The opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem amid bloodshed in Gaza has fueled global concern that U.S. policies are roiling the region.
President Donald Trump's decision to shift the American Embassy to Jerusalem has sent plunging the prospects of Trump serving as a broker for Mideast peace.
Last week the president announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the multinational Iran nuclear deal. That decision appears to have emboldened both Israel and Iran to move more forcefully toward full-on confrontation.
In Syria, Trump's eagerness to pull out U.S. troops as soon as the Islamic State group is defeated has forced a reckoning by Iran's enemies about the possibility that Tehran will fill the void.
U.S. officials insist the administration remains committed to restarting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.