An all-out war could entangle countries around the world and threaten the global economy.

As the number of adversaries that Israel is fighting has piled up over the past year — Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon — the most worrisome prospect has been the potential for a war with Iran.

The two nations, which do not share a border, have long been waging conflicts by proxy, subterfuge and sabotage. Each of the militant groups Israel is concurrently fighting is backed by Iran. The indirectness was always by design: Despite being regional rivals, each wanted to avoid what was sure to be a costly, existential direct confrontation.

Now, with Israel planning a retaliatory attack after Iran’s ballistic missile barrage of unprecedented scale and scope on Oct. 1, a war seems more likely, alarming the international community and countries in the region.

Here is why a war is so concerning.

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