Middle East conflict falls into vicious cycle

Beirut [Lebanon], October 31: As the parties struggle to find a way out of the war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, Israel and Iran risk becoming trapped in a cycle of mutual attacks.
Negotiations deadlocked
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller yesterday expressed dissatisfaction with Israel regarding the humanitarian situation in Gaza, especially after the airstrike on October 29 in the northern part of the strip that killed 93 people, according to Reuters. "It was a terrible incident with terrible results. We have contacted the Israeli government to ask what happened," Mr. Miller said. The Israeli military said it was investigating but urged caution with the Palestinian figures .
The airstrike came as mediators such as the United States, Egypt and Qatar were trying to find a solution to the conflict that has lasted more than a year. A "mini-proposal", under which the sides would temporarily cease fire for a few days to release a small number of hostages, was recently proposed to build trust between the sides towards a larger deal to release all hostages and end the conflict completely. Israel said it would accept such a proposal, but Hamas issued a statement implying no compromise. "The movement has confirmed its readiness for any agreement or idea that ends the suffering of the people of Gaza and achieves a permanent ceasefire, and the occupation forces must completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip," senior Hamas member Sami Abu Zuhri said on television. According to Reuters, Zuhri also repeated the original conditions such as ending the blockade of Gaza, not limiting aid, rebuilding Gaza and exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
In Lebanon, although Israeli officials say they have destroyed 80 percent of Hezbollah's rocket-missile capabilities and are discussing a diplomatic solution, the fighting shows no signs of abating. Lebanese media even reported that Israeli tanks had advanced as far as the village of Khiam, 6 kilometers from the border. This is the deepest point in southern Lebanon that Israeli forces have reached since launching their ground campaign in September.
Israel deters Iran
Meanwhile, the tit-for-tat between Israel and Iran is at risk of continuing, according to the latest statements. During a visit to the unit that carried out the bombing of Iran on October 26, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi warned on October 29 that Israel's retaliatory strikes "are not over yet" and may be asked to continue. On October 26, Israel dispatched more than 100 aircraft to attack Iranian military targets in response to Tehran's attack on Israeli territory with 200 ballistic missiles on October 1. Mr. Halevi warned that if Iran makes the mistake of attacking again, Israel will come with unused capabilities and will destroy the facilities that were temporarily spared on October 26.
Israeli and Western media said Israel had spared Iran's oil and nuclear facilities under pressure from the US and only hit missile production facilities, drones and other military targets in the operation on October 26. According to Fox News, all four of Iran's S-300 air defense systems were destroyed and the country is vulnerable to future airstrikes.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper