Iran's delay in retaliating against Israel for the alleged assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran last week is a deliberate strategy, according to Sky News's Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall.
"The wait for Iran's response is in part deliberate, I think... The Iranians know that it sort of plays into the psychology of Israelis as they speculate what might be coming," Bunkell says.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed revenge, stating it's Iran's "duty" to avenge the assassination. Iran is expected to launch a multiday attack on Israel from multiple fronts, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and proxies in Syria and Iraq.
Bunkall suggests two reasons for the delay:
- Coordination: "It's also because I think the Iranians are trying to decide exactly what their response is going to be, how to coordinate it with Hezbollah and other proxies."
- Strategic advantage: "The delay does give particularly the Americans time to get more military assets into the region, to provide a defensive layer for Israel too."
Despite Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stating that Tehran is not seeking a wider conflict, he added that "punishing Israel is necessary."
Bunkall warns of potential escalation: "It would not take a very big Iranian retaliation, or from Hezbollah, to force the region into an uncontrollable war. And even though that's not what everybody wants, sometimes these events have a habit of running out of the control of the politicians and the commanders who try to orchestrate them."
The situation remains tense as the region awaits Iran's next move.
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