Tensions in the region have been high following the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital Tehran on Wednesday, a day after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Fouad Shukr, a senior military commander in the Iranian-allied Lebanese Hezbollah group.
Fears are growing that Israel’s war on Palestinian fighters in Gaza since October could escalate into a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Iran and Hamas accuse Israel of assassinating Haniyeh, and they and Hezbollah have vowed revenge.
Israel neither claimed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination.
According to Channel 13, senior members of the Israeli security establishment estimate that Iran has not fully decided on the nature and strength of the response (to Haniyeh’s assassination).
The Israeli channel added that Hezbollah is looking for a target that would harm Israel, but it is not interested in turning the confrontation into a large-scale war.
The United States will deploy additional military capabilities to the Middle East as a defensive measure aimed at calming tensions in the region, a White House official said on Sunday.
The US Department of Defense said on Friday it would deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the region.
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