US presses ahead with modest Mideast plans despite election uncertainty

With the U.S. presidential election just a week away, the Biden administration is not giving up hope for short-term deals for cease-fires between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. But U.S. officials are mindful that political uncertainty in the United States has made the sides reluctant to commit to any significant agreements before the result of the Nov. 5 election is known. In the meantime, the Mideast is uneasy about what happens next after Israel struck military targets over the weekend in retaliation for Iran’s barrage of ballistic missile attacks on Oct. 1. U.S. officials say they believe Israel’s response won't draw an escalatory reaction from Iran but caution nothing is certain.