Israel Iran latest news: US calls for calm after officials say Israel hit Iran
Since last weekend’s massive Iranian attack on Israel, in which almost all drones and missiles were shot down, this region waited for the much-anticipated Israeli response. The scale of the reaction had the potential to determine whether the two old rivals would be in an all-out war.
Many questions about what happened, and what might come, remain. But the apparent limited Israeli attack and the response from Iran, which has played down the incident and indicated there will not be a response, will bring relief to many.
A dangerous escalation seems to have been averted, but tensions continue. Since Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza started, in response to the Hamas attacks on Israel on 7 October, Iranian proxies in the region have carried out attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq, raising fears of a regional conflict.
Here in Lebanon, Hezbollah - the main player in the so-called Axis of Resistance, an alliance of regional groups and militias supported by Iran – has attacked Israel almost every day. Israel has retaliated, and some of its targets have been deep inside Lebanese territory.
These attacks are unlikely to stop unless there is a ceasefire in Gaza, a remote prospect as recent negotiations have failed to result in a deal. That means the region will remain on edge, although one of the worst scenarios, an open war between Israel and Iran, seems less likely, at least for now.
