Israel and Iran Enter Second Week of Conflict Amid Regional and Global Concerns

Contingency plans for a wider conflagration were drawn up in major capitals. NATO held emergency planning sessions, while China, dependent on Middle Eastern energy supplies, worked feverishly to secure its interests and promote a ceasefire. The United States provided intelligence and military assistance to Israel, while carefully avoiding direct intervention, even as American citizens in the region were advised to leave immediately. Humanitarian corridors and civilian evacuation plans were discussed, but the chaos and volatility on the ground rendered many such efforts either too little or impossible to implement.