BERLIN, October 11. /TASS/. Israel may be pushed to wage war on five fronts if other countries and groups in the Middle East region get involved in the conflict, the Bild newspaper reported citing experts from the Le Beck think tank.

"We are dealing with a protracted conflict that has a great potential for further escalation," the newspaper cited the results of the center's study.

As Israel fights Hamas in the west and defends itself from Lebanese rockets in the north, there is a threat of the conflict expanding into a "five-front war," according to Bild. The newspaper says one potential threat to Israel comes from Iran, which "has been funding the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations for years." The fourth and fifth fronts, as Bild points out, could be opened by Palestinian groups in the West Bank and Iranian militants in Syria. In addition, experts of the think tank do not rule out the threat of Iraq or Yemen getting involved in the conflict, but they do not consider this scenario likely at this point.

"This natural pressure would be further exacerbated if Israel invaded the Gaza Strip and tried to destroy Hamas, regardless of whether this is even possible," the researchers added.

Experts believe that Iran, aided by Lebanon and Syria, has already made several attempts to intervene in the conflict, thereby threatening Israel with war on several fronts. However, fearing an escalation of the conflict, Israel has refrained from publicly accusing Iran, since the slightest indiscretion on its part could lead to more countries getting involved in the hostilities.

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 when militants from the radical Palestinian Hamas movement staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip as it has been delivering rocket attacks on Gaza as well as some districts in Lebanon and Syria.

Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank of the Jordan River. As many as 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and 5,000 wounded in the fighting. Among Israelis, the number is at least 1,200 killed and up to 3,000 wounded.