Will US airstrikes in Syria trigger a wider conflict?

After the recent airstrikes in Syria, America has a careful balancing act on its hands to prevent the situation from getting out of control, writes world affairs editor Kim Sengupta from Jerusalem

The US has positioned a formidable military force into the region, sending not just one but two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean (AP)

Ever since this latest – and most deadly – Gaza war began with the massacre by Hamas, there has been deep apprehension that other countries will be drawn in with lethal repercussions.

We can now see the beginnings of that scenario, with the US carrying out airstrikes in Syria. The targets were weapons and ammunition storage facilities used by Iran-trained and supplied militias, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The attacks were in response to American bases in Iraq and Syria being hit by a series of low-level drone and rocket attacks over the past 10 days, after Israel began the pulverising bombing of Gaza which has cost, according to Palestinian authorities, over 7,000 lives so far.