The Lebanon-based movement and Tehran have both threatened retaliation against Israel following the killing of senior figures.
Hezbollah is moving faster than Iran in its planning and may strike Israel in the coming days, CNN cited one of its sources as saying. Iran, meanwhile, appears to be still working out how to respond, the outlet added.
Israel announced in late July that it had killed Hezbollah’s top military commander Fuad Shukr in a strike on the Lebanese capital Beirut. Tel Aviv is also widely believed to have been behind last week’s assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death but had previously threatened to eliminate the leadership of the Palestinian group.
Hezbollah could strike with little or no notice due to being Israel’s direct neighbor to the north, one of CNN’s sources claimed.
Tel Aviv has warned that if the Lebanese-based group harms Israeli civilians as part of its retaliation, the Israel Defense Force’s response would be disproportionate, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing Israeli officials.
According to a report in Politico, Iran may be reconsidering launching a large-scale attack on Israel. The Joe Biden administration has worked through diplomatic channels to discourage Tehran from a multi-pronged attack, highlighting a risk of a direct war between Iran and Israel, the outlet wrote on Thursday, citing senior US officials. It had been reported previously that Iran was expected to strike Israel on Monday.
In April, Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel in response to the Israeli bombing of its consulate in Syria.
Tensions between Iran and Israel peaked after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the occupied territories on October 7. In response, the Zionist regime started an offensive in the Gaza Strip, causing unprecedented destruction in the Palestinian enclave. The war so far claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 Palestinians in the blockaded territory.
