TEL AVIV — The Biden administration’s optimism about a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the Gaza war appears to be waning just as its concerns about northern front fighting, between Israel and Hezbollah, intensify. 

As has been the case since the start of the war last Oct. 7, the two fronts are linked: when fighting escalates in Gaza, cross-border Israeli-Hezbollah exchanges do, too.

"The problem is that unlike Gaza, where the current fighting can continue for a long time, Israel will not be able to restrain itself in the north for much longer. With an entire region emptied of its inhabitants, the potential for a multifront conflagration exists," a senior diplomatic source in the Middle East told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “Such a potential domino effect threatens Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign, unless the administration’s efforts for an arrangement in the south pick up soon." 

This was the reason for the virtual meeting held this week between Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and senior American officials, as first reported by Axios. The Israelis' conversation with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan, special Middle East envoy Amos Hochstein and presidential adviser Brett McGurk was scheduled to discuss how to ease tensions on the northern front and prevent a deterioration into an all-out, multifront war.