South-East Asia: Middle East conflict risks widening fallout as proxies are drawn in

A man inspects the debris of destroyed buildings at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs, on March 7, 2026. Lebanese official media reported on March 7 that clashes had erupted as Israeli forces attempted a landing operation along the Lebanon-Syria border, with militant group Hezbollah saying its fighters were involved. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has launched numerous strikes and sent ground troops into Lebanon since Tehran-backed group Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2 to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. -- Photo by AFP

SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bernama): The ongoing conflict in the Middle East risks widening fallout as involvement of proxy forces further escalates the situation.

Geopolitical and security analysts have raised grave concerns about the consequences of the latest conflict, triggered by the United States (US)-Israel coordinated strikes on Iran on Feb 28 and Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US assets in Gulf states, which is already spreading beyond the region.