The assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, along with the killing of leading Hezbollah figure Fuad Shukr in Beirut, has sent shockwaves throughout the Middle East, and the feeling that the Iranians are likely to respond with an attack on Israel that could start an all-out regional war.
Israel is widely believed to have carried out Haniyeh’s killing, and claimed the assassination of Shukr. Following on from months of devastating attacks on Gaza, where almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, and previous escalations against both Iran and its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, there is apprehension over what comes next, with the fear that Lebanon in particular could be at risk of attack in the case of any extended conflict.
