There are growing fears a large-scale war could erupt in the Middle East after Iran promised retaliation.
The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting after a set of airstrikes hours apart killed two anti-Israel militant leaders in the Middle East, raising concerns that a regional war could erupt., in Iran and of a top Hezbollah commander in Lebanon have stirred a diplomatic scramble at the UN and elsewhere to try to contain the complex, mounting tensions in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "will exact a very heavy price from any aggression against us on any front" but did not mention the killing. "There are challenging days ahead," he added. Bitter regional rivals, Israel and Iran risked plunging into war earlier this year when Israel hit Iran's embassy in Damascus in April. Iran retaliated, and Israel countered in an unprecedented exchange of strikes on each other's soil, but international efforts succeeded in containing that cycle before it spun out of control.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said there was "no sign that an escalation is imminent" in the Middle East and that a cease-fire agreement for Gaza was still possible. He also said the US could not independently confirm reports of what occurred in Tehran. A key question is whether Israel told the US, its top ally, ahead of time.Asked about Haniyeh's killing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "This is something we were not aware of or involved in.
But international diplomats trying to defuse tensions were alarmed. One Western diplomat, whose country has worked to prevent an Israeli-Hezbollah escalation, said the strikes in Beirut and Tehran have "almost killed" hopes for a Gaza cease-fire and could push the Middle East into a "devastating regional war." The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation.
Ismail Haniyeh, centre, flashes a victory sign as he is surrounded by a group of Iranian lawmakers after the conclusion of the swearing-in ceremony of newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
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