loomed in the background. Since then, attention has been fixed on Israel's pummelling of Gaza, where the death toll passed 22,000 this week, according to Palestinian health authorities. Yet in recent weeks the risk of a greater conflagration has grown.

The assassination of the senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut marks a new and dangerous moment, as Israel (which did not publicly claim responsibility) will have known. Arouri was the group's key conduit to Lebanon-based Hezbollah and to Iran. His death is a blow not only to Hamas but the broader network. It follows last week's killing - which Tehran blames on Israel - of an Iranian military official who oversaw the shipping of arms to Hezbollah.