General
Why Is Iran Expected to Attack Israel? What to Know About the Crisis.
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of a senior Hamas leader in Tehran last week, an attack for which it has blamed Israel.
Less than a week after the killing of a top Hamas leader in Tehran and a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut, Lebanon, the Middle East is on edge. Fears of a broader regional war have been mounting amid vows of revenge from Iranian leaders that have left Israel in a state of deep uncertainty.
Why is an Iranian attack expected?
Iran has vowed to avenge the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader who was killed in Tehran after he and other leaders of Iranian-backed militant groups attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president. Israeli leaders would not confirm or deny whether their country was behind the breach of Iran’s defenses, but Iranian leaders and Hamas officials immediately blamed Israel and vowed retaliation.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued an order for Iran to strike Israel directly, according to three Iranian officials briefed on the order.
And Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaan, said on Monday that “Tehran is not interested in escalating the regional conflicts, but it is necessary to punish” Israel.
How is Lebanon connected to the crisis?
The Iranian government has said that any retaliatory attack will also involve its proxy forces, which include Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militants in Iraq.
Tensions between Israel and Iran’s proxies were already running high before the killing of Mr. Haniyeh, which took place the day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed Fuad Shukr, a top-ranking commander of Hezbollah. The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said after the Beirut strike that the group’s conflict with Israel had entered a new phase and threatened a major retaliation.
