Iran's delayed retaliation against Israel for the killing of a Hamas leader raises questions about the Islamic Republic's strategic calculations and the potential consequences of an attack.
Iran has kept the world on edge since it promised to strike Israel more than two weeks ago -- a move experts say could plunge the region into an all-out war. The promised attack by Islamic republic is meant as retaliation for the July 31 killing in Tehran of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group Hamas . Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said after the assassination that Iran was 'duty-bound' to avenge its 'guest.
'We're seeing a bigger response than in April, which is probably meant to match the scope of the threat, as Iran may carry out a larger response than the one in April,' Horowitz said. 'The message in sending both defensive assets -- but also potentially offensive ones -- is one of deterrence and perhaps the only kind of message that does truly matter at this stage.
Israel Hamas Middle East Conflict Retaliation Diplomacy Deterrence Military War
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